Cronin was the head coach of the Bearcats for 13 seasons -- 2006-2019 -- where he would finish with a record of 270-147, which included 2 regular season conference championships (2013-14, 20178-18) and two conference tournament championships (2017-18, 2018-19). Also, probably most notable, Cronin led the Bearcats to the NCAA tournament 9 consecutive seasons. *Side Note: In his first 7 seasons with the Bearcats they were in the Big East Conference, in 2013 they joined the American Athletic Conference).
John Brannen is the former coach of Northern Kentucky University Norse, where he accumulated a record of 114-51. While it's a bit of difference from coaching in the Horizon League (NKU) to the American Athletic Conference (UC) it's probably most impressive that he took a club that won 9 games in his first season to a 24-win team in his second season and made the NCAA tournament in 2 of his final 3 seasons at NKU.
Brannen replacing Cronin made sense. He was an up-and-coming coach, they didn't have to search far and wide, he was likely going to cost them less money than a big-time established head coach and he is a local guy (from Kentucky). And as it was announced that he would be the next head coach for the Bearcats a lot of people wondered about his recruiting ability and if he would be able to get the current players to "buy-in" to his system which is offensive driven, opposite of Mick Cronin's coaching style which was very defensive minded. However, it seems Brannen has the ability to do something that Cronin wasn't ever going to do. And that thing is: live outside the shadows of former University of Cincinnati head coach Bob Huggins. In Cincinnati Bob Huggins for the University of Cincinnati was, to a lot of people, the heart of the team. Huggins was a fan favorite for the most part and had his way with the media. After 16 seasons with the Bearcats it didn't seem like Huggins was ever going to leave after the legacy he had built with the institution. Huggins had brought the University the most excitement and success the institution had since the 1960's and their most final 4 appearance in 1992. Huggins was forced to resigned from the University of Cincinnati late in the summer of 2005. Huggins at the University of Cincinnati finished with a record of 398-128.
Cronin had replaced interim head coach Andy Kennedy after he coached for one season at UC.
When Cronin was named the head coach at the University it still seemed that people still were looking to have the same type of basketball and level of success as they had under Huggins, they wanted the same type of recruits and mostly they wanted Huggins; when Brannen was hired, I didn't get that from the fans nor the media. It seems that fans are just wanting to see him [Brannen] develop as a coach and continue to build the program and hopefully, eventually, make it to the second weekend (sweet 16/ Elite 8) of the NCAA tournament. Brannen has less expectations to have the program where Huggins once had it than Cronin did in my opinion, based upon what I've heard from fans. The main thing that I believe has led to this is ... Time
Brannen is further removed in time of Huggins' departure from Cincinnati than Cronin was and it made it harder for fans to have less expectations and it makes sense. But my questions is: What does he [Brannen] do with the ability to start a clean slate of expectations at the University of Cincinnati?
The Bearcats currently have a record of 8-6.
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