NUMBER FOUR
The fourth biggest story involving the Bearcats athletics program was one that left a lot of people talking and still some pain for many in the Bearcats nation. Having gone through the departure of basketball coach Bob Huggins in the fall of 2005, Bearcat fans had found a coach to their liking in Andy Kennedy.
But things didn’t workout for the former Huggins assistant coach and as the Bearcats season came to an end against South Carolina just one win short of making a trip to New York for the NIT Championships fans started to learn Kennedy was headed to Ole Miss and the Bearcats program would be turned over to one of their own.
Mick Cronin has called the job as UC’s head basketball coach his “Dream Job” and why not. Having grown up in the Queen City and being a grad of his hometown school, Cronin had worked his way up the food chain of college basketball one job at a time until he became one of the top recruiting coaches in the country. After a successful stint in Louisville the former La Salle graduate was hired to take over as head coach of Murray State. After finding success at Murray State the call came for Cronin to return home and take over the program he’s always dreamed of running.
Like new football coach Brian Kelly, the hiring of a men’s basketball coach in most years would be the biggest story of the year, but not in 2006 as many things changed at UC.