So, I'm going to point something out to people in general. Eric Dailey and Tyler Bilodeau also did the postgame interviews yesterday. You can watch it here:
What stood out to me is that the players also harped on the toughness aspect, feeling they played soft throughout the game. That's a pretty good sign that the players have not tuned out Cronin by any stretch, and if anything they are reacting to Cronin's comments in the complete opposite way of people here.
I do think people get too worked up about these postgame comments that Cronin makes; when you compare them to the midweek pressers he gives, they're completely different in tone, and it makes me understand why a player would want to come play for Cronin. The guy is a tremendous competitor, and does not take losing well, and if you're a player that wants to win, it is much more appealing to play for a guy who hates to lose than someone who will act nonchalant after a loss (think Chip Kelly for this one).
To back this up on a personal level, I've mentioned before that I coach high school basketball. We had a game yesterday that we won, but given the quality of our opponent we did not play well at all and basically sleepwalked through the game. I understood why - we just came back from break and my players are not true athletes, so they did not do anything to stay in shape during the holidays - and so I was lenient with them after the game in our conversations. While I was at the UCLA game, my captains all sent me a text saying they were angry with me because I did not light into them after the game, and they wanted me to push them harder. Athletes react to the comments of their coach in a much different manner than the average fan sitting at home does, and that's why I never really have a problem with the comments Cronin makes, because he does the same thing Nick Saban and so many other great coaches do, which is use the press conference to talk to the team, no matter what the fans say.
Leaders lead by example. The only reason those guys talked about being soft is because they are afraid of cronin benching them if they don’t tote his lines. Cronin leads by fear, always has and always will. These guys fear cronin benching them if they say the wrong things. That’s what happens under the leadership style of someone like Cronin if that’s even what you call it. He took zero… ZERO responsibility for their almost 20 pt loss. I certainly won’t miss the guy when he’s gone. Little man syndrome is what he’s got
I always go back to when he arrived, he stated how he would watch our teams, and think about what he would do differently.
Where is that process now that he’s leading us? Facts are his coaching style is predictable. Better coaches are able to prep for that predictability.
And he continues to play a shorter bench than he could. He doesn’t prep these players for when we need them.
Say what you want in defense of Cronin, but he will never win us a championship without overwhelming talent. The kind of talent that any coach could win with. I don’t think that’s good enough for Coach’s program.
And let's not forget that Cronin assessed, analyzed, recruited and offered NIL money to every player on this team. He also hired his coaching staff.
If his players and coaching staff are indeed 'delusional amd soft,' then what does that say about Cronin's ability to judge character or to get the best out of his team and staff? And if his staff is so bad, why doesn't he fire them immediately?
I wonder... isn't it possible that what he's seeing is a group that finally slayed the Gonzaga dragon and got too full of themselves, thinking they could "roll the ball out and win" when he - and we - know its a group that can win by being tough, focused, and gritty but isn't going to overwhelm with a bunch of lottery picks like Cal's Kentucky or K's Duke... that that message was sent behind closed doors, wasn't heeded, and then was brought out publicly to force the uncomfortable conversation and some looks in the mirror before the season which can go pretty far north goes south...
Yes, some are uncomfortable with Cronin's radical honesty, especially in an era with snowplow parents and backup QBs asking for 100K of NIL not to walk - but this isn't AYSO and no one gets an orange slice at halftime! I also think it's possible the message he's trying to send when he touts his CV is that he knows what it'll take to get to The League and that all these guys need to be more "like Jaime" - which is what he's asking for in the end, as he did in 2019 after Fullerton and Jan 2020 after a loss to Stanford at Pauley - that none of them can get there without working hard since none of them are lottery guys or have a dad who will force his team to draft them...
I hope the message is received as it was in 2019-20 - the post-game player interviews Dmitri links leave me hopeful. We'll find out soon enough.
Cronin, the narcissist, has no ability to address any of the problems with this team because they start with him and his narcissism consumes him. As a coach you have a resposibilty to learn, lead and teach. Cronin just abuses.
That's the biggest story for me out of last night. Yes, Michigan out schemed us and out executed us, but that's a game to game and matchup sort of thing, and we can learn from that and move on to the next game. Things like that happen to everyone.
Cronin's attitude however, and his willingness to publicize it the way he did, is the kind of poison that can kill a program. Even if there were any truth to it, is anyone supportive of what he pulled in that presser last night?
I think regardless of what Coach Cronin said and didn't admit, the Bruins were simply outplayed AND outcoached, resulting in the blowout loss at home. The poor shooting by the team and apparent loss of confidence being displayed by Andrews is contagious. Hope he'll play better and help the team get back on track.
The postgame comments are classic Cronin. In 2019, he made similar comments after ucla lost to Fullerton and even banned the team from wearing ucla jerseys during practice. It took a while for the message to sink in but ucla did go on a run that season before covid put a stop to everything. Those players that Cronin supposedly threw under the bus stayed with him for 3-4 more years, and developed into the hardworking players we grew to love.
Same thing last year. He made the same comments that were criticized here as well, and once the season ended, nobody wanted to transfer out and Cronin basically had to push players out to make room for a new crop of transfers.
I definitely think that some fans are way more offended by his comments than the players are. If these players respond like Tyger, Jaime, Jules, and Cody did, then great. If not, then they’ll be shown the door like the players from last year.
Indeed, criticizing his players in press conferences, along with yelling at them and passing blame, is Coach Cronin's own (totally blunt and unfiltered) coaching style. He doesn't care whether anyone else likes it or not because it's either going to motivate his players to play better and become tougher, or encourage them to eventually give up and transfer out.
However, he still needs to figure out how to put his team in the best position to be successful, which we obviously hope is still happening behind that angry demeanor.
Motivating his players to play better and become tougher through abuse is an unacceptable way to be. Toughness is only one trait for success, being successful goes so much deeper - having a great leader, teacher, and mentor who provides the right tools to overcome weaknesses and develop strengths, and instills confidence and the drive to succeed. Abuse, blame shift and narcissism does not make a great leader and certainly not a great teacher.
And Cronin's flaws go way beyond his vitriol which is his only mask to hide the real problems... his inability to teach a fluid offense built around the players HE recruited, his inabilty to hire a great offensive mind, his inability to adjust in game through a flexible fluid offense and rotations, and his inability to flat out lead and teach in a way that develops his players strengths and helps overcome any weaknesses. Cronin gets an F, and that's generous.
Seconded! His rotations, offenses, and predictable defenses will continue to doom us to a similar fate as we’ve seen, until he recognizes he needs to change or he’s shown the door.
