UC, APR, and rebuilding the right way

I meant to say something about this about a week ago in response to the Bill Koch post below

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080413/SPT0101/804130465/1064/SPT

I think the fact that Mick ALREADY has more graduates than the previous 3 seasons says alot about what he is trying to do. In todays game with APR being stressed the way it is it is impossible to field a team the way Huggs was doing it. Don't get me wrong I loved Bob Huggins and was an apologist for him when he was forced out.

That being said I think one of the signs of a top program that is/was being run cleanly is that when a coach leaves or gets fired the program turn around quickly if not immediatly. I know that this was a different situation than most. I also know that it was handled badly by everyone involved. My feelings have changed the farther removed from it we get. I put a lot more blame on Huggs than I ever thought I would. If he was doing things the right way UC would be a much better team after he left.

I am rehashing all of that mess to say this. Mick Cronin is doing a hell of a job digging out of the hole left by years of doing things the "Huggs Way". Obviously the Bearcats aren't back to the level they were @ before all of this and maybe they never will be. It would be more than a stretch to say that UC can someday dominate the Big East the way they did C-USA and the Great Midwest. As a UC fan I have had to adjust(read lower) my expectations of where they should finish in this league. I have decided that consistently finishing in the top half of the conference and receiving an at large bid is good enough for me and I believe that Mick can get there.

He faces far more challenges and FAR more scrutiny BECAUSE of the programs past dicressions and has continued to bring in top talent despite that. More graduates from his first class than the three previous combined says more about the previous regime than it does about Cronins. It seems to me that the "right way" is just the regular way for Cronins program. As a fan its refreshing to think that I can be proud of my team on and off the court.