Cincinnati Basketball: UNLV Set To Pay Mick Cronin $3 Million Per Year As Rumors Swirl

UNLV is prepared to pay Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin upwards of $3 million annually to become their next head basketball coach, as reported by ESPN’s Jeff Goodman.

The offer is a good one for the man who completely rebuilt Bearcats basketball and owns an impressive 203-125 record at UC. But that’s not to say Cincinnati couldn’t match that should Mick reciprocate that interest.

I’ve long said (since yesterday morning no less!) that him leaving for UNLV didn’t make a lot of sense. The Runnin’ Rebels can offer him a new arena and a truckload of cash but Cincinnati’s Fifth Third Arena will kick off renovations in a year. Plus, while UC continues to heavily subsidize the athletic department, matching UNLV’s $3 million offer wouldn’t be much more than the $2.2 million they’re currently paying him.

The question remains, how much is Mick Cronin truly entertaining the idea of moving out West? It’s curious that he wouldn’t attend his regularly scheduled radio show, especially following a key game, and that Mike Bohn and Santa Ono continue to be vague in their comments about the matter. But they did give UNLV the right to speak with their head coach so they must have planned canned statements well ahead of time.

For me, I see this as posturing on the part of Mick Cronin.

He knows a Fifth Third Arena renovation to revamp, well.. everything, is in the works but it’s been delayed. Plus, he can’t be too happy with the fact that he had to raise money on renovations for by himself for his team’s locker room when Tommy Tuberville on the football side just broke in their newly renovated stadium. Oh, and the fact that he still doesn’t have a private plane for recruiting purposes after asking for one for years irks him. On top of that Mick had to take it upon himself, like with the locker room, to bring the practice facility in the basement of the Lindner Center from a bomb shelter to major conference standards.

UNLV could throw millions of dollars at him in terms of salary and expanded budget and their arena, the Thomas & Mack Center, is set to have renovations complete by this year.

But Mick would have to deal with the complication custody rights over his daughter by moving so far away from her mother. That’s an area I can’t even begin to explain so I’d just let the lawyers figure out the details. But you can be assured that’s a roadblock. Additionally, he’s established himself in the Cincinnati area, with his father and brother regularly attending games, as well as a roster of players hand picked to run his system. Plus he’s adding an explosive shooting guard, Jarron Cumberland, to the roster for next season. Giving all of that up to chase money and a shiny arena while embarking on a rebuild of sorts with the Runnin’ Rebels might not be worth it.

However, considering that a 200+ win coach who’s taken his team to six straight NCAA Tournaments has to fight tooth and nail for every dollar his program gets, you can see why Mick would entertain UNLV’s offer. But, again, I see it all as posturing to finally get Bohn and Ono to put some real support behind Bearcats basketball.