How about Nick Van Excel to UC ?
You're about the 4th person to mention Nicky V for the job. My question is this: Why would UC want him - besides on his name as a great player in the history of UC? To my knowledge, he has never coached in College/D1, and therefore has never had to recruit, which means no recruiting ties that established coaches have. I'm obviously a Bearcat fan, and have memories of Van Exel as a player before I was ever an Ohio student, but I can't see the appeal of him as a coach.
He's an assistant somewhere in the NBA. He's an alum. That's all I got. Lol.
Here's one to think about: Earl Grant, College of Charleston Head Coach.
He's currently on the staff of the Memphis Grizzlies.
I loved Nick as a player that defined a golden era for UC hoops. However, I think that it could be an awkward fit for the university. It would definitely create some buzz at the time of the hire but if things were to go south could tarnish his rapport with the entire UC nation and that's the last thing I would want for him.
While not Duke or Kentucky, UC is still an upper tier program that has pretty high expectations. I think Mike Bohn needs to hire someone with proven merit.
Personally, I think it's John Brannen's to lose as most of UC's recent hires have come from regional programs (Luke Fickell from OSU, Michelle Clark-Heard from Western Kentucky).
As a UC fan I have kind of mixed feelings on the whole situation. Cronin deserves a ton of credit for putting the team back to its current perch, but I also think he had a ceiling that was as much of his own doing as it was the conference the Bearcats play in. I am interested to see what someone else can do with the team and a different style of play. Also pleased to hear that Samari Curtis is still committed to the Bearcats.