Mick Cronin Quotes (27 Quotes)

That's the great shame about his death at just 51 Steve had so much more to live for.

We look at it as a tremendous challenge, an opportunity to play one of the great programs in college basketball and see where we stack up.

They're not as young a team as they make out. Some of these guys were on that team. They saw the older guys making sacrifices. How to win big games is passed down. There's a confidence that resonates through the program.

That was not a surprise to me. You have two talented, athletic teams that try to play with toughness and take pride in how they get after people. I thought the game might come down to turnovers and who gets more easy baskets. It was hard to find baskets out there.

I have no problem if he chooses to leave and pursue other opportunities, that's his choice. If our athletic department or myself choose not to release him to a particular school it means we are not comfortable with possible direct or indirect contact that has been made, and I'm not going to comment on any particular school.

When Pearson is a factor for us, we're a different team. Part of it is keeping himself out of foul trouble.

It obviously didn't help us, not having him. But we make no excuses.

A kid from a junior college or a transfer, he knows he's got a very short time. He's worried about, 'Do I like the coach' and 'Do they win' And from that standpoint, the fact that we're not in a major city doesn't hurt us anymore.

I've been in contact with his parents. He's OK. I think he has some personal things he's working through right now. I plan on meeting with him when we get back, then we'll go from there.

The waitress said, 'I've never seen anything like this. You guys haven't talked to each other the whole time. We said it will be funny in a year or two. We'll look back on this like, 'Can you believe how crazy that was' I'm sure we will.

The struggles of Louisville and Kentucky are aberrations. That shows you the state of the game in college basketball. With kids going to the pros left and right, it's hard to maintain stability.

We've been able to keep two fresh guys in the game. Keith and Trey give us quickness and the ability to handle pressure. That will be paramount.

Devan indicated to me in our first telephone conversation that his family wanted him to have options regarding his future. Devan has conveyed to me that he has not made any decisions, only that he wanted to have options. We are communicating daily and will continue to do so. Obviously, we hope Devan decides to remain with our program.

I think the Big East helps. And my staff does a great job. I'll never take credit for all of our recruiting. (Assistant coach) Larry Davis did a great job with Marcus Sikes.

I can confirm that I'm recruiting the whole country right now.

The guy was fifth in the nation in scoring. He's 6 foot 2 and he's strong. I'm into guys that can play multiple positions.

I've been planning on this for the last three weeks. I knew it was a possibility when I got the job. In our first conversation, he asked for his release.

To climb back to the top is a good feeling.

They play a Big Ten style. They've recruited big strong players, and have done a great job recruiting to their needs. They have a tremendous tradition, from (Bruce) Weber, through (Matt) Painter, and now Lowery. They have always made defense a big part and their kids have bought into it. They take you out of your comfort zone and make it hard to run your offense.

I believe in developing relationships with the whole team. Not one player is above the team, including the coach. There is no special treatment. I don't care if you're talking about Reece Gaines or Kenyon Martin.

We don't look at ourselves as a 14. Our kids don't look at ourselves as a monumental underdog, although we are an underdog. I need to make sure that I impart that to them that it's going to take a great effort to win.

Our tradition helps our recruiting, there's no doubt about it. It makes the phone calls a lot easier, when you're calling from a team the players see on TV all the time and they see the atmosphere and the fans filling up arena. There's no doubt it makes r

It had to be fast. These guys go quickly. You can't waste days on personal stuff. Those are the days I used to try to beat people to the punch and get in there. ... People have developed relationships with these kids, and you're trying to play catch-up.

I spoke to him that night as he was driving home. The fact that he was driving home concerned me.

Timmy and I are on the same page on and off the floor already as far as working hard to achieve success. He can score but is a guy who wants to make plays for his teammates. What excites me most is his tenacity and competitiveness on defense. Crow is a winner and we are excited he is on board.

I was sitting in a gym, and he started banging in threes. I saw him in the Augusta Peach Jam. A lot of people questioned why we recruited him. A lot of people told Tyler that he wouldn't be able to play here. A couple of other coaches when he committed made comments like 'Don't call us when you transfer because you won't play there.' I was confident that he was a good player.

We're excited about being in Dayton because our fans can get there. That's great because we've had tremendous support all year. I thought our seed was a reflection of the fact we haven't gotten a lot of attention this year because we weren't able to get the upset or quality win. But we'll get our chance to earn our respect on the floor.