Rebels move on after Mick Cronin decides to stay at Cincinnati

By Taylor Bern

Published Friday, March 25, 2016 | 10:58 a.m.

Updated Friday, March 25, 2016 | 2:55 p.m.

Mick Cronin is staying at Cincinnati, and UNLV’s coaching search will move in other directions, with New Mexico State coach Marvin Menzies flying in to Las Vegas tonight, according to a source.

The Rebels have also reached out to St. Mary’s coach Randy Bennett, Arkansas-Little Rock’s Chris Beard and former St. John’s and UCLA coach Steve Lavin.

Cronin came to Las Vegas late Tuesday night and left Thursday afternoon with an offer that was believed to be around $2.2 million per season.

In an interview with ESPN Las Vegas this morning, UNLV Athletics Director Tina Kunzer-Murphy said Cronin verbally agreed to take the UNLV job before flying back to Cincinnati.

“He left saying he would be our head coach, and in good faith, we knew he had to go home and take care of his business. So, I expected a call today,” Kunzer-Murphy said.

Instead, Kunzer-Murphy said, she didn’t find out Cronin was staying put until Cincinnati President Santa J. Ono tweeted the news this morning.

Before Cronin even landed in Cincinnati on Thursday, however, a source told the Sun that Cronin’s agent, Jordan Bazant of the Legacy Agency, was already moving on to helping other clients fill the UNLV position. That doesn’t mean Kunzer-Murphy wasn’t truly caught off guard, but the information was certainly available.

Cronin, meanwhile, is disputing Kunzer-Murphy's account. "I never officially accepted," Cronin told The Cincinnati Enquirer. "I looked at it. I didn't take it."

He also told the newspaper the UNLV visit had nothing to do with trying to get more money or program upgrades at Cincinnati. "It wasn't about all that," he said. "I wasn't making demands."

Cronin, a Cincinnati native and Bearcat alum, has been the head coach at Cincinnati for the last 10 years.

“I would like people to try and understand after 10 years of dedicated service I chose to evaluate my career and my life,” Cronin said in a statement. “Reflecting through that process was extremely difficult, but it was something I needed to do for me personally. The city of Cincinnati and the university are special places to me and I’ve always said what an honor it is to be the head coach at my alma mater. This program has come such a long way in 10 years and we’ve still got work to do and goals to achieve. The 2016-17 season starts for me today and I can’t wait for the future that lies ahead for the Bearcats and this University.”

In 2014, Cronin signed a seven-year extension — his fourth at Cincinnati — that pays him $1.8 million annually with incentives that could push it to about $2.2 million.

Kunzer-Murphy said the Rebels are moving forward and have always other alternatives. Menzies is expected to arrive in Las Vegas about 7 p.m. today. Beard, Bennett and Lavin are possibilities waiting in the wings.

“We have many outstanding candidates that are interested in this job, some we have already interviewed and others that we will be speaking with in the coming days,” Kunzer-Murphy said in a statement. “We have said all along that our target timeframe to have this search completed by is the Final Four and we remain on track.”

However, UNLV planned and then canceled a special Board of Regents meeting for Wednesday, March 30. The goal was to finalize UNLV’s 12th men’s basketball coach at that point, but instead Cronin turned them down and the search continues.

Taylor Bern can be reached at 948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Taylor on Twitter at twitter.com/taylorbern.