I actually disagree. I feel like blowout losses like this are ones I can just forget about completely, while close losses are ones you remember for days
I don't know if respectable is the right word, but 9-30 is about what I'd expect from this team shooting that number of three-pointers, if that makes sense.
Hopium is highly addictive, isn't it, Ms. Tamara? I think there's just too many issues with this year's team, including their contunuing inconsistency and some of the coaching decisions being made, to rely on any further doses of hopium. The Bruins are apparently back to being soft and delusional again. Thank goodness the Lady Bruins possess the greater promise of postseason success.
Yes hopium can literally turn you inside out, or upside down 🤣 I too believe there are too many unresolved issues with this team and coaching staff. The Lady Bruins have won my heart and I love the way they play with such heart and passion and grit. Just love them as human beings as well - they are humble and grateful. Go Lady Bruins!!! 💙💛
I had to go look at next years recruiting. UCLA currently has zero commits and only one prospect who is listed as cool and likely to go anywhere but ucla. I’d say he’s more likely to come if cronin leaves.
I’m sorry, but this has gone on long enough, are the cronin supporters still holding strong that this is your guy? After his abysmal usage of Mara this year, I find it hard to believe this guy has any supporters left at all. It’s time to fess up and admit you were wrong. Admit that CRONIN IS BAD FOR UCLA BASKETBALL!
UCLA has moved away from recruiting five-stars in general, just given their cost from an NIL standpoint. For example, UCLA seems unwilling to pay the $2 million it would take to get a Brandon Burries for a year and would rather spend that money on more proven college players.
Now, you can quibble with whether that is a smart decision or not (I lean towards yes, as you can count the amount of instant-impact high school players worth that amount on one hand) but it is the new landscape of college recruiting. Going heavy on top-end high school recruits is hit-or-miss (take Rutgers, which has two probable Top 5 picks on its roster and went .500 this year) as is going heavy on transfers (Kansas this year is well below their standards after going heavy on transfers, for example). There's much more volatility on a year-to-year basis in college basketball currently, and unless you're a Duke that is throwing a money cannon at any and all recruits, you have to pick and choose your battles. UCLA is aiming more at the transfer market, where they were pretty successful last season especially given how poor 2023-2024 was. Again, your mileage may vary here.
What about calipari and Arkansas? Do they have an endless supply of money for him? Why do all these top high school players want to play for calipari? Alabama? And now usc? It’s because those teams bring exciting and fun basketball. The whole point of basketball is to put the sphere through the round thing. That’s what makes basketball fun for most people. When you have a coach that doesn’t encourage wreckless offensive flow that increases the number of points you score, you wind up with a bunch of players scared to make mistakes because they’ll get benched, yelled at, humiliated, in front of the whole world. That might be what some players need, but good offensive game players need freedom. Thats the opposite of what cronin sells. He sells his way or the bench because in his mind he’s the best coach on the planet. His offensive game planning and utilization of offensive sets is TERRIBLE! Sure, you can say he wins more than he loses, and overall he’s a good coach. But I still think that he’s absolute garbage when it comes to offensive game planning and the rotations he’s used the last two years is atrocious. He is a BAD offensive coach in my opinion, and the recruits that choose not to come play for cronin share my feelings
Yup, and among those boosters you have the Tyson family (yes, the chicken people) who drove the Calipari hire, to go along with the Walton family (Walmart) and Jerry Jones. Arkansas is surprisingly not hurting for mega rich donors who are heavily invested in athletics.
I mean, Arkansas broke the supposedly unbreakable Kentucky buyout to get Calipari there last year, and they're backed by a ton of money. Same with Alabama, and I'm sure we're all aware of Southern Cal having a bunch of rich kids who love to throw daddy's money around. And if you go by recruiting rankings, the only Top 10 classes that are currently ranked are Duke, Alabama, and Missouri; there are just as many sub .500 teams in that top 10 as there are ranked ones.
In general, the point here is that the top teams in basketball are increasingly looking away from high school recruits because they, by and large, are not worth the cost. For every Cooper Flagg out there, you have plenty of players not worth that cost, and the NIL world is not made of infinite money. I think Rutgers is a good example of this: they grabbed the #2 and #3 recruits in the country last cycle, breaking the bank to do so, and they're a sub .500 team because they didn't have anywhere close to the money required to fill out the rest of their roster with quality talent.
And to cut this argument off before it happens: if Cronin leaves, UCLA's NIL operations go into freefall, because Cronin is the driving force behind MoW, not the athletic department. Quite literally, all the money UCLA has to work with from an NIL standpoint is because Cronin has acted as point man from day one in raising funds while the athletic department sits on its hands and overcharges for tickets. Losing Cronin means more of Jarmond in charge, and given how meager the football NIL is now that it was separated from MoW, I'm not confident that is a better outcome.
We have 3 high school recruits redshirting currently. We may only have a couple of slots available for next year. And, in this era, how important are 5-star high school recruits? Rutgers has 2 freshmen lottery picks and going nowhere. Today, I saw questionable schemes, poor effort and poor execution. The team seems to have no idea how to utilize Mara and would rather jack up 3 point shots. Had Mara been playing all year, they might have learned how to play with him on the floor. This does not look line a team capable of getting to the 2nd weekend.
Speaking of Mara, one thing I thought was interesting was how much better the team was at getting the ball to Kyle in the post compared to Mara. I'm not exactly sure why that is the case (my guess is Kyle is much stronger than Mara and it's easier for him to get position compared to Mara, who does get pushed out way too easily), but it was an interesting thing to note in a game that was generally abysmal to watch.
