University of Cincinnati Sports: Scotty Hopson

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Scotty Hopson

You may have seen the USA Today story today in which Scotty Hopson listed his five final schools and noticed that UC was not among them. Don't believe it. UC is still very much involved. I'm hearing that three schools remain in the running - Mississippi State (the school he originally committed to before reopening his recruitment), Tennessee and UC.

36 Comments:

at 2:43 PM

Psyloshsr said...

So we're not supposed to trust the word of the player himself? Yeah, don't think so. Too bad we couldn't get him but we'll move on and be fine in the future.

at 3:17 PM

Matt Gorrasi, Cincinnati OH said...

Bill where are you "hearing" this information from? Is this a reliable source, or just the guys around the office or the sports bar? Of course I'm not saying give us a name, and I'm not saying you would just post random stuff you pulled out of nowhere, but is this a source close to Hopson or just someone coming up with an idea?

at 3:24 PM

Cheviot Sports Authority said...

I hear that Mick Cronin has also appealed to the NCAA to get H-Bomb another year of eligibility.

ST CSA

at 4:34 PM

'WLMNMW' Prez said...

Is this just some more wishful thinking? Or is it simply an attempt to help Super Coach keep his job?

Although it would be great to see UC land some REAL talent, I don't see that happening until UC has a REAL coach again.

MC hasn't shown that he can recruit upper tier players to play for MC. If that ever happens, we'll be on the way back. But, as the saying goes in Missouri, "Show me!"

at 5:33 PM

SAL said...

Andrew:

Hopson just said two days ago that he was going to visit UC. This was on video, not in the paper, so there is no doubt.

CSA:

Why do you troll these boards? Just go to a XU board.

Bill:

Can we get CSA banned or something. I know your supposed to review the comments, so why are these even posted?

at 5:59 PM

Anonymous said...

I hear that Mick Cronin has also appealed to the NCAA to get H-Bomb another year of eligibility.

Well you ARE the authority...on Cheviot Sports. So, how's the cornhole preseason shaping up?

at 7:42 PM

Inthezone8 said...

I don't understand the unabashed hatred for Mick Cronin. Hate the situation, hate Nancy, whatever, but why the hatred for someone who wants the same thing we do, UC in the final four?

You may think that he is not qualified for the job. But in the situation there weren't many people beating down the door to get here. A winner from a mid-major is about as good as it was going to get. I understand that many wanted Andy Kennedy to get the job, but the fact that he didn't is not Mick or these kids' fault.

We are all disappointed that UC has missed 3 straight tournaments, but realistically Mick Cronin started with Ronald Allen and Cedric McGowan on scholarship, and 2 years later we were mentioned by Joe Lunardi as having a chance to play our way into the big dance. John Wooden in his prime would be hard pressed to do better. We live in too much of an instant gratification society.

I think every college coach should get a chance to get at least one recruiting class through before he should be fired or on the hot seat. So, if UC isn't in the tournament in Vaughn's senior year then we can discuss it. Not to mention, this was a harder situation than normal. Just give the guy a chance. Criticize him all you want but it's way too early to be talking about firing the guy.

Chris (Princeton High, University of Cincinnati)

at 9:32 PM

'WLMNMW' Prez said...

I don't understand the unabashed love for Mick Cronin. Love the situation, love Nancy for hiring him to spite Huggins, whatever, but why the monumental support for someone who has yet to prove himself at the major level?

You may think that he is qualified for the job. But quite a number of us question whether he truly is or not. A winner from a mid-major may be about as good as he is ever going to get.

As was pointed out, the closet was essentially bare when Mick came. But whose fault was that? The blame squarely rests on the shoulders of the BOT and Nancy for the mishandling and poor timing of the Huggins’ dismissal. So, that would necessitate the hiring of a PROVEN coach and not a project. He even had this group of D-1 wannabes quit on him.

And please do not bring up the money argument. Little Xavier has invested a load of finances into their BB program and now they are in the Elite Eight. And where are we? One and done in the sorriest tournament I’ve seen since I played BB in the church league as a grade school kid! Anybody been following the prestigious CBI lately?

