Crown Point's Cronkhite headed south

Updated: April 25, 2011 6:22AM

Mike Cronkhite had been planning to head south at some point, but the stars aligned a little earlier than he expected.

So Cronkhite has resigned after two seasons as Crown Point's girls basketball coach to take a job as a math teacher and assistant boys basketball coach at a school in Orlando, Fla.

"The last few months, I've had a lot of things personally and professionally going on in my life," Cronkhite said on Wednesday. "Once I got a RIF (Reduction in Force notice), I had to make sure I was employed next year."

Forced into a job search he hadn't planned on, Cronkhite decided the time was right to realize a long-time goal. "I own a time-share in Orlando, I've been vacationing there for years," he said.

As a scratch golfer, Cronkhite very much likes the idea of being able to play year-round, something that's not really in the cards here in Northwest Indiana.

That said, his departure has a bittersweet side as well.

"Crown Point girls is one of the best (high school basketball) jobs in the state without a doubt," said Cronkhite, whose teams were 24-19. The Bulldogs went 14-8 overall last season and 9-5 in the Duneland Athletic Conference, finishing in a three-way tie for second place.

"The kids are fantastic, the administration is extremely supportive and the community loves its basketball," Cronkhite said.

Whoever replaces him won't find the cupboard bare. "We have a very good (incoming) senior class returning," he said.

Cronkhite will take with him plenty of good memories of his two seasons of working with his staff and players throughout the program from sixth grade on up.

"I had a great two-year run at Crown Point," he said. "We did things the right way. The kids played their heart out. I have no regrets about our two years there."

Neither does Crown Point athletic director Bill Dorulla.

"We brought Mike in to build the program and we liked the way the team improved," Dorulla said. "I think he was headed in the right direction, but unfortunately, circumstances are that he's moving to Florida. That's where he wants to be since he's such an avid golfer. We wish him luck."

© 2012 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.