Ms. Tamara, seems like you'd make a capable sports psychoanalyst (if you're not one already), and Coach Cronin could be your ideal client! :-)
This particular debate is providing some unexpected midseason entertainment, and look forward to seeing how the rest of this season unfolds. Also, Stephen A. Smith had a totally opposite take on this--his commentary is available in the first 8 min. of this YouTube video posting:
P.S.--Feels weird to have the majority of UCLA's conference games scheduled on weekdays, but wish they didn't involve that stupid Peacock streaming service for 4 of the games...
Well, we saw how well Cronin's 'coaching style' worked last season.
Cronin is a classic narcissist, who has no ability to see or take responsibilty for his own flaws (which are many) and simply beats up everyone else, hoping they will feed his narcissism and paycheck.
When has Cronin ever admitted his coaching flaws and then strived to fix them - he can't and he won't. Whether we win or lose, Cronin is a complete embarrasment to UCLA.
Yeah last year was a losing season, and yet when the transfer portal opened, nobody rushed to transfer.
The same coaching style molded Tyger, Jaime, Jules, Jaylen Clark, etc. It works if the players respond to it. In 2019, he basically used the same words to describe them he did last night and those guys stuck with Cronin and molded into a championship team. We might not like it but, once players sign up to join Cronin, they haven’t wanted to leave.
Take on the other hand, a players coach like Deshaun Foster. Within a couple days of the transfer portal opening, some of our top offensive starters and starters-to-be like Sturdivant, TJ Harden, Justyn Martin, Logan Loya all entered the portal to leave the program.
That said I don’t agree with what Cronin said or how he said it. I don’t agree that our players are soft - soft players don’t come back from an 18 point deficit in any game.
Speed of entering the portal doesn’t mean anything about the coaching. Players that enter right away just means they’re probably in demand and have the offer they want. Whether they enter earlier or later - especially, if they transfer - it means they weren’t happy with either their role, their NIL money, the coaching, their teammates, their location, and/or the program.
And the players you mentioned would’ve likely succeeded wherever they went. And what championship? I’m still Waiting 4 #12! Cronin won’t be the one to win it.
Chen, you and I disagree and that's ok. You are a great Bruin and person.
I love Coach Fos and he has done a great job in the portal on both O and D for next season. Fos also fired EB and Oline coach and now we have Tino, who I believe is fantastic! Fos is a great person who has integrity and character, and will be a great coach, given time. This is what I believe.
Cronin, I literaliy cannot stand the guy so my view of him as a person and 'coach' won't change regardless of JJJ, Tyger et al. They had the same problems on offense and blew leads many times, plus their record against Zona was awful.
Count me as someone offended by it. There are things that are best kept in the locker room. I will always support U.C.L.A. Basketball, but that doesn't mean I unconditionally accept everything that's going on. Just like Alford had issues that made me despise him, Cronin's arrogance and inability to share any of the blame is so off-putting that it's seriously harder to root for him.
Cronin has always been reverential towards Coach Wooden. I think Cronin needs to ask how Wooden would have handled last night and if he lived up to Coach's ideals.
Bobby knight also had a few good seasons if I’m not mistaken. He also had a devout following of people that also enjoy the tactic of leading through fear. UCLA isn’t a good place for that type of character and “leadership”… he can go coach at Indiana or go back to Cincinnati.
Glad to see that Dimitri addressed the problem I have been posting about from day one about this team. There is nobody able to cover the 5. Goldin destroyed our front line players. Bilodeau is a power forward and not built to cover tall, bulky centers and his attempt to do so leads to early foul trouble and a decline in points. Mara played 9 minutes and had one rebound and was gassed after that--I agree with Dimitri that there is not much hope Mara will improve beyond what we see now for this season (probably in the future also). He has the length but not the bulk nor the athleticism and playing more in the rotation will not help. Kyle played 3 minutes and had nothing but in fairness he was coming back from some type of medical procedure and is 6' 9''--not 7'.
I just can't understand how Cronin did not see the problem when he was recruiting players through the portal and could not get one decent Big in the portal? Perhaps the team will turn around and hit threes and at least become competitive in the Big 10 but there is no way Cronin can "grow" any of his players to compete with the Big men in the Big 10.
We were just talking about being a potential 2 seed a week ago and now two quad 1 losses gives you substantial doubt about making the tournament?
We still have quality wins at Oregon, against Arizona, and against Gonzaga, not to mention whatever else we’ll do for the rest of the season. If I had told you before the season started that we would be 11-4 in January with a win over Gonzaga and a top 15 team in the road, you would’ve gladly taken it
These fools overreact to a few bad games. I wonder if Tennessee fans are shitting on Barnes for losing by 30 points to Florida and only mustering 43 points. Some clown a few weeks ago said UCLA missed out on Barnes.
It's not different than fans overreacting to a few wins, and I'd say that Arizona and Gonzaga aren't the quality wins that they have been in recent years. I know you're a super passionate fan, mgibby, but it's fair for fans to point out legitimate issues with this roster and the coaching without getting labelled fools.
Arizona just beat Cincinnati and W. Virginia on the road, saying that beating Arizona is not a quality win is just ridiculous. It's a quad 1 win. There's no comparison from season to season on what type of quad 1 wins there are in the metrics. The tournament status is TBD. For someone to say that there's substantial doubt to make the NCAA
Tournament because of back to back Ls, that person is overreacting and being foolish. I am not just passionate, I am knowledgeable. There's 16 conference games left. Let's see what happens instead of relentlessly bitching and being critical.
AZ isn't even ranked right now, and Gonzaga is 18, so while a Quad 1 counts for what it is, we know those wins aren't the same as beating a top 5 team which is where those programs have been recently. I personally would be shocked if we don't make the tournament, and for me it's a little early to make any big pronouncements, but I can also understand someone looking at this trend, adding in some of the other glaring issues, and predicting where this is headed.
So Arizona beats two top 25 teams on the road, but our win isn't that great because they are not AP ranked? Do I understand that correctly? SMH. The selection committee doesn't give a shit if you beat an AP ranked #5 team or an unranked team for quality wins as long as they're as follows in the NET, top 25 at home, top 50 at a neutral site, and top 75 on the road. It's useless to make predictions with 16 games left and a conference tournament.
UCLA is 78th in offensive efficiency to Tennessee 34th. That was also Tennessee first loss to a very good florida team. They can afford some down games as they’ve been a top 5 team all year. UCLA doesn’t have a chance at a natty this year, absolutely zero chance. Tennessee even though blown out still looking good for a title run this year
I blame myself for the team's woes. I believed the hype (all boasts by Cronin):
This is a team where everyone is a shooter.
This team has so much speed that it can push the pace and press full court, and opponents will need to bring oxygen.
This team has so much depth that wholesale substitutions of 5 players might be made (as coach Cal did a few years back) with no drop in the level of play.