Yes, time WILL tell whether Cronin is the man for the job or not. And, if he is not, then time (years) will have been wasted. And that is what concerns some of us the most.

at 9:35 PM

Anonymous said...

Chris (Princeton High, UC Grad) -

Very well said! I feel the same way and couldn't have put it better myself. There is part of me that is ashamed to be grouped with these "fans" and the fact that they turn every post into a Mick bashing session is getting old. You and I can take pride in the fact that we have supported Mick and UC through the whole rebuilding process and when they return to national prominence we can say we never waivered. GO Bearcats!

Danny (UC Grad 2005)

at 9:37 PM

Dozer said...

What is the word on Bud Mackey. I keep hearing his name with UC. I know he has a past drug arrest but he is also a top 50 rated recruit. Thoughts?

at 12:13 AM

Inthezone8 said...

WLMVNW --

I don't have unabashed love for Mick Cronin, but he is who is here and we shouldn't be running him out of town before he's proven whether or not that he can coach in the Big East. He may not be cut out for anything more than Murray State, but how are we going to know when his 1st class (not to mention a late start on that class) just finished his sophomore season?

That Mick Cronin got this job is the fault of the current administration, that is true. But that doesn't mean it's the wrong choice and it doesn't mean that it's Mick's fault for what happened to Huggins. Everyone seems to love the current administration for hiring Brian Kelly, so maybe they aren't the idiots some assume them to be. As I stated in my previous post, no proven coach was coming here. But, again, the fact that UC didn't hire someone else isn't Mick's fault.

Mick Cronin may end up to be a horrible coach. But to want him gone already is just asinine. Let's let him fail before we burn him at the stake. His career at UC so far isn't enough of a sample size.

Chris (Princeton High, University of Cincinnati)

at 6:47 AM

Doss said...

Great news if the NCAA gives Adam H. another year. After all Mickey can honestly say Adam for UC and Adam last year was "lost".

I am hearing that Yancy is LAZY. Great.

Mike Williams could hardly get off the Texas bench.

Vaughn has a habit of not doing anything during runs that put us down big (example Bradley), then when it is too late scoring.

Mickey seems to be leading us into the second ice-age. The first was the Yates Ice Period (home town guy's dream job). The second will be known as the Cronin Ice Period (home town guy's dream job).

Fire Nancy
Fire Mikey Thomas
Fire Mickey

at 6:48 AM

Sean said...

Thanks for the information, Bill. It's nice to know that we're in the running, and it's nice to be able to continue to talk about UC basketball. Not sure where you got the info, but it keeps the dream alive for a while longer...

at 7:44 AM

IndyCat said...

Like Jason Henry, Bud Mackey will never be a Bearcat.

If the legal issues don't prevent him from getting a scholarship, academics will.

at 8:08 AM

Anonymous said...

Mackey would be great! However, I think a lot of people on here who criticize Mick for not taking risks, would start bashing him for chasing after a kid with a troubled past. I truly believe there are individuals who will never be happy unless Huggins returns to the UC sidelines - which there is beter chance of it snowing in you know where before that happens. If you are still caught up in the firing of Huggs, move to Morgantown and support him (that would mean that some of you have had 3 "favorite" teams in the last 3 years).

at 8:54 AM

naticatfan said...

Cronin can't recruit? Some people are foolish! What else can you say. I guess they would rather have Hugg's JC guy's (after the Cronin era). Taron Barker, Derek Hollman, Kareem Johnson, Robert Whaley, Jihad Muhammad. At least Bobbit and Mcgowan brung something to the table. All the good recruits we got becasue they were trouble and did not pan out either. Bright, Banks and Pilgrim. to name a couple. Hugg's recruiting was sucking and with the tournament disappointments year after year, I was loosing my patience with him. I loved Hugg's too but the track record with recruiting speaks for itself. We are in a way better position now with recruiting now. Its like dealing with my wife, I can have all the facts but she still will not admit when she's wrong. Its the same thing, the truth speaks for itslef but you continue to ignore it. That is ignorant.

at 8:55 AM

naticatfan said...

at 9:11 AM

MsUC said...

