Mick Cronin Makes Honest, Jerky Statement

I promised to revisit my Ohio State preseason predictions but that would be somewhat boring. Here's the link if you want to decide for yourself if I was prophetic or not.

What the hell, how about examining my two boldest predictions that day:

1. Chris Wells will be the best RB in Ohio State history.

33. Vernon Gholston (and not Malcolm Jenkins or James Laurinaitis) is the best player on the defense. He'll throw up 15 sacks this season and bolt a year early for the NFL.

Current take: I stand by the Wells prediction, although we won't find out that answer for several years. You have to admit, though, I'm looking pretty good.

As for Gholston...I still say that he's the best player on defense, although Laurinaitis and Jenkins are right there. Either way, I predicted 15 sacks for the junior--an OSU record--and he's sitting on 13 with one game to go. I am a goddamn genius. Tell your friends.

Okay, now for the other collegiate team that matters to me, the University of Cincinnati Bearcats basketball team.

Don't know if you caught this article in Friday's Enquirer, but I couldn't believe Mick Cronin's amateur-hour statements about the seniors on his team. Take a look:

"The players I was able to get (last year) were the best players available," Cronin said. "They give me their heart and soul and I love them for it. But they're not the kind of caliber of player that was here when I left in 2000 (as an assistant coach). Those type of guys are our freshmen, plus Deonta (Vaughn) and Mike Williams."

First of all, no shit. Everybody knows Marvin Gentry and Marcus Sikes aren't good enough to take you to the Final Four. But c'mon, coach...do you really have to make excuses by throwing your seniors under the bus? And did you have to do it before Thanksgiving? Let me ask you this, Bearcat fans: How pissed would you be if you were one of the five seniors on scholarship for the Bearcats? And why would you want to play hard for a coach who is openly pining for the day when your eligibility dries up?

Questions, man. Questions.

-Brad Spieser (Brad@TwinKilling.com)
11/20/07