Cincinnati Basketball: 5 candidates to replace John Brannen as head coach

Darren Savino

The hunt for the next head coach could lead to many different names, though several of the ones we’ve been looking at have some previous connection to the Bearcats. If we again discount head coaching experience, then there’s another great name to discuss; one that got plenty of hands-on coaching experience just a week ago at the Final Four.

Savino has been a longtime aide under Mick Cronin. He’s a Jersey native who’s worked at Rutgers, Quinnipiac, St. John’s and spent time under Cronin at Murray State, Cincinnati, and now UCLA. Though never serving as a head coach, he’s been all kinds of coaching staffs and seen a lot of things over the course of his career, with this year’s Final Four trip with UCLA a clear highlight.

Savino helped bring much of the talent to Cincinnati that made all those trips to the NCAA Tournament across the last decade. He’s extremely familiar with the program. These last two years have likely causes fans and players alike to miss Cronin’s impact, and a return of Savino would be the next best thing. If head coaching experience isn’t important, then Savino should be the first call Cincinnati makes.