This team has so much talent that the biggest problems are selecting the starters, identifying the rotations, and finding the best combinations of chemistry, problems that every coach in the nation would be envious of.
The hypocrisy of Cronin is legendary. I have talked about it at lengths in the past. This is a characteristic of someone who is abusive - he makes you question what is real and what isn't, creating confusion and vulnerability, then pounds you into submission using tirades and attacks.
Facts are he recruited and signed all of the players on this team, and hired the coaches. If he’s out working them that is a failure on him as a scout, recruiter, coach, and boss. He needs to look himself in the mirror and analyze his coaching to see where he is failing the players, team, and program.
Lots can and should be said about Cronin throwing the players (again) and his coaches (that's a new one) under the bus and whether that's just his style or whether there's a dysfunctional malignancy that hurts overall, but it shouldn't take away from a bunch of the pregame and in-game issues that we saw last night.
The most glaring to me was that Bruins got totally bullied inside from the tap and had no sustainable answer. Leaving Bilodeau to face Goldin 1 on 1 for extended periods was a disaster on defense and got Bilo into foul trouble so it really hurt us on the offensive end too. As Dimitri noted, doubling did help, but that adjustment came much later than it should have, and when Michigan adjusted to it, we didn't counter. Cronin readily called out Tyler in the post game for giving up several early baskets, but looking at that mismatch, was it either surprising or fixable? It was a coaching mistake to think that approach was a good game plan in the first place and a failure to not address it for large portions of the game. In an offensive system that is already limited (by Cronin's own admission last night), leaving your best offensive player in an untenable matchup was a big mistake on both ends of the court.
Dylan Hernandez, LA Times writer, had an interesting take in this mornings paper. He basically said that the players stick with Cronin, respond to him, and improve over the course of the season.
It is, quite literally, what happens every year. It's why I said it in my optimistic view in the article. I think a lot of fans transpose their own feelings ("well I wouldn't like it if someone talked about me like that") onto players who very clearly know what Cronin is about and are willingly signing up for that because they want to be pushed in that way.
It’s like you said, some players think they play better after being chastised by their coach. I’m guessing almost zero nba players would feel this way. It might work for a small handful of players who fear cronin and his wrath, but it certainly won’t last and isn’t sustainable long term
UCLA did actually double Goldin throughout the game, it was only in the start of the second half that they figured out how best to do it, and then Michigan responded by hitting more outside shots to shut that down. Michigan is shooting 37.8% from three on the season, so its basically a game of if they hit those shots or not (like every other team).
He hasn’t changed anything about his offense. This is the same style offense we’ve seen for 5+ years now. ISO offense with predictable and easily defended players
The knock on Cronin's offensively challenged teams nearly chased him out of Cincinnati untill UCLA came calling. It's not a new criticism by whinging LA fans after a bad loss.
Alfie, even given his vanity, heard the criticisms of weakness at the other end of the court and (foolishly) hired Bartow2.0 to address the defensive shortcomings.
Cronin will make no such move even for appearances sake. Stubborn inflexible and unapologetic.
I'm always amazed at the love for Mara. Seems like a great kid and may have upside potential but my assessment is a bit more harsh. Dimitri, you often refer to Mara "lacking the cardio to play lengthy minutes". I'll rephrase that to say he lacks the skill, strength and desire to play lengthy minutes. Not to agree with Mick, but Mara is "soft". He's ALWAYS out of position for rebounds and NEVER backs anyone out of their position. We can blabber on forever about the improvements he's made since last year, but the obvious reality is that he's still light years from playing with any power, ability to get position, and dominant offensive skills. When he's on the floor he seldom provides an additive beyond his 7' 4" which provides limited shot-blocking potential. Asking him to be a force against Wolfe or Goldin, or any developed bigs/center in the Big10 is laughable. Sure he can take up minutes, but to what end? He's proven so far against highly competitive teams, he's unable to contribute meaningful minutes. At 7' 4", his "shot" is a fall away or put-back, only if it falls in his hands. He's incapable of creating his space to shoot, with no footwork skills or strength. He's a FT liability and on defense is far too often up trying to defend the high ball screen rather than stay anchored in the paint as a deterrent to the PnR or overtop lob. He's another version of Tommy Welch at best, and gives you no quality minutes in Big10 conference play. The "miss" in all of this is asking a "project" to come in and contribute meaningful minutes. With all the transfers, we have 5-6 players that all are similar in make-up and size (Andrews, Mack, Perry, Clark, Harris and maybe Lazar, and Johnson) and no real bigs that can create their own offense and provide dominant rebounding skills like a Bona or similar. Bilodeau is exactly what he was at OSU, so should be no surprise to anyone. We're missing Williams 6' 10" size and Wm Kyle not as effective of a defender/rebounder as was expected. This year, just like last year, we have a VERY mediocre jump-shooting team that struggles to find their own shots and doesn't play aggressive defense every night. When you're supposed point guard and floor leader can't or won't shoot (Andrews) and your #2 (Mack) can only score off dribble penetration, you're left with very limited offensive weapons that are reliant on good shooting % nights to generate offense. Mick is smart enough to recognize that if he doesn't accentuate defense, he won't be over .500 with the inherent offensive limitations and liabilities he possesses. Now that we're in conference play, the shortcomings of the roster construction are becoming much more evident and this 'aint the NBA . . .there are no trades forthcoming to help correct the deficiencies.
Xlnt breakdown of roster construction shortcomings. (Is talent evaluation a side issue?) Please contribute more often.
Re roster construction: I have criticized such along with TMB, BRO, SI, LAT and other sources, but the Croninistas inexplicably have mischaracterized mine to mean, "Give Dom starter minutes!" It's a mystery how that was inferred.
Re Mara love fest: He hasn't grown into his height. Will he?
Seriously? These are the players Cronin scouted, recruited, and signed.
As to Mara, “He's ALWAYS out of position for rebounds and NEVER backs anyone out of their position.”
I’ve seen him box his guy out, so false.
“on defense is far too often up trying to defend the high ball screen rather than stay anchored in the paint as a deterrent to the PnR or overtop lob.”
This is surely Cronin’s coaching and fault. If Cronin was wiser he’d use him in a 2-3 zone. I said this from day one. This is year 2.
This team has actually exceeded my expectations for the year already. I had very low expectations as I don’t think cronin knows anything about offense and rebounding. His bigs have almost always been poor rebounders. See adem bona and Mara for reference.
I still think this team can make the tournament. I’m truly shocked at the defense of cronin by the faithful here. That was a very Bobby knight type performance from him last night and that’s the type of coach and behavior I abhor.
