John Brannen Named Cincinnati Head Coach After 4 Seasons at NKU

The Cincinnati Bearcats hired John Brannen to replace Mick Cronin, the school announced Sunday.

Brannen spent the last four seasons with the Northern Kentucky Norse. He compiled an 81-51 overall record and guided the Norse to NCAA tournament appearances in 2017 and 2019.

Cronin leaves big shoes to fill. The Bearcats are coming off their ninth straight NCAA tournament appearance, and they won 30, 31 and 28 games over each of the last three years. Some fans might have been frustrated with the team getting out of the second round just once under Cronin, but he brought a level of stability and consistency to the program.

Brannen will be expected not only to maintain that level of success but also likely take Cincinnati a step forward.

As much as the school has accomplished, playing in the American Athletic Conference puts a ceiling on the caliber of coaches it can realistically attract. Brannen's hiring is arguably evidence of that fact.

South Carolina head coach Frank Martin was linked with the vacancy, but he told Stadium's Jeff Goodman he didn't plan on formally interviewing with Cincinnati. While hiring Martin would've been a home run, the odds he'd leave South Carolina for the Bearcats always seemed slim.

Fans shouldn't discount Brannen's track record, though. When he arrived at Northern Kentucky, the program was entering its fourth season of Division I basketball. In his second year, the Norse became one of the Horizon League's best teams.

Brannen will benefit from a roster that should once again have Cincinnati in the Top 25 conversation in 2019-20. Although Cane Broome and Justin Jenifer will graduate, the Bearcats' top three scorers return, including AAC Player of the Year Jarron Cumberland, who averaged 18.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists.

And with so few players leaving, Brannen won't need to spend too much time scrambling to put together a 2019 recruiting class. Samari Curtis is the No. 162 player overall, per 247Sports' composite rankings, and already signed his letter of intent.

Brannen and his staff can instead focus more of their efforts toward 2020, when it will be much more important to ensure a steady flow of talent is arriving on campus.