UNLV awaits decision from Cincinnati’s Cronin

UNLV met again with Cincinnati basketball coach Mick Cronin on Thursday morning, but he returned home without agreeing to take over the Rebels.

Athletic director Tina Kunzer-Murphy said in a text message that UNLV officials and Cronin “had another great discussion.” She added in another message the two parties were “still working, (Cronin) and his agent are reviewing … this is a process.”

UNLV president Len Jessup sounded optimistic in an interview that followed the presentation to the Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee of plans to develop a $1.3 billion domed stadium.

“The process is going well,” Jessup said of talks with Cronin. “Those conversations are ongoing, and I’m confident we’ll have a good outcome relatively soon.”

Cronin told the Cincinnati Enquirer earlier in the day that no decision would be made Thursday. He didn’t go into further details, according to the article.

A decision from Cronin is expected no later than today, according to sources close to the search.

“We have stayed in touch with our coach, and Mick and I agreed in advance to not fuel speculation by making statements,” Bearcats athletic director Mike Bohn told the Enquirer.

Cronin landed in Las Vegas late Tuesday and interviewed throughout Wednesday. He returned Thursday to continue talks before leaving for Cincinnati on a commercial flight, sources said.

UNLV has made Cronin its top target, with the Rebels expected to offer at least $2 million with incentives. He makes up to $2.2 million at Cincinnati, including bonuses.

If UNLV and Cronin reach an agreement, the University of Nevada Board of Regents would have to approve a deal. They do not have a meeting scheduled, but one will be put together after a coach is named.

Cronin, 44, was born in Cincinnati and graduated from that university, so he has plenty to think about. He might want to give the Bearcats a chance to respond to UNLV’s offer, and Cronin has been wanting facility upgrades at Cincinnati.

He also shares custody of his 9-year-old daughter who figures to be a considerable factor in his decision.

Under Cronin, the Bearcats have gone 207-129 in 10 seasons. They have made the NCAA Tournament the past six years, and this season they went 22-11 and lost 78-76 to Saint Joseph’s in the first round of the tourney.

He rebuilt the Bearcats after inheriting a difficult situation in 2006 that included the return of just one letterman. Cincinnati went 11-19 that season, but then improved its record over each of the following four years. The Bearcats’ deepest run in the NCAA Tournament occurred in 2012 when they made the Sweet 16.

One frustration in Cincinnati was that the Bearcats haven’t played further into the tournament since that season. They have gone 1-4 in the NCAA Tournament since then.

Before Cincinnati, Cronin coached Murray State for three seasons, going 69-24. That included two trips to the NCAA Tournament.

As an assistant coach, he worked under Rick Pitino at Louisville and Bob Huggins at Cincinnati, and that experience helped Cronin developed a physical style. UNLV’s top weakness was a lack of physicality, which especially showed up in games against rival and Mountain West standard bearer San Diego State. The Aztecs have won the past eight meetings.

If Cronin turns down the Rebels, they will have to decide where to turn next. Their options figure to include Arkansas-Little Rock’s Chris Beard, Saint Mary’s Randy Bennett, South Carolina’s Frank Martin and New Mexico State’s Marvin Menzies. The Rebels also could look at Steve Lavin, formerly the coach at UCLA and St. John’s.

“Tina’s running a very thorough process with a lot of very good candidates, so we’re right in the middle of it,” Jessup said. “We’ve got a lot of options at this point. We’re hoping to wrap things up here in the next couple of weeks.”

Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65