The other thing that nobody referenced was how he not only threw his whole staff and team under the bus, he backed it up with the fact that he’s doing no wrong and is the only one that’s working hard and doing things the right way! I know there’s ways to motivate a team, but good leaders take responsibility. For the fact that he didn’t prepare his team to defend two seven footers, for the fact that he’s half way through the season and the offense is a putrid 78th in efficiency, for the fact that he’s failed to develop the biggest player on his team in Mara, for his constant lack of game planning and how to attack a team on the offensive end, I could go on. The fact that he took absolutely zero responsibility for an almost 20 point loss speaks volumes to his true character and leadership style. While some will fight for him, most would say good riddance I’ve had enough of this 4 ft clown. He talks like he played basketball! Thats funny right there. Maybe that’s some of the reason behind his inability to develop his big players.
All things considered, he hast done poorly enough to be fired this year. That’s unfortunate because he’s reached his plateau at ucla. The program won’t get better from here under cronin. He’s done exactly what I thought he’d do, he gave us something slightly better than alfie… but now that he’s peaked, ucla needs to move on
1. I attended one of John Wooden's last public speaking events at the Beverly Hills Hotel sponsored by an investment division of City Bank. During the Q&A, somebody asked Wooden what he thought about Bobby Knight. Wooden's answer was he thought Knight was a brilliant X and O coach but a "terrible human being". I do not know Cronin other than his post game pressers but suspect Wooden would not approve of Cronin's presser.
2. I do not blame Cronin for not developing Mara because I believe, although he is tall, he is not athletic and does not move well. In a nutshell, he was terrible last year and a little better this year so a little step up from terrible. As the saying goes, you can not make a silk purse from a sow's ear.
3. Cronin is what he is and he is not going to change his defensive nor offensive "styles" such as they are. I understand that some find his grinding style hard to watch as was Howland's and prefer the up tempo of an Alfie. ("slightly better than Alfie" LOL) Personal taste. Do not know how long his contract is but he will be around for at least another two seasons regardless of record.
4. In his books, Wooden repeatedly says that a coach can not win without good players. Cronin had good players two years ago and could well have won the NCAA tournament with his "style" if it was not for key injuries to Clark and Bona. I think he can win a championship but not this year without a serviceable Big.
5. Some here would do well reading "They Call Me Coach" for the Triangle for Success and his outlook on what makes a good coach and good players.
I don't want an Alfraud like team. Not one bit. I want a great team, both offensively and defensively, with chemistry, tenacity, and poise.
Cronin is not a brilliant Xs and Os coach and he is also a terrible human being, although he hasn't thrown a chair, yet. Wooden would be appalled by Cronin's presser and I doubt that Wooden would ever respect Cronin for his antics. Wooden was a great teacher and his sideline demeanor showed his confidence in his players to implement what he had taught.
I also hate when Cronin brags about himself winning almost 500 games and only being 53. And how he could just retire on his millions in Marina Del Rey. But because he is such a 'great' coach with so much passion and toughness, he does us all a huge favor by staying.
2. Cronin scouted, recruited, and signed Mara. If Cronin can’t coach Mara to be successful in his system - or a system better suited to the player - then the failure falls squarely on Cronin.
3. That means he is and will be a failure as an UCLA coach. “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
I can’t speak for others, but I loved the Spurs dynasty, and liked Howland ball and the Pistons Bad Boys Part 2.
The reality is most college basketball championships are won with great offenses and at least ssvery good defenses.
The problem with Howland and Howland Light are their predictable defenses allow better coaches to prepare their teams to create mismatches; plus, the foul trouble that usually happens to key players in key games.
Cronin adds to this by running a short bench into the ground until they’re tired, go through long scoring droughts, and give up easy points. He’s slow to make any adjustments, allowing a large deficit. This creates an uphill battle just to come back in games.
4. Injuries are a reality of the game. That’s why he needs to run a deeper bench to prepare more players for the regular season and the tournaments.
Look at the NBA. There are minute restrictions and load management. I don’t care for it from the perspective of people paying to see the stars play, and from growing up in an era where you played until you physically couldn’t. The truth is the statistics and modern body monitoring help reduce injuries, and keep athletes healthier for the postseasons.
And Bona should’ve never been brought back so early. We didn’t need him the game he came back and got re-injured. That was another coaching failure on Cronin.
Also, Cronin is not prepared to deal with foul trouble to his key players or to deal with scoring droughts. So chances are we still would have gone home without a championship.
Thanks for your attempt at facetious exaggeration!
Please tell me if anything I said is untrue. I know the analysis is accurate. If you pay attention to the games, you’ll see it, too.
The point is that if Cronin doesn’t change, there is no way he’ll win a championship without overwhelming talent.
That’s happened twice in semi-recent times. North Carolina bringing everyone back and Kentucky getting lucky with the NBA strike. This means the odds of that are minuscule. That’s especially true when you add in our tougher admissions & classes, and Cronin yelling at his players.
This means either Cronin needs to change, or if we hold onto him as coach, we’re delaying the inevitable. It seems like we’re going to get the worst of both options.
Do with that what you will, but hopes and prayers aren’t going to win us a championship with Cronin.
Cronin has exceeded my expectations. The problem is he has lied about his ability to analyze the failures of teams. He’s not willing to look in the mirror, to see where his coaching is letting down his teams. That’s not how you become a championship coach.
Look at Dan Hurley’s post championship interview: “We didn’t want to give up 3s. We didn’t care if Zach (Edey) took 25, 28 shots to get 30, 35 points. This whole gameplan was: no Smith, no Loyer, no Gillis, no Jones. Keep that collective group under 18, 20 points as a group, they had no chance to win no matter how well Zach played.”
That’s the game plan of a championship coach. Chess vs checkers. Cronin would’ve fallen for the same bait.
I said the same thing about the hole in the center early on. Otherwise, it appears you were pretty much wrong about everything in the above especially Mara. Big guys always take longer to grown into their size. Mara is coming and he's coming fast, he's only 19. Many of the guys he plays against are men. As to the post gamer rants by Cronin, they are embarrassing. But, if it works then so be it
So, I'm going to point something out to people in general. Eric Dailey and Tyler Bilodeau also did the postgame interviews yesterday. You can watch it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yXwzjgvED0
What stood out to me is that the players also harped on the toughness aspect, feeling they played soft throughout the game. That's a pretty good sign that the players have not tuned out Cronin by any stretch, and if anything they are reacting to Cronin's comments in the complete opposite way of people here.
I do think people get too worked up about these postgame comments that Cronin makes; when you compare them to the midweek pressers he gives, they're completely different in tone, and it makes me understand why a player would want to come play for Cronin. The guy is a tremendous competitor, and does not take losing well, and if you're a player that wants to win, it is much more appealing to play for a guy who hates to lose than someone who will act nonchalant after a loss (think Chip Kelly for this one).
