I guess we went from Sister Jean to Father Hep. After the win, Hep pushed his way past security, walked down some stairs, leaned against a railing and exchanged a few words with the winning coach. He traveled to Westwood almost every week during Mick’s first season at UCLA, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic he hadn’t seen his son until he drove to West Lafayette for the Bruins’ First Four game against Michigan State. Hep, whose wife, Peggy, died in 2005, was a regular at practices when Mick came home to be the coach at Cincinnati. ![]() ![]() He also worked for many years as a scout with the Atlanta Braves. Hep, whose real name is Harold, won more than 400 games at Oak Hills and La Salle High Schools in Cincinnati. His enthusiastic gyrations have made for good TV, but he is an accomplished coach in his own right. One of the delightful byproducts of UCLA’s run from the First Four to the Final Four has been the way it has elevated Mick Cronin’s father, Hep, into the national limelight. Here’s the scouting report on each of the Final Four coaches, presented by a family member who understands them inside and out. ![]() So instead of asking Mick Cronin, Kelvin Sampson, Scott Drew and Mark Few for more, let’s hear from those who know them better than anyone else, perhaps even better than they know themselves. They have done countless interviews over the years and have been the subject of numerous profiles. Between now and when the semifinals tip off in Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday night, the quartet of coaches will utter thousands more words about their teams, their season, and most of all, themselves.
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