Cronin flying home, sources say no deal
University of Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin said Thursday morning he is traveling home from Las Vegas today, with no immediate update on what might happen with his situation regarding the vacant UNLV (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) job.
Sources have said that there is no deal in place at UNLV, where Cronin visited Wednesday. Regardless, Cronin said via text to The Enquirer that nothing would be happening Thursday. Cronin declined further comment.
Las Vegas Review-Journal writer Mark Anderson tweeted that UNLV athletic director Tina Kunzer-Murphy met with Cronin again Thursday before the UC coach flew back to Cincinnati, with Kunzer-Murphy saying that they "had another great discussion." Kunzer-Murphy also said that Cronin "and his agent are reviewing ... this is the process."
The University of Nevada Board of Regents canceled its ad hoc Committee on Athletics meeting scheduled for Wednesday and full board meeting planned for Thursday, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. All the contractual information would have been needed by Friday, and now the regents will wait until a coach is hired before scheduling a meeting, the Review-Journal said, adding that they probably will schedule a full board meeting only when a coach is named to decide whether to approve the contract.
UC still hopes to retain Cronin.
"We have stayed in touch with our coach," UC athletic director Mike Bohn told The Enquirer via text on Thursday afternoon. "Mick and I agreed in advance to not fuel speculation by making statements."
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette also has mentioned Cronin's name among potential replacements for Jamie Dixon at Pitt.
UNLV reportedly has offered Cronin a deal that would pay as much as $3 million per season. At UC, Cronin in 2014 signed a seven-year extension that can earn him up to $2.2 million annually.
At UNLV, Cronin's pay would more than double what UNLV has ever paid a basketball coach. Former UNLV coach Lon Kruger, with the Rebels from 2004 to 2011, made as much as just more than $1 million a year. Former UNLV coach Dave Rice, fired Jan. 10, was making a base salary of $300,000 and a total package of $850,000 annually, according to a Mountain West Conference database compiled by the Albuquerque Journal.
Reportedly, Under Armour might cover the additional $1 million of Cronin's proposed UNLV deal, with the outfitter looking to make more of a West Coast presence.
At UC, Cronin has long sought upgrades to facilities including 26-year-old Fifth Third Arena and its locker room. The arena is scheduled to undergo an $87 million renovation that is expected to be completed in the fall of 2018, a year later than first hoped. Cronin reportedly also wants more money for his recruiting budget, including a chartered jet for some recruiting trips.
The 44-year-old Cronin is a native Cincinnatian who has lived most of his life in the area, a graduate of both La Salle High School and UC. Cronin has been the head coach at UC for 10 years, with a 207-129 record and NCAA Tournament appearances in each of the last six seasons. UC went 22-11 this season.