How can MC get the "haters" to shut up?
Just win baby! And recruit the top talent to make runs in the NCAA.

So far the strategy for next year is to schedule easier out of conference teams, per MC. That improves the win/loss record but does not impress the selection committee.

at 10:13 AM

B.A.M. Johnson said...

Here is why Mick is doing a great job so far, or at least a good enough job to not get fired (nobody anywhere wants to make him the pope just yet.)

Given a blank program, surrounded by thousands of talking heads, competing in the most rigorous conference in the country, he led a group of (universally accepted as) under talented players from a variety of backgrounds to 8 wins in the Big East in his second year, and is poised to have another top fifteen recruiting class, his second of three. He has managed to do this despite the lowest number of athletic boosters among the conference's football programs.

By comparison, in a decade in the Big East, former Providence coach Tim Welsh only had eight wins or more five times. Jerry Wainwright has only had one eight win season, out of three. In two years as coach of Seton Hall, Bobby Gonzalez still hasn't reached eight wins. Norm Roberts, at a St. John's program with arguably more history than just about anybody, has yet to win eight in three years as head coach. Mick is doing well compared to all of these coaches who, besides St. John's, had at least a marginally better starting position.

Using Xavier as a marker for UC to have a different coach because XU has been to the elite eight twice in the last decade is illegitimate. We haven't been to the elite eight since 1996. The lack of advancement in the tournament is something (else) Mick inherited.

But that doesn't even matter, the buzz around town this week isn't as much as you might expect, besides the tv stations blabbering on about X (probably because they haven't been able to do that since 1996.) With the rise of UC football this year, there is a feeling that the Bearcats have arrived as THE major university in the city's athletics continuum.

It is all a pattern of excuses to not support UC. With the rise of football, our miniscule number of athletic boosters stresses the entire athletics department and makes it far more difficult to compete than, say, USF or Rutgers. To be ranked higher than both in the final football polls and in the Big East basketball standings means we're on the right track; imagine what we could do with their budgets.

Just remember, from 1978-1991 UC went without an NCAA bid and floundered between coaches. Then in 1989 gave the reins to a relative unknown from a mid major (having had only one Ohio Valley conference championship in five years, compared with two in three for Mick.) Then, in his third season, he burst into the NCAA.

at 10:37 AM

Cheviot Sports Authority said...

Dozer PLEASE!

It would be totally unacceptable to recruit anyone with a past drug arrest to the University of Cincinnati for any reason! This would be an insult and devalue any degree earned by UC Alumni. If you can't get into Harvard or Yale, you should not be able to get into UC. I support the righteous Mrs Zimpher and her UC21.

at 10:53 AM

Monclova Steve said...

inthezone & Danny C.,
Don't worry about the hatred of others here. You have to understand that wlmnmw and others have been making the same post -- almost daily -- for months now without offering any meaningful, specific suggestions.
Your arguments have been made repeatedly, but it doesn't matter.
No matter what the topic is, it turns into an attack on UC basketball (players, coach, administration, etc.).

at 12:34 PM

Unknown said...

Bill,

In the same way that I prefer being up by 3 with 20 seconds remaining than down by 3, I also prefer to be listed in the top contenders, when a recruit lists his top schools, than not being listed.

Not being listed does not give me a warm fuzzy feeling.

If Mick considers that good news, then he probably lives with Rolaids in his pocket and keeps a cardiologist on staff.

at 12:42 PM

Nate said...

inthezone8:
that may be the best post I have ever read on this blog...
right on!

at 12:51 PM

'WLMNMW' Prez said...

inthezone8,

Has the thought occurred to you that the hiring of Brian Kelly might have been a fluke and not the result of intelligent selection? I thought that MC was a questionable hire two years ago and we will both know whether that thought was right or wrong two years from now. If he is not the man for the job, we've lost four years and that is cause for concern. We've only have some 700 or so days to wait to find out.

at 12:59 PM

CanMickCoach? said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

at 1:00 PM

'WLMNMW' Prez said...

monclova steve,

Thank you so much! I never dreamt that I would take over first place in your heart over CSA. Just keep dreaming on your Super Coach and two years from now, I'll be more than happy to say that I told you so. And the BB team will still be in the sewer, because this administration hired a coach to tick off Huggins more than hire a coach to return the BB team to prominence. If it were not for the football team being in a favorable light, there would be a lot more disgruntled Bearcat fans!

at 1:21 PM

Nate said...