To back this up on a personal level, I've mentioned before that I coach high school basketball. We had a game yesterday that we won, but given the quality of our opponent we did not play well at all and basically sleepwalked through the game. I understood why - we just came back from break and my players are not true athletes, so they did not do anything to stay in shape during the holidays - and so I was lenient with them after the game in our conversations. While I was at the UCLA game, my captains all sent me a text saying they were angry with me because I did not light into them after the game, and they wanted me to push them harder. Athletes react to the comments of their coach in a much different manner than the average fan sitting at home does, and that's why I never really have a problem with the comments Cronin makes, because he does the same thing Nick Saban and so many other great coaches do, which is use the press conference to talk to the team, no matter what the fans say.
So your captains were calling you...soft? ;-)
Appreciate your insights and input as always, DD!
Leaders lead by example. The only reason those guys talked about being soft is because they are afraid of cronin benching them if they don’t tote his lines. Cronin leads by fear, always has and always will. These guys fear cronin benching them if they say the wrong things. That’s what happens under the leadership style of someone like Cronin if that’s even what you call it. He took zero… ZERO responsibility for their almost 20 pt loss. I certainly won’t miss the guy when he’s gone. Little man syndrome is what he’s got
I always go back to when he arrived, he stated how he would watch our teams, and think about what he would do differently.
Where is that process now that he’s leading us? Facts are his coaching style is predictable. Better coaches are able to prep for that predictability.
And he continues to play a shorter bench than he could. He doesn’t prep these players for when we need them.
Say what you want in defense of Cronin, but he will never win us a championship without overwhelming talent. The kind of talent that any coach could win with. I don’t think that’s good enough for Coach’s program.
And let's not forget that Cronin assessed, analyzed, recruited and offered NIL money to every player on this team. He also hired his coaching staff.
If his players and coaching staff are indeed 'delusional amd soft,' then what does that say about Cronin's ability to judge character or to get the best out of his team and staff? And if his staff is so bad, why doesn't he fire them immediately?
"A Coach must never forget that he is a leader, and not merely a person with authority."
I wonder... isn't it possible that what he's seeing is a group that finally slayed the Gonzaga dragon and got too full of themselves, thinking they could "roll the ball out and win" when he - and we - know its a group that can win by being tough, focused, and gritty but isn't going to overwhelm with a bunch of lottery picks like Cal's Kentucky or K's Duke... that that message was sent behind closed doors, wasn't heeded, and then was brought out publicly to force the uncomfortable conversation and some looks in the mirror before the season which can go pretty far north goes south...
Yes, some are uncomfortable with Cronin's radical honesty, especially in an era with snowplow parents and backup QBs asking for 100K of NIL not to walk - but this isn't AYSO and no one gets an orange slice at halftime! I also think it's possible the message he's trying to send when he touts his CV is that he knows what it'll take to get to The League and that all these guys need to be more "like Jaime" - which is what he's asking for in the end, as he did in 2019 after Fullerton and Jan 2020 after a loss to Stanford at Pauley - that none of them can get there without working hard since none of them are lottery guys or have a dad who will force his team to draft them...
I hope the message is received as it was in 2019-20 - the post-game player interviews Dmitri links leave me hopeful. We'll find out soon enough.
Go Bruins
In what world did we make 2 of 20 on 3’s…. seriously, get your facts straight???,
I just looked at Stats from Bleacher Report. They show 2 of 20 on three's.
Is calling your coaching staff and players a bunch of wusses the best way to address the roster construction and rotation issues?
Nope, not a recipe for success in any manner! Completely agree!!
Cronin, the narcissist, has no ability to address any of the problems with this team because they start with him and his narcissism consumes him. As a coach you have a resposibilty to learn, lead and teach. Cronin just abuses.
That's the biggest story for me out of last night. Yes, Michigan out schemed us and out executed us, but that's a game to game and matchup sort of thing, and we can learn from that and move on to the next game. Things like that happen to everyone.
Cronin's attitude however, and his willingness to publicize it the way he did, is the kind of poison that can kill a program. Even if there were any truth to it, is anyone supportive of what he pulled in that presser last night?
Chastising your coaching staff in that manner is a bridge too far.
Totally out of line - needs to learn from Wooden like Coach Close has.
I think regardless of what Coach Cronin said and didn't admit, the Bruins were simply outplayed AND outcoached, resulting in the blowout loss at home. The poor shooting by the team and apparent loss of confidence being displayed by Andrews is contagious. Hope he'll play better and help the team get back on track.
Go Bruins!
The postgame comments are classic Cronin. In 2019, he made similar comments after ucla lost to Fullerton and even banned the team from wearing ucla jerseys during practice. It took a while for the message to sink in but ucla did go on a run that season before covid put a stop to everything. Those players that Cronin supposedly threw under the bus stayed with him for 3-4 more years, and developed into the hardworking players we grew to love.
Same thing last year. He made the same comments that were criticized here as well, and once the season ended, nobody wanted to transfer out and Cronin basically had to push players out to make room for a new crop of transfers.
I definitely think that some fans are way more offended by his comments than the players are. If these players respond like Tyger, Jaime, Jules, and Cody did, then great. If not, then they’ll be shown the door like the players from last year.
Indeed, criticizing his players in press conferences, along with yelling at them and passing blame, is Coach Cronin's own (totally blunt and unfiltered) coaching style. He doesn't care whether anyone else likes it or not because it's either going to motivate his players to play better and become tougher, or encourage them to eventually give up and transfer out.
However, he still needs to figure out how to put his team in the best position to be successful, which we obviously hope is still happening behind that angry demeanor.
Go Bruins!
Motivating his players to play better and become tougher through abuse is an unacceptable way to be. Toughness is only one trait for success, being successful goes so much deeper - having a great leader, teacher, and mentor who provides the right tools to overcome weaknesses and develop strengths, and instills confidence and the drive to succeed. Abuse, blame shift and narcissism does not make a great leader and certainly not a great teacher.
And Cronin's flaws go way beyond his vitriol which is his only mask to hide the real problems... his inability to teach a fluid offense built around the players HE recruited, his inabilty to hire a great offensive mind, his inability to adjust in game through a flexible fluid offense and rotations, and his inability to flat out lead and teach in a way that develops his players strengths and helps overcome any weaknesses. Cronin gets an F, and that's generous.
Seconded! His rotations, offenses, and predictable defenses will continue to doom us to a similar fate as we’ve seen, until he recognizes he needs to change or he’s shown the door.
Ms. Tamara, seems like you'd make a capable sports psychoanalyst (if you're not one already), and Coach Cronin could be your ideal client! :-)
This particular debate is providing some unexpected midseason entertainment, and look forward to seeing how the rest of this season unfolds. Also, Stephen A. Smith had a totally opposite take on this--his commentary is available in the first 8 min. of this YouTube video posting:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqeYVHxJmEU
Go Bruins!
