CINCINNATI -- University of Cincinnati basketball coach Mick Cronin was not on the bench Saturday afternoon when the Bearcats lost 68-47 to Virginia Commonwealth at Fifth Third Arena. The possibility remains that Cronin will miss multiple games because of an unruptured aneurysm discovered during a visit to the doctor.
Cronin, in his ninth season at his alma mater, was suffering from headaches since last Saturday when the Bearcats lost at Nebraska in double overtime. He did not attend his normal post-game press conference after an overtime win against No. 19 San Diego State this past Wednesday. Cronin went to the doctor, discussed on Friday with his staff the possibility of him not coaching and then got the word on Saturday morning that would be the case.
Associate head coach Larry Davis took over Cronin's role against VCU and will remain there in the interim.
Cronin told the players of his situation when they met about 90 minutes before the noon tip-off. He then left the arena and went home, per doctor's orders.
"This is a hard press conference for me because the guy has been one of my best friends for a long time," said Davis. "It's hard. Kids adjust but to sit here and tell you it's no big deal, it is a big deal. Mick's put his heart and soul into this program and building this program up and I've been fortunate to be with him all of the way. It's tough to lose your guy right before the game. Everyone is a little uncertain, a little unsure about things."
Davis was the head coach at Furman from 1997-2006. He has been at UC ever since.
"Mick's a smart guy and Mick realizes this is a basketball game and as much as we wanted to win today, and as much as I wanted to win today and the team wanted to win and the rest of the staff wanted to win, he has to do what's right for himself physically because no basketball game is worth your life," said Davis. "You've got to let the expert do his thing and then you've got to listen to the expert and follow his advice. Again, Mick's a smart guy. He's a competitive guy. As soon as the doctors say it's okay he'll be back. That I can tell you. If the doctors say he can do limited things in practice, whatever it is he can do, I know Mick. He'll do every single thing that he can do. But he's not going to put himself in danger of dropping over."
UC officials said Cronin went for a doctor visit because of lingering headaches and the aneurysm was discovered during routine testing. Further testing is taking place, according to UC, and Cronin's doctor advised him against coaching until those results have been completed. He is scheduled to have an angiogram performed on Monday.
"Coach Cronin is doing well," said UC team physician Dr. Michael Donaworth in a statement released by the school. "While he would love to be courtside, he understands our decision. His health is our biggest priority."
Senior forward Jermaine Sanders said Cronin's announcement stunned the team but wasn't an excuse for losing by 21 points.
"I was kind of shocked. He didn't tell us until about an hour before the game, so it was kind of a shock to me when I found out," said Sanders. "It was tough. He is our leader, but we should have overcome it and played harder because he wasn't here."
The Bearcats are now 169-110 since Cronin took over the program in the 2006-07 season with just one returning letterman. UC has been to four consecutive NCAA tournaments and is still 7-3 this season despite Saturday's loss.
"I appreciate the UC Health medical community for all they have done to get to the bottom of my issue as quickly as possible," Cronin said in a statement released prior to the game. "Obviously, I am being held out of coaching the team for precautionary reasons which I fully understand. I have total confidence in my coaching staff and players that they will be focused and ready to play today."
UC's next game is at home against Wagner on Tuesday. The Bearcats then have a week off until playing at North Carolina State on Dec. 30.
"The most important factor here is Mick's health, which is bigger than any game," said UC AD Mike Bohn. "We will support him and his family to the fullest extent and want Mick to be our coach for a long time. We have faith in Larry Davis and our outstanding coaches and support staff to lead the program today. We are blessed to have an outstanding medical team here at UC and thank them for their efforts."
