TicketsDefinitely an entertaining media session with Mick Cronin, Ibrahima Thomas and Biggie McClain on Thursday. It's pretty obvious the team is riding high following Wednesday night's tourney-clincher.
How do you know Charlie Sheen has taken over the universe? When his comment shows up unsolicited in Cronin's press conference.
Here was Cronin when discussing his team's success: "You are going to lose if you don't come out ready to play. You got to have your tiger blood."
For Sheen, it's just another day of winning.
That wasn't the only entertaining or enlightening tidbits to come out of the press conference. Cronin also took a shot at the national writers and pundits talking about how nobody believed him when he said this team would be improved.
"I saw it all last spring, I told everybody this summer and nobody wanted to listen. None of the national guys wanted to listen they all said I was just trying to publicize my team. But I told every one of those guys we were going to be better. They took shots at me. Mick Cronin says the Bearcats are going to be better but they lost their two leading scorers, I don't know how he could say that. They all wrote the same thing. So, none of them wanted to talk about us all year because it would make them look bad because they are all the ones who said we weren't going to win. They were all the ones who picked us 12th.
"They can't admit they were wrong when I told them all, you want to make yourself look good? We are going to win this year. We are going to have a good team this year. Why? Because I am a coach and you're a writer. That's why. Because I know what I'm talking about. Because I got kids with character and they are ready to win. They went through a tough time last year and this team is ready to turn the corner. I can see it."
That salvo went out against all writers except Mike DeCourcy of the Sporting News, who Cronin went on to laud his work for a few minutes when it was pointed out DeCourcy has been backing UC since the summer.
"He's one of the smart pundits of national basketball because he actually takes time. He does his job he talks to college coaches, goes to practice and gets in the background. He's probably the most underrated analyst because he puts his time in."
I'd absolutely agree with Cronin on the DeCourcy analysis. Obviously, his local ties make it easier, but there isn't one other national writer who I saw at a practice or game this season. He was at both, multiple times.
Speaking of DeCourcy, he had this to say to Lance McAlister's radio show on 700WLW last night:
"The job Mick Cronin has done at UC might be the most underrated in the last 10 years of college basketball. If the fans are not going to recognize and appreciate that then maybe UC should go D-2"
But the point of the session wasn't completely about the ineptitude of the writers, rather the importance of the six seniors that will be honored on Saturday before the game against Georgetown.
Barring a significant disruption, I should have a story up later today on those guys. I'm excited about it, too. Some great stuff from Biggie, Thomas and Mick.
Let's eat...
--- I'll serve up some extras from Biggie and Ibrahima before the story runs.
Biggie was talking about the rebuilding of the program and tossed out this nugget:
"Coaching changes happen all the time," McClain said. "People say that Bob Huggins left so they are going to suck for the rest of eternity until the school is over with. It's not like that."
--- Cronin talked about the ultimate motivating factor that was revealed to him yesterday, which was if UC loses to Georgetown there's a strong possiblity it would be the nine seed and play at noon on Tuesday.
He's already lamneted how difficult it is to get this team up to play at noon, stating after the noon-game loss to UConn: I don't think it's legal to give out Ambien."
Cronin continued Thursday: "I can't explain to you how much that is going to motivate our guys to win. When I tell our team that if we lose we are going to play noon on Tuesday we might have guys diving in the fifth row on the first play of the game."
Thomas validated Cronin's contention.
"The only problem with the noon game is, in high school you wake up at 11:15, hop in the van, go play," he said. "The noon game you have to wake up at 7 or 8 so you can eat pregame and actually have to go through the film, so that means from 8 or 7 you have to be awake till noon?
"Usually you have a game at 8 or 9 you can have a nap," McClain interjected.
"I am not looking forward to it," Thomas said. "That's great motivation. I don't know what they are thinking about right now in that locker room, but right now, Georgetown is in trouble."
After hearing those comments all I could think about was how much I miss college. Where the strongest motivator wasn't money nor reputation nor advancement. Rather, naps.
--- Senior Day festivities will occur before the game Saturday. If you want to be there to honor the six guys, you will want to be in your seats by 1:30 p.m.
--- Friend of the blog, enemy of the BMV, Mo Egger with a great read on honoring Rashad Bishop Saturday:
"Rashad will not leave UC as a star. His number won't be retired, he's not among the school leaders in much other than games played, he'll never be included in any conversation about former Bearcat greats, and he's made his share of cringe-worthy mistakes while at UC.
He's also played in 124 games, and counting. In that 124, he's spent time guarding players at nearly every positions, the list of players he's been asked to check could make up a who's who of quality Big East players these four years. His defensive excellence may or may not go rewarded when the league hands out its hardware, but it shouldn't go unrecognized by fans of this program. He's been asked to bring the ball up, bang underneath, make outside shots, post-up, rebound...nearly everything you could ask a guy to do.
But more than anything, he's been a part of the rebuilding, he's been a part of the solution. He's been a program guy, a building block, and after last year's season-ending a suspension, a case study in redemption.
Wednesday night, he took the floor at less than 100% and he wasn't great against Marquette....yet he still had a starring role in maybe the game's most important sequence...at the end of the first half he made a three to extend the Bearcat lead to four, grabbed an defensive board, then assisted on an SK jumper to give UC a six point lead at the half. It wasn't what we talked about the next day, but it was huge nonetheless.
And so have Rashad's contributions to this basketball program. I want bigger and better things for this team down the road, and if we get them, this will be the team we think of as the unit that started it all. And when we do, I'll think of what #22 meant to them before I think of anyone else."
--- We will find out if Bishop wins BE Defensive Player of the Year when all the conference awards are announced Monday.
--- The Big East said there are 22 different scenarios for how the tournament seeds will play out depending on the outcome of games this weekend. So, how about we just wait until Saturday to figure it all out. Bottom line, though, UC wins it earns a first-round bye.
--- Villanova and Georgetown could be playing on the first day of the Big East tournament. There's a sentence I couldnt' have imagined writing three weeks ago.
--- I wrote here yesterday that, along with UC, only Pitt and Georgetown have won four consecutive conference road games this year. St. John's went for No. 4 last night and Seton Hall beat them down. To be fair, the Johnnies attempted to do some beating down of their own as Justin Burrell got tossed for a hard foul during a wild game.
--- While UC will be motivated by nap time, Georgetown is seeking revenge for the home loss a week and half ago. This from the Washington Examiner.
--- Before the Georgetown game there is an event that features free Taco Bell. May God have mercy on our souls.
--- On to some randomness...
--- Really looking forward to this HBO documentary on Jerry Tarkanian's UNLV Runnin' Rebels.
--- Luke Winn's Power Rankings are must-read for hoopsheads.
--- Tip for your NCAA Tourney bracket: Love Jordan Taylor and Wisconsin.
--- I didn't know it was officially illegal to drive 35 miles with your wife on the hood of your car, but that makes sense. I'd probably do a double take on my morning commute.
--- Hockey fights with little concern for the opponent's well-being.
--- Kings of Leon's "The Immortals" will be the theme of the NCAA tournament on CBS and Turner Sports. And this tournament keeps getting better.