P.S.--Feels weird to have the majority of UCLA's conference games scheduled on weekdays, but wish they didn't involve that stupid Peacock streaming service for 4 of the games...
Well, we saw how well Cronin's 'coaching style' worked last season.
Cronin is a classic narcissist, who has no ability to see or take responsibilty for his own flaws (which are many) and simply beats up everyone else, hoping they will feed his narcissism and paycheck.
When has Cronin ever admitted his coaching flaws and then strived to fix them - he can't and he won't. Whether we win or lose, Cronin is a complete embarrasment to UCLA.
Yeah last year was a losing season, and yet when the transfer portal opened, nobody rushed to transfer.
The same coaching style molded Tyger, Jaime, Jules, Jaylen Clark, etc. It works if the players respond to it. In 2019, he basically used the same words to describe them he did last night and those guys stuck with Cronin and molded into a championship team. We might not like it but, once players sign up to join Cronin, they haven’t wanted to leave.
Take on the other hand, a players coach like Deshaun Foster. Within a couple days of the transfer portal opening, some of our top offensive starters and starters-to-be like Sturdivant, TJ Harden, Justyn Martin, Logan Loya all entered the portal to leave the program.
That said I don’t agree with what Cronin said or how he said it. I don’t agree that our players are soft - soft players don’t come back from an 18 point deficit in any game.
Speed of entering the portal doesn’t mean anything about the coaching. Players that enter right away just means they’re probably in demand and have the offer they want. Whether they enter earlier or later - especially, if they transfer - it means they weren’t happy with either their role, their NIL money, the coaching, their teammates, their location, and/or the program.
And the players you mentioned would’ve likely succeeded wherever they went. And what championship? I’m still Waiting 4 #12! Cronin won’t be the one to win it.
Chen, you and I disagree and that's ok. You are a great Bruin and person.
I love Coach Fos and he has done a great job in the portal on both O and D for next season. Fos also fired EB and Oline coach and now we have Tino, who I believe is fantastic! Fos is a great person who has integrity and character, and will be a great coach, given time. This is what I believe.
Cronin, I literaliy cannot stand the guy so my view of him as a person and 'coach' won't change regardless of JJJ, Tyger et al. They had the same problems on offense and blew leads many times, plus their record against Zona was awful.
The fans are soft, the players are not.
Guess you are admitting Cronin is dead wrong. Good for you to admit that. But us fans, not a chsnce we wre soft. Have a great day gibby.
Not soft? LOL.
Do you know what the word 'bully' means? Take a look in the mirror. You have not made any friends here... I wonder why. Good luck to you.
I am a bully because I think some of you are soft? Ridiculous shit. I am not here to make friends. Is this a social place for Cronin haters only? 🤣
Count me as someone offended by it. There are things that are best kept in the locker room. I will always support U.C.L.A. Basketball, but that doesn't mean I unconditionally accept everything that's going on. Just like Alford had issues that made me despise him, Cronin's arrogance and inability to share any of the blame is so off-putting that it's seriously harder to root for him.
Cronin has always been reverential towards Coach Wooden. I think Cronin needs to ask how Wooden would have handled last night and if he lived up to Coach's ideals.
Bobby knight also had a few good seasons if I’m not mistaken. He also had a devout following of people that also enjoy the tactic of leading through fear. UCLA isn’t a good place for that type of character and “leadership”… he can go coach at Indiana or go back to Cincinnati.
Glad to see that Dimitri addressed the problem I have been posting about from day one about this team. There is nobody able to cover the 5. Goldin destroyed our front line players. Bilodeau is a power forward and not built to cover tall, bulky centers and his attempt to do so leads to early foul trouble and a decline in points. Mara played 9 minutes and had one rebound and was gassed after that--I agree with Dimitri that there is not much hope Mara will improve beyond what we see now for this season (probably in the future also). He has the length but not the bulk nor the athleticism and playing more in the rotation will not help. Kyle played 3 minutes and had nothing but in fairness he was coming back from some type of medical procedure and is 6' 9''--not 7'.
I just can't understand how Cronin did not see the problem when he was recruiting players through the portal and could not get one decent Big in the portal? Perhaps the team will turn around and hit threes and at least become competitive in the Big 10 but there is no way Cronin can "grow" any of his players to compete with the Big men in the Big 10.
Substantial doubt we make the Big Dance.
We were just talking about being a potential 2 seed a week ago and now two quad 1 losses gives you substantial doubt about making the tournament?
We still have quality wins at Oregon, against Arizona, and against Gonzaga, not to mention whatever else we’ll do for the rest of the season. If I had told you before the season started that we would be 11-4 in January with a win over Gonzaga and a top 15 team in the road, you would’ve gladly taken it
These fools overreact to a few bad games. I wonder if Tennessee fans are shitting on Barnes for losing by 30 points to Florida and only mustering 43 points. Some clown a few weeks ago said UCLA missed out on Barnes.
It's not different than fans overreacting to a few wins, and I'd say that Arizona and Gonzaga aren't the quality wins that they have been in recent years. I know you're a super passionate fan, mgibby, but it's fair for fans to point out legitimate issues with this roster and the coaching without getting labelled fools.
Arizona just beat Cincinnati and W. Virginia on the road, saying that beating Arizona is not a quality win is just ridiculous. It's a quad 1 win. There's no comparison from season to season on what type of quad 1 wins there are in the metrics. The tournament status is TBD. For someone to say that there's substantial doubt to make the NCAA
Tournament because of back to back Ls, that person is overreacting and being foolish. I am not just passionate, I am knowledgeable. There's 16 conference games left. Let's see what happens instead of relentlessly bitching and being critical.
AZ isn't even ranked right now, and Gonzaga is 18, so while a Quad 1 counts for what it is, we know those wins aren't the same as beating a top 5 team which is where those programs have been recently. I personally would be shocked if we don't make the tournament, and for me it's a little early to make any big pronouncements, but I can also understand someone looking at this trend, adding in some of the other glaring issues, and predicting where this is headed.
So Arizona beats two top 25 teams on the road, but our win isn't that great because they are not AP ranked? Do I understand that correctly? SMH. The selection committee doesn't give a shit if you beat an AP ranked #5 team or an unranked team for quality wins as long as they're as follows in the NET, top 25 at home, top 50 at a neutral site, and top 75 on the road. It's useless to make predictions with 16 games left and a conference tournament.
UCLA is 78th in offensive efficiency to Tennessee 34th. That was also Tennessee first loss to a very good florida team. They can afford some down games as they’ve been a top 5 team all year. UCLA doesn’t have a chance at a natty this year, absolutely zero chance. Tennessee even though blown out still looking good for a title run this year
43 points. LMAO 🤣. That's definitely bad.
