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Cronin, Vaughn forever connected

By Paul Dehner Jr., CNATI.com Posted March 1, 2010 10:48 PM ET

Mick Cronin hears the criticism about Deonta Vaughn. It's hard not to. And on a statistical level, it's equally hard to defend.

The two-time All-Big East guard returned for his senior year and his numbers sunk not only below expectations, but the previous bar.

Still, every time he hears someone take a shot at Vaughn or reads an unflattering statement, he takes it personal.

"What he has meant to the program is hard to describe," Cronin said, on the day before Senior Night for Vaughn and Steve Toyloy. "He allowed you to have a player that could at least allow you to build to the point to have a winning team in this brutal conference we have. He and I are probably the two most disappointed guys that we are not already locked into the NCAA tournament and that he hasn't had a better senior year."

Vaughn is the recruiting equivalent of Cronin's first love. He was Cronin's first recruit and the two will forever be tied together as employee 1 and 1a in the job of rebuilding a gutted University of Cincinnati basketball program.

Without Vaughn, the University of Cincinnati likely would not be where it is today - meaning above .500. Cronin might not be standing on the sidelines, either.

It very easily could have been that way. In an era where players are as loyal as their options, Vaughn never turned his back on the Bearcats. He never turned his back on a daunting challenge.

"What people don't realize is, most guys in his situation that had the kind of freshman season he had and we are 2-14 in the Big East, he is facing massive rebuilding and his friends Mike Conley and Greg Oden are in national championship games (with Ohio State)," Cronin said of the Indianapolis native. "He could have easily have transferred to Indiana and went home. Or Purdue. If you don't think those things were options for him we are kidding ourselves. It's things people probably don't consider because they get caught up in us trying to win so badly. It is frustrating."

Only Oscar Robertson, Steve Logan and Vaughn have scored at least 1,700 points and dished out at least 400 assists. He is the fourth-leading scorer in the history of the program.

Yet, this year, his average dipped nearly four points a game down to 11.3 ppg. Outside of a 10-game stretch at the beginning of Big East play where he averaged 14.2 points, Vaughn has not provided consistent offense on a team in desperate need of it.

Consequently, UC currently sits on the outside looking in at the possibility of Vaughn making his lone trip to the NCAA tournament.

"Playing good got you to the point you are here," Vaughn said. "I might not have the best senior year, but still to be one of the top scorers in UC history means a lot to you as an individual. All that could be erased if I never get to see the NCAA tournament."

Cronin doesn't think it should. He knows without Vaughn knocking down big shots and providing wins, pounding the pavement of the recruiting trail would never have yielded such positive results. Guards like Cashmere Wright and Lance Stephenson committed to Cincinnati knowing it was a school where a player would be given the freedom to shine if deserved.

The combination of those intangibles and his numbers on the court classify Vaughn as one of the Bearcat greats in the eyes of his coach.

"Who else on that list played in the Big East and played against the level of competition he played against night in and night out?" Cronin said. "You have to give him his respect and his due.

"He probably meant just as much to the program as any Bearcat because you got to figure where the program would have been without him."

A bigger question for Vaughn beginning next month will be where he will be because of this program. He is not mentioned as an NBA player, but will pursue his dream.

As for what any realistic basketball future will, it is tough to say. But Cronin believes Vaughn will be provided opportunities such as the NABC All-Star Game in Indianapolis and maybe a pre-draft camp in Portsmouth, Va.

"What he has to do is get his body fresh and mind fresh and take the best shot he can at it," Cronin said.

But there is still one more home game to go before Vaughn moves on to his next challenge. While his star guard came under fire this year for his struggles, Cronin can't help but show his emotions in regard to Vaughn.

They will forever be connected. Knowing how far this program has come during the time they co-habitated in it, he believes only one sound should drown out the barbs which have flown from the stands in Vaughn's direction this season.

"It is hard for me when people are hard on him at times," Cronin said. "He is harder on himself than anybody else. If anybody ever deserved an ovation on Senior Night, it's him."

Categories: College, Featured Stories, Features, Men's Basketball, University of Cincinnati Bearcats

Tags: Bearcats, Deonta Vaughn, Mick Cronin