Mick Cronin Is Back and Counting His Blessings

On Friday, the night after Thanksgiving, Cincinnati basketball coach Mick Cronin sat alone behind a basket at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, dividing his attention between his cell phone and the game between George Washington and Tennessee. Cronin, 44, was scouting the Bearcats' next opponent, and he couldn't have been happier about it. Nearly a year after the scariest moment of his young life, Cronin was back doing the only job he ever wanted.

Last December, doctors diagnosed Cronin with an arterial dissection in his brain, a serious medical condition that had friends and family members concerned about his long-term well-being and his future in the sport. He was forced to take a leave of absence for the remainder of the season. He couldn't coach in games or attend practices, although he continued to watch film, recruit prospects, and speak with coaches and players. The plan was always to come back.

Cronin swears that not much has changed in terms of his work habits since he was cleared to get back to work last March, not even the day after Thanksgiving.

"We don't really observe holidays in college coaching," Cronin said, smiling, after Cincinnati's 65-61 victory over Nebraska earlier that Friday. "Holidays don't exist for us other than Fourth of July because that's the dead period in recruiting. My daughter and I usually have a great time that weekend…

"I've been just so busy, locked in," he continued. "I think, for me, I have that mentality now all the time of being thankful. And I'm probably a lot more cognizant of when I see other people go through things. I have much more empathy when I see that type of stuff."

The win against Nebraska was extra special for Cronin considering he had first experienced symptoms following a double overtime road loss to the Cornhuskers last December. During the plane ride home, he complained of headaches and placed an ice pack on his head. He didn't think too much of it, although, luckily, he ended up having a series of tests to evaluate his brain and physical condition.

A week later, physicians told him he couldn't coach that day's game against VCU and that they worried that he might have to have brain surgery. Fortunately for Cronin, he didn't have to undergo any operations, and he didn't have a brain aneurysm, as doctors had once feared. Within a few weeks, he started feeling close to 100 percent, but doctors proceeded with caution. They didn't allow him to attend games or practices, because they would cause too much stress.

With longtime Cincinnati assistant coach Larry Davis taking over for Cronin, the Bearcats advanced to the NCAA tournament for the fifth consecutive season. If Cincinnati had defeated Kentucky and made the Sweet 16, Cronin said, he probably would have coached in the next round. Instead, the Bearcats lost and Cronin had to wait nearly eight months to coach another game.

"Coaches work their tails off, whether it be recruiting or coaching or whatever," Nebraska coach Tim Miles said. "To have a health scare like that, where I could imagine that stress had something to do with that, is scary for all of us. To see him back is really good because we want him out here. We want him healthy. He's good for the game."

Cincinnati began the season unranked, but after a 7-0 start they're ranked 17th in the Associated Press and USA Today polls. Last Saturday afternoon, the Bearcats overcame a deficit with less than two minutes remaining and topped previously unbeaten George Washington 61-56 to win the Barclays Center Classic championship. The all-tournament team included Cincinnati forward Octavius Ellis and guard Troy Caupain, two of the five starters returning from last season's squad, which finished 23-11 and third in the American Athletic Conference.

In December, Cincinnati faces a difficult schedule with home games against Butler and No. 5 Iowa State as well as road games at VCU and No. 12 Xavier. Cronin said he chose to play those games to challenge the Bearcats heading into conference play. The strength of schedule could help when the NCAA tournament committee convenes in March and assesses the Bearcats' season, but Cronin's bigger concern was putting his team to the test.

"It's great to have [Cronin] back on the sidelines," senior forward Shaq Thomas said. "I haven't noticed anything different. We've got an older team now, so I think he's just let us play a little bit more."

Now in his 10th season at Cincinnati and 13th as a college head coach, Cronin coached his 400th game on November 22. So far, his winning percentage is better than .640, and he's hoping to continue in the profession as long as possible. It's all he's ever known in his adult life.

Cronin was a talented high school player in Cincinnati, but at 5-foot-7 he knew he couldn't play beyond college, so he pursued coaching. As an undergraduate at Cincinnati, Cronin was an assistant for a high school team. He rose quickly through the ranks and became the head coach at Murray State when he was 31. He is now one of the most respected coaches in college basketball, and while he got there in part through obsessive work, he also appreciates his good fortune.

"I tell everybody, 'Be thankful for your health because it's not promised,'" Cronin said. "Most people, they say, 'Yeah, yeah,' and move on about their day. But people that have gone through it or had a family member go through any type of thing, they understand what I'm talking about. I don't take anything for granted. I really appreciate just being able to coach and having my health, but I also know it's not promised tomorrow."