I blame myself for the team's woes. I believed the hype (all boasts by Cronin):
This is a team where everyone is a shooter.
This team has so much speed that it can push the pace and press full court, and opponents will need to bring oxygen.
This team has so much depth that wholesale substitutions of 5 players might be made (as coach Cal did a few years back) with no drop in the level of play.
This team has so much talent that the biggest problems are selecting the starters, identifying the rotations, and finding the best combinations of chemistry, problems that every coach in the nation would be envious of.
Also Cronin:
This team is a bunch of delusional softies.
The hypocrisy of Cronin is legendary. I have talked about it at lengths in the past. This is a characteristic of someone who is abusive - he makes you question what is real and what isn't, creating confusion and vulnerability, then pounds you into submission using tirades and attacks.
The personality study is pretty interesting, even if it's in a progressively discouraging environment.
Facts are he recruited and signed all of the players on this team, and hired the coaches. If he’s out working them that is a failure on him as a scout, recruiter, coach, and boss. He needs to look himself in the mirror and analyze his coaching to see where he is failing the players, team, and program.
Ahh, so you're the delusional one then, SEA?
Now we know the problem!
;-)
Lots can and should be said about Cronin throwing the players (again) and his coaches (that's a new one) under the bus and whether that's just his style or whether there's a dysfunctional malignancy that hurts overall, but it shouldn't take away from a bunch of the pregame and in-game issues that we saw last night.
The most glaring to me was that Bruins got totally bullied inside from the tap and had no sustainable answer. Leaving Bilodeau to face Goldin 1 on 1 for extended periods was a disaster on defense and got Bilo into foul trouble so it really hurt us on the offensive end too. As Dimitri noted, doubling did help, but that adjustment came much later than it should have, and when Michigan adjusted to it, we didn't counter. Cronin readily called out Tyler in the post game for giving up several early baskets, but looking at that mismatch, was it either surprising or fixable? It was a coaching mistake to think that approach was a good game plan in the first place and a failure to not address it for large portions of the game. In an offensive system that is already limited (by Cronin's own admission last night), leaving your best offensive player in an untenable matchup was a big mistake on both ends of the court.
Dylan Hernandez, LA Times writer, had an interesting take in this mornings paper. He basically said that the players stick with Cronin, respond to him, and improve over the course of the season.
Knight had his loyalists, too.
It is, quite literally, what happens every year. It's why I said it in my optimistic view in the article. I think a lot of fans transpose their own feelings ("well I wouldn't like it if someone talked about me like that") onto players who very clearly know what Cronin is about and are willingly signing up for that because they want to be pushed in that way.
It’s like you said, some players think they play better after being chastised by their coach. I’m guessing almost zero nba players would feel this way. It might work for a small handful of players who fear cronin and his wrath, but it certainly won’t last and isn’t sustainable long term
UCLA did actually double Goldin throughout the game, it was only in the start of the second half that they figured out how best to do it, and then Michigan responded by hitting more outside shots to shut that down. Michigan is shooting 37.8% from three on the season, so its basically a game of if they hit those shots or not (like every other team).
Who ever thought that a Mick Cronin team would be live by the three, die by the three?
Everyone complained that Cronin wasn't running a modern offense, and yet here we are.
He hasn’t changed anything about his offense. This is the same style offense we’ve seen for 5+ years now. ISO offense with predictable and easily defended players
The knock on Cronin's offensively challenged teams nearly chased him out of Cincinnati untill UCLA came calling. It's not a new criticism by whinging LA fans after a bad loss.
Alfie, even given his vanity, heard the criticisms of weakness at the other end of the court and (foolishly) hired Bartow2.0 to address the defensive shortcomings.
Cronin will make no such move even for appearances sake. Stubborn inflexible and unapologetic.
I'm always amazed at the love for Mara. Seems like a great kid and may have upside potential but my assessment is a bit more harsh. Dimitri, you often refer to Mara "lacking the cardio to play lengthy minutes". I'll rephrase that to say he lacks the skill, strength and desire to play lengthy minutes. Not to agree with Mick, but Mara is "soft". He's ALWAYS out of position for rebounds and NEVER backs anyone out of their position. We can blabber on forever about the improvements he's made since last year, but the obvious reality is that he's still light years from playing with any power, ability to get position, and dominant offensive skills. When he's on the floor he seldom provides an additive beyond his 7' 4" which provides limited shot-blocking potential. Asking him to be a force against Wolfe or Goldin, or any developed bigs/center in the Big10 is laughable. Sure he can take up minutes, but to what end? He's proven so far against highly competitive teams, he's unable to contribute meaningful minutes. At 7' 4", his "shot" is a fall away or put-back, only if it falls in his hands. He's incapable of creating his space to shoot, with no footwork skills or strength. He's a FT liability and on defense is far too often up trying to defend the high ball screen rather than stay anchored in the paint as a deterrent to the PnR or overtop lob. He's another version of Tommy Welch at best, and gives you no quality minutes in Big10 conference play. The "miss" in all of this is asking a "project" to come in and contribute meaningful minutes. With all the transfers, we have 5-6 players that all are similar in make-up and size (Andrews, Mack, Perry, Clark, Harris and maybe Lazar, and Johnson) and no real bigs that can create their own offense and provide dominant rebounding skills like a Bona or similar. Bilodeau is exactly what he was at OSU, so should be no surprise to anyone. We're missing Williams 6' 10" size and Wm Kyle not as effective of a defender/rebounder as was expected. This year, just like last year, we have a VERY mediocre jump-shooting team that struggles to find their own shots and doesn't play aggressive defense every night. When you're supposed point guard and floor leader can't or won't shoot (Andrews) and your #2 (Mack) can only score off dribble penetration, you're left with very limited offensive weapons that are reliant on good shooting % nights to generate offense. Mick is smart enough to recognize that if he doesn't accentuate defense, he won't be over .500 with the inherent offensive limitations and liabilities he possesses. Now that we're in conference play, the shortcomings of the roster construction are becoming much more evident and this 'aint the NBA . . .there are no trades forthcoming to help correct the deficiencies.
Xlnt breakdown of roster construction shortcomings. (Is talent evaluation a side issue?) Please contribute more often.
Re roster construction: I have criticized such along with TMB, BRO, SI, LAT and other sources, but the Croninistas inexplicably have mischaracterized mine to mean, "Give Dom starter minutes!" It's a mystery how that was inferred.
Re Mara love fest: He hasn't grown into his height. Will he?
Seriously? These are the players Cronin scouted, recruited, and signed.
As to Mara, “He's ALWAYS out of position for rebounds and NEVER backs anyone out of their position.”
I’ve seen him box his guy out, so false.
“on defense is far too often up trying to defend the high ball screen rather than stay anchored in the paint as a deterrent to the PnR or overtop lob.”
