Cincinnati Coach Says Success Shouldn't Come From Winning Games

What is success in your life?

How do you define it?

Is it based on how much money you make? How big your house is? How expensive your car is? The type of clothes you wear?

In sports, success is defined by our results. How many wins. How many points you score. How many shots you make, and ultimately, how many championships you win.

Cincinnati head basketball coach Mick Cronin shares a different view on success. He spoke yesterday with reporters and talked about how success to him is not defined by wins or losses, or how often he gets his team to the tournament.

“We’re paid to develop young people and make sure they represent their school with class and integrity,” said Cronin. “There’s so much emphasis placed on the tournament because of the media and the spotlight. We could win the tournament or lose Friday, I’m still not going to base our success off of either one.”

His Bearcats are currently 29-5 and are in the tournament for the 7th straight season but Coach Cronin says this team is about bigger things than just wins and losses.

“We’ve learned how to play for each other. We’ve learned how to be unselfish and sacrifice. Those are the lessons that these kids are here for.”

Cronin’s Cincinnati squad are a 6-seed in the SOUTH region and face off against 11-seed Kansas State Friday Night in Sacramento.