Mike Thomas

[shadyo]

I certainly hope that Nancy and Jeff are going to keep the checkbook out for Mike Thomas. This guy has been an awesome AD and I'm sure there will be opportunities for him elsewhere in the future. Note BK's cooment about loving the people he works with.

[Lobot]

I certainly hope that Nancy and Jeff are going to keep the checkbook out for Mike Thomas. This guy has been an awesome AD and I'm sure there will be opportunities for him elsewhere in the future. Note BK's cooment about loving the people he works with.

Pretty good observation on your part. While everyone else is worried about Kelly jumping, MT might be the valuable link that keeps him here.

[oldcat48]

I think there's a tendency to completely overlook the value of a good/great AD - coaches are the face of the athletic department.

[Cincinnatisportsfanatic]

Correct. We have had good luck with our current and past A.D.'s. Goin didn't a great job with our football growth as well as guiding us to the Big East. So far Mike Thomas is raising the bar on all academics at UC.. I'm sure he can see what we are building and wants to have his hand in our future..

[bobestes]

Mike Thomas is going to end up being AD at a place like OSU or Michigan. And rightfully so.

[Cats4Ever]

I'm not quite ready to nominate him for sainthood.

[Bearcat Cafe]

Goin did a fabulous job with Varsity Village and the BE. Other than that, he did very little other than stay out of Huggs' way. Goin did absolutely nothing to market the program or to grow the fan base (free ticket giveaways and 2 for 1 deals, good Lord).

Thomas has had a plan from day 1 and to this point has hit the ball out of the park.

[ewad]

I think there's a tendency to completely overlook the value of a good/great AD - coaches are the face of the athletic department.

I agree. First AD's typically hire those coaches. Second in today's world they are big time fundraisers. Either themselves personally OR put the team together that brings in the money.

[Cincinnatisportsfanatic]

Mike Thomas is going to end up being AD at a place like OSU or Michigan. And rightfully so.

Why in the world would he go to Oregon State University? Michigan ehh i doubt it.

[Cincinnatisportsfanatic]

It's tough to market a losing team that didn't generate a lot of money. Plus with our basketball being the top program at the time who needed football. Boy how has times and finances changed..

[Bearcat Fan Since 1958]

Goin did a fabulous job with Varsity Village and the BE. Other than that, he did very little other than stay out of Huggs' way. Goin did absolutely nothing to market the program or to grow the fan base (free ticket giveaways and 2 for 1 deals, good Lord).

Thomas has had a plan from day 1 and to this point has hit the ball out of the park.

Goin was good but finished bad. Thomas started slow but has done well lately.

[oldcat48]

I think the perception is he started slow because he had to wade through that entire AK basketball season with us breathing down his neck (putting it kindly now) about the hire.

Within three months he had hired Cronin and within six months (?) they launched Catapult. I would not call that a slow start, actually.

[Cleveland_Bearcat]

Why in the world would he go to Oregon State University? Michigan ehh i doubt it.

You dummy. He obviously meant OKLAHOMA State. Sheesh.

[ralph1950]

What about all the great accolades President Zimpher has been getting for her wonderful support of Bearcat Athletics. Coach Kelly praised her for all she has done. What a great job of recognizing coaching talent in the hiring of Coaches Kelly and Cronin. Jeff Wyler said that they were supposed to meet with another candidate after interviewing Brian Kelly but after the Kelly interview was completed Nancy said to Mike Thomas "you should hire that guy".

[BrettTaylor]

Why in the world would he go to Oregon State University? Michigan ehh i doubt it.

Great stuff right there sir!! Hate the Suckeyes!!

[Bearcat Fan Since 1958]

I think the perception is he started slow because he had to wade through that entire AK basketball season with us breathing down his neck (putting it kindly now) about the hire.

Within three months he had hired Cronin and within six months (?) they launched Catapult. I would not call that a slow start, actually.

He badly handled the AK situation. Hiring Cronin was easy. MC would have come to UC anytime. Hiring Brian Kelly was more impressive. MT is doing well now.

[oldcat48]

I enjoy playing devil's advocate ... but actually ...

I heard MT looked at and interviewed other coaches before hiring Cronin. I wonder how many good basketball coaches out there even wanted to talk about this job then. It had to be only successful up-and-comers.

And as much as some say how easy a hire Mick was, let's remember that Thomas didn't know that - he didn't know Cronin before, nor would he have known, without interviewing him, that MC was willing to walk into the firestorm that was UC Basketball at the time. Examining several candidates was smart and the right thing to do.

Look, I hope MT doesn't leave, but if he does it will be people like you who will push him out the door by continuing to unfairly malign him over AK. How, exactly, did he badly handle AK? Just by not hiring him? The silly microphone incident? AK had never been proven to build a program. Looking back now, I feel differently -- I get why MT made the decision he did, and I agree with it. Cronin may yet turn out to be an even better hire than Kelly.

[Lobot]

What about all the great accolades President Zimpher has been getting for her wonderful support of Bearcat Athletics. Coach Kelly praised her for all she has done. What a great job of recognizing coaching talent in the hiring of Coaches Kelly and Cronin. Jeff Wyler said that they were supposed to meet with another candidate after interviewing Brian Kelly but after the Kelly interview was completed Nancy said to Mike Thomas "you should hire that guy".

Keep your enemies closer..lol

[Bearcat Fan Since 1958]

I enjoy playing devil's advocate ... but actually ...

I heard MT looked at and interviewed other coaches before hiring Cronin. I wonder how many good basketball coaches out there even wanted to talk about this job then. It had to be only successful up-and-comers.

And as much as some say how easy a hire Mick was, let's remember that Thomas didn't know that - he didn't know Cronin before, nor would he have known, without interviewing him, that MC was willing to walk into the firestorm that was UC Basketball at the time. Examining several candidates was smart and the right thing to do.

Look, I hope MT doesn't leave, but if he does it will be people like you who will push him out the door by continuing to unfairly malign him over AK. How, exactly, did he badly handle AK? Just by not hiring him? The silly microphone incident? AK had never been proven to build a program. Looking back now, I feel differently -- I get why MT made the decision he did, and I agree with it. Cronin may yet turn out to be an even better hire than Kelly.

His treatment of AK at the last game was atrocious. Even HE admitted that.

Very few coaches were interested in UC job in 2006. No prominent ones.

[jeffto]

Very few coaches were interested in UC job in 2006. No prominent ones.Well thank God we got a great one!!

The reason very few were interested was because they weren't sure they could overcome the taint left by the interim's predecessor.

Win the NBA, no excuses, 8.5 deep at every position.

[oldcat48]

Edited: never mind. Not worth it.

[Bearcat Fan Since 1958]

Well thank God we got a great one!!

The reason very few were interested was because they weren't sure they could overcome the taint left by the interim's predecessor.

Win the NBA, no excuses, 8.5 deep at every position.

No, the reason was that not many thought they could win 3 of 4 games like he did.

Cronin is a good (young) coach. He is a great recruiter but so was Steve Lavin at UCLA.

[jeffto]

No, the reason was that not many thought they could win 3 of 4 games like he did.


No, the reason was they didn't think they could overcome the taint.

[Bearcat Fan Since 1958]

No, the reason was they didn't think they could overcome the taint.

Not so. The UC team was very successful in the 1990's and early to mid 2K's because of its players and coaching staff.

The UC coaching job was a tough sell.