This is surely Cronin’s coaching and fault. If Cronin was wiser he’d use him in a 2-3 zone. I said this from day one. This is year 2.
This team has actually exceeded my expectations for the year already. I had very low expectations as I don’t think cronin knows anything about offense and rebounding. His bigs have almost always been poor rebounders. See adem bona and Mara for reference.
I still think this team can make the tournament. I’m truly shocked at the defense of cronin by the faithful here. That was a very Bobby knight type performance from him last night and that’s the type of coach and behavior I abhor.
The other thing that nobody referenced was how he not only threw his whole staff and team under the bus, he backed it up with the fact that he’s doing no wrong and is the only one that’s working hard and doing things the right way! I know there’s ways to motivate a team, but good leaders take responsibility. For the fact that he didn’t prepare his team to defend two seven footers, for the fact that he’s half way through the season and the offense is a putrid 78th in efficiency, for the fact that he’s failed to develop the biggest player on his team in Mara, for his constant lack of game planning and how to attack a team on the offensive end, I could go on. The fact that he took absolutely zero responsibility for an almost 20 point loss speaks volumes to his true character and leadership style. While some will fight for him, most would say good riddance I’ve had enough of this 4 ft clown. He talks like he played basketball! Thats funny right there. Maybe that’s some of the reason behind his inability to develop his big players.
All things considered, he hast done poorly enough to be fired this year. That’s unfortunate because he’s reached his plateau at ucla. The program won’t get better from here under cronin. He’s done exactly what I thought he’d do, he gave us something slightly better than alfie… but now that he’s peaked, ucla needs to move on
A couple thoughts:
1. I attended one of John Wooden's last public speaking events at the Beverly Hills Hotel sponsored by an investment division of City Bank. During the Q&A, somebody asked Wooden what he thought about Bobby Knight. Wooden's answer was he thought Knight was a brilliant X and O coach but a "terrible human being". I do not know Cronin other than his post game pressers but suspect Wooden would not approve of Cronin's presser.
2. I do not blame Cronin for not developing Mara because I believe, although he is tall, he is not athletic and does not move well. In a nutshell, he was terrible last year and a little better this year so a little step up from terrible. As the saying goes, you can not make a silk purse from a sow's ear.
3. Cronin is what he is and he is not going to change his defensive nor offensive "styles" such as they are. I understand that some find his grinding style hard to watch as was Howland's and prefer the up tempo of an Alfie. ("slightly better than Alfie" LOL) Personal taste. Do not know how long his contract is but he will be around for at least another two seasons regardless of record.
4. In his books, Wooden repeatedly says that a coach can not win without good players. Cronin had good players two years ago and could well have won the NCAA tournament with his "style" if it was not for key injuries to Clark and Bona. I think he can win a championship but not this year without a serviceable Big.
5. Some here would do well reading "They Call Me Coach" for the Triangle for Success and his outlook on what makes a good coach and good players.
I don't want an Alfraud like team. Not one bit. I want a great team, both offensively and defensively, with chemistry, tenacity, and poise.
Cronin is not a brilliant Xs and Os coach and he is also a terrible human being, although he hasn't thrown a chair, yet. Wooden would be appalled by Cronin's presser and I doubt that Wooden would ever respect Cronin for his antics. Wooden was a great teacher and his sideline demeanor showed his confidence in his players to implement what he had taught.
I also hate when Cronin brags about himself winning almost 500 games and only being 53. And how he could just retire on his millions in Marina Del Rey. But because he is such a 'great' coach with so much passion and toughness, he does us all a huge favor by staying.
2. Cronin scouted, recruited, and signed Mara. If Cronin can’t coach Mara to be successful in his system - or a system better suited to the player - then the failure falls squarely on Cronin.
3. That means he is and will be a failure as an UCLA coach. “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
I can’t speak for others, but I loved the Spurs dynasty, and liked Howland ball and the Pistons Bad Boys Part 2.
The reality is most college basketball championships are won with great offenses and at least ssvery good defenses.
The problem with Howland and Howland Light are their predictable defenses allow better coaches to prepare their teams to create mismatches; plus, the foul trouble that usually happens to key players in key games.
Cronin adds to this by running a short bench into the ground until they’re tired, go through long scoring droughts, and give up easy points. He’s slow to make any adjustments, allowing a large deficit. This creates an uphill battle just to come back in games.
4. Injuries are a reality of the game. That’s why he needs to run a deeper bench to prepare more players for the regular season and the tournaments.
Look at the NBA. There are minute restrictions and load management. I don’t care for it from the perspective of people paying to see the stars play, and from growing up in an era where you played until you physically couldn’t. The truth is the statistics and modern body monitoring help reduce injuries, and keep athletes healthier for the postseasons.
And Bona should’ve never been brought back so early. We didn’t need him the game he came back and got re-injured. That was another coaching failure on Cronin.
Also, Cronin is not prepared to deal with foul trouble to his key players or to deal with scoring droughts. So chances are we still would have gone home without a championship.
Wow! I guess we should tar and feather Cronin and then terminate his contract for cause?
Thanks for your attempt at facetious exaggeration!
Please tell me if anything I said is untrue. I know the analysis is accurate. If you pay attention to the games, you’ll see it, too.
The point is that if Cronin doesn’t change, there is no way he’ll win a championship without overwhelming talent.
That’s happened twice in semi-recent times. North Carolina bringing everyone back and Kentucky getting lucky with the NBA strike. This means the odds of that are minuscule. That’s especially true when you add in our tougher admissions & classes, and Cronin yelling at his players.
This means either Cronin needs to change, or if we hold onto him as coach, we’re delaying the inevitable. It seems like we’re going to get the worst of both options.
Do with that what you will, but hopes and prayers aren’t going to win us a championship with Cronin.
Cronin has exceeded my expectations. The problem is he has lied about his ability to analyze the failures of teams. He’s not willing to look in the mirror, to see where his coaching is letting down his teams. That’s not how you become a championship coach.
Look at Dan Hurley’s post championship interview: “We didn’t want to give up 3s. We didn’t care if Zach (Edey) took 25, 28 shots to get 30, 35 points. This whole gameplan was: no Smith, no Loyer, no Gillis, no Jones. Keep that collective group under 18, 20 points as a group, they had no chance to win no matter how well Zach played.”
That’s the game plan of a championship coach. Chess vs checkers. Cronin would’ve fallen for the same bait.
I said the same thing about the hole in the center early on. Otherwise, it appears you were pretty much wrong about everything in the above especially Mara. Big guys always take longer to grown into their size. Mara is coming and he's coming fast, he's only 19. Many of the guys he plays against are men. As to the post gamer rants by Cronin, they are embarrassing. But, if it works then so be it