12:51...
are you kidding me? someone points out an obvious flaw in your argument and the best defense you can provide is that the hiring of Brian Kelly may be a fluke?
You post the same thing on every thread, yet you can provide no intelligent platform on which your argument can stand.

at 1:59 PM

Kenneth Vance said...

Chris (Princeton/UC grad)...great post! The haters on hear are not alumni of UC (maybe anywhere). Everyone that I know with a degree from UC supports giving Mick a fair shot.

Big Daddy

BBA '88 MBA '92

at 3:16 PM

Slasher016 said...

Don't believe it? Watch this video where Scotty himself lists Cincinnati in the running.

at 1:26 PM

Monclova Steve said...

wlmnmw,
You have indeed taken over the #1 spot in my heart.

See, CSA and I post on several blogs about many issues. We've also always posted under our own identity -- long before it was required -- in order to let others know that the opinions came from us.

Sometimes we agree. Sometimes we don't. That's what makes blogs fun and interesting -- the ability to discuss the different aspects of many topics.

You, on the other hand, are unique! You post the SAME thoughts about Mick Cronin, Nancy Zimpher, Mike Thomas, Adam H., etc. -- NO MATTER what the topic of the post may be.
In addition, you chose to remain ANONYMOUS until very recently, only posting under a name after it was required.

Now, some may say that that might reflect poorly on you. I, though, am not one of them. People can choose to express their opinions any way they want to.

PLEASE keep posting that you don't like all of the people listed above -- and by all means keep doing it on a daily basis. We need your constant repetition! Otherwise, we might forget how you feel!

at 8:28 PM

Anonymous said...

Pretty funny that all the haters have decided to ignore the video of Hopson - of course they would, it goes against the crap they continue to believe - that Mick can't coach. Once again, I would love to see the cowards on this blog say half the stuff they say to the face of Mick and his kids.

dc
Real UC alumni and fan
BFA '05

at 9:06 AM

Anonymous said...

Recruit Hopson with his grade issues, Mackey with his legal problems, and Brumbaugh with his past felonies.

UC will have the best felony wing duo in the Big East!!!

at 11:43 AM

LB said...

I just read this blog from time to time. It's interesting how worked up some people get...on both sides of the argument.
I understand that people on these "blogs" have varying degrees of basketball acumen, so I don't put much stock in misinformed comments. It is obvious that Mick Cronin is a very good coach and recruiter.

at 4:06 PM

Cheviot Sports Authority said...

I am sorry Danny. I didn't mean to ignore the video of Hopson. Its just that I really couldn't care less about a video of a high school kid saying that UC is or is not on his list of possibilities (I will just take your word for it). If he comes to UC, that would be fine. Perhaps he would be good, perhaps he would stink. We would just have to wait and see, wouldn't we? You claim to be a college graduate, but you make some very childish remarks. Us 'cowards' and 'haters' may someday take offense.

ST CSA

at 10:02 PM

Anonymous said...

CSA -

You can choose to see my remarks as childish, but the fact is that this blog post is about UC basketball and the reason why I pointed out the fact Hopson mentioned UC is because everyone (including yourself) seems to think UC has no chance. Do I put a lot of trust in an 18 year old kid? No! However, all of the major recruiting services and the kid himself believe UC has a chance - there is no denying that. I could care less if people support Mick or his group of boys, but when FACTS are ignored and people continue to make uninformed remarks, it gets kinda old. In addition to extremely high expectations for a program that had one scholarship player two years ago, I continue to be amazed by the number of fairweather fans that UC has. Do you only support your favorite teams during good times?

at 9:28 AM

Anonymous said...

Sounds like we didn't get Hopson?

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Thursday, March 27, 2008

Scotty Hopson

36 Comments: