Tom Groeschen

tgroeschen@enquirer.com

University of Cincinnati basketball coach Mick Cronin said Monday night that he has not met with any other colleges about coaching vacancies, as Cronin's name continues to be mentioned for the UNLV (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) position.

UC received a request for permission this past weekend from UNLV to talk to Cronin about the Runnin’ Rebels job. Sources in both Cincinnati and Las Vegas told The Enquirer that UC agreed to that request.

Cronin, when asked about the UNLV situation, replied by text to The Enquirer on Monday night:

"As I have always said, I am honored to be the coach at the University of Cincinnati. I have not met with any other schools. I do not have any comment on any other coaching jobs."

UC athletic director Mike Bohn declined comment Monday.

UC President Santa Ono tweeted earlier Monday:

Over the years, Cronin has fielded multiple inquiries about other jobs. In 2014, The Enquirer reported that Cronin had been approached in recent years about the North Carolina State, Virginia Tech and Nebraska jobs, among others.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal, citing sources, reported over the weekend that Cronin's name was in the mix for the UNLV job. UC's season ended Friday with a 78-76 NCAA Tournament loss to Saint Joseph's.

Cronin frequently has said he has no interest in any other job. Cronin signed a seven-year contract extension with UC in June of 2014, with provisions that can see him make up to $2.2 million per year. In the past, UNLV has not paid its basketball coaches that much. Former UNLV coach Dave Rice, fired Jan. 10, was making a base salary of $300,000 and a total package of $850,000 annually, according to a Mountain West Conference database compiled by the Albuquerque Journal.

In March 2015, Cronin had this comment when asked about being approached for other jobs:

"I'm the only guy who has an agent that doesn't need one. I have no interest, none. The only job I have an interest in is the Cincinnati job."

The 44-year-old Cronin is a native Cincinnatian who has lived most of his life in the area, a graduate of both La Salle High School and UC. Cronin has been head coach at UC for 10 years, with a 207-129 record and NCAA Tournament appearances in each of the last six seasons. UC went 22-11 this season.

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, if UNLV doesn’t land Cronin, others believed to be interested in the job include former UCLA and St. John’s coach Steve Lavin and New Mexico State coach Marvin Menzies. UNLV also has interviewed interim coach Todd Simon and assistants Stacey Augmon and Ryan Miller, the Review-Journal reported.