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Right off the bat Mike Bohn will have two big jobs at hand. One is locking down Mick Cronin to a long term contract. That Mick wants to be in Cincinnati for the long term is well known, Bohn just needs to step in and make it happen. Part of getting that done will involve finding a way to solve the Bearcats arena issue. Fifth Third is hilariously outdated, UC needs to either renovate that or find another solution. US Bank arena has long been touted as a rumored landing spot for the Bearcats, but that is merely a rumor.
Bohn is not as concerned with Nippert Stadium and its renovation, nor should he be. That project is already committed and will be finished under his watch. His primary input on the project, if Bohn is to have any is to help finalize the plans for the east side of the renovation. More likely than not the plans were close to their finalized form before Bohn took the job. Construction on that part of the project is slated to start in June.
Bohn certainly has longer term issues on his desk; making the olympic sports more competitive not only within the conference, but on a regional and even national level. Growing the fanbase outside of the 275 loop, increasing the Bearcats revenue from licensed products, getting the most out of negotiations when the Bearcats apparel contract with Adidas expires in June of 2015.
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All of those factors are ancillary to the primary long term objective for the Bearcats, and that is getting the Bearcats a seat at the table. That is a subject that was covered more in depth in a previous article, but the basic idea is simple. Keep the Bearcats competing at the level they are today. Conference realignment is not going to happen in the near term, but is a near certainty in the long. Bohn has to keep the Bearcats playing at the level they are now in the main revenue sports, while going to work to get the rest of the department to be funded and operate with the mentality of a power five school. That way, when the day comes that a golden parachute descends the Bearcats are ready for it, That is the job on which Bohn will be judged.
So, welcome to Clifton, Mike. Go Bearcats!