They brought in two last year, one of whom was the California High School Player of the Year in Trent Perry. The year before they had seven freshmen. There are only a few roster spots available as-is next year (only two scholarship players out of eligibility for a team that was already one over the scholarship limit, and given there will likely be two transfers as well there's only a few spots this cycle) so yeah it makes sense to prioritize more-seasoned college players over high school players.
Mara needs to get his base wider. That being said, they both received the ball too far away from the basket. This is not a well spaced offense in general and not one that feeds the post well.
This team is epitome mick cronin. A poorly coached offensive game plan with poor decisions throughout the season. ISO basketball is boring to watch and most of the time downright predictable. Mick had a better season than I thought, a better season than last year, but this appears to be his ceiling. I’m still hopeful that an early exit in the big dance will ship this lame duck back to a mid major school where he rightfully belongs. Somewhere next to Steve Alford perhaps? Unlv? Davidson? Temple? It would probably be best if he goes to Indiana. As the predictable coach that he is, ucla would have an easy game at least once a season.
Who is coming next year? Nobody? I stopped caring about recruiting but haven’t looked. Until cronin is gone, it doesn’t matter because there are no more 5 star recruits on the horizon, those kids are too smart to come play for cronin
Baskets... I would love your opinion as to who you would like to see on a short list to replace Cronin. I don't think Jelly 2.0 has a clue, and wouldn't know where or how to search for a coach - he doesn't even know how to distribute tickets. I don't know who UCLA could get given Cronin's buyout, although it does decrease in April, I believe. Would welcome your thoughts 💙💛
There lies the ultimate problem. The next coach probably won’t be any better… might even be worse, but at least a new coach will provide some more hopium to get through the next decade.
I’d prefer to go after a coach that isn’t high up the list. Arizona seemed to find a coach that is decent on the offensive end and good at recruiting. That’s all I want. A coach that doesn’t joystick his teams offense
Perhaps the Madness might reveal a hidden gem, a coach with all the right tangilbe and intangible qualities may come into the light. Not that Jelly 2.0 could see the possibilty but I believe there are always those super talented coaches who haven't made it to the bigs yet and are just waiting for the chance 💙💛
If Cronin left on his own, I think Doug Collins is a coach that does more with less at Northwestern. Whether that translates to UCLA, I don't know. But he is a solid coach.
You are dreaming. UCLA isn't in a financial position to fire him and if they did fire him, no respected coach would take the job, after learning UCLA fired their coach for winning 22 games.
Honestly, how can you defend Cronin after this embarrassment. He is a flawed coach who can't seem to overcome his flaws. He's not stupid, he's just not very introspective or humble.
His team wasn't even competitive today. I don't hate Cronin or think he is a terrible coach. He just isn't a great coach, and the WAY we lost today is unacceptable.
LOL! There is no train jumping Matt! I’ve been driving that train for the last 5 years! You should know better than anyone. I’ve never supported cronin, so I’m not some sort of bandwagon person in this fight
Like clockwork, you show up after losses to crow, and more or less disappear after wins. I will give you credit, you are consistent. And you are a hell of a lot better fan than me, if watching UCLA made me this miserable I would have given up long ago.
Definitely not better… you’re a damn good fan and one of the most knowledgeable fans I’ve seen in these threads. You always have good numbers and good thoughts. Your opinions are usually grounded in solid statistical facts unlike myself. That’s why I appreciate your opinions
It seems that anti-Cronin fever is a highly contagious infection, with the misery spreading more quickly after a loss by the Bruins. The Martin Guerrero antidote, however, is highly experimental and subject to serious complications that could result in another costly and prolonged bout of misery generated by an inexperienced or unproven coach... ;-)
I say the recruiting issue has 2 causes, NIL and Cronin. We need to stock the NIL fund note the rumored 10M for that QB who went from LSU to Michigan. Apparently LSU now has a massive NIL fund. We are not going to get stellar talent (Cooper Flagg, Johni Broome) if we have unexciting offense. Auburn plays good D but puts up big numbers. Bruce Pearl anyone.
I agree NIL has changed the game, but it was a Bruin who helped open that door. It is the way it is. If I had a billion or so, I would contribute 10-20M. I always believed that the athletes were not sufficiently compensated, is this the way who knows?
Ed O did open the door, and I give him credit for effecting that. But his intention was for the players to get a reasonable stipend for the use of their name, image, and likeness to offset the prohibition to work or generate any other small income while in college. I'm pretty certain he didn't intend for players to become targets of multi-million dollar recruiting battles funded by multi-billion dollar donors looking to buy championships. But that's how this place rolls anymore, and the rich get richer and everyone else has to sell out to keep up.
They seem to be more interested in investing in engineering buildings and music buildings and professional programs and things like that - which is probably a better thing in the grand scheme.
Ok, I promise, my last comment. Many have torched me for saying cronin is garbage in the past, and rightfully so. He’s clearly not garbage overall. BUT, his offensive game planning, rotations, and usage of his players IS GARBAGE!
This team was the highest rated transfer class if I’m not mistaken? It clearly has athleticism, speed, and there is talent on this team. It’s clear to me it’s a coaching problem. I’d be curious what a real basketball coach like pitino would have been able to accomplish. What oats could do with these players? What Loyd could do with these players? Even few? I could go on and name 20 other coaches that I would love to see what they are capable of with a team like this… Cronin has underperformed and under delivered two years running. Why do we need more proof of what he’s truly capable of?
Ps, I’m not suggesting that any of those Coaches listed are prospects. I’m truly curious what other coaches could do with the level of players that ucla has on their roster. We will never know, but I do wonder
This wasn't even the highest rated transfer class in the Big 10. Cronin's big flaw this year as I beat this horse to death, was the usage of Mara. I will never understand that. FYI, Cronin is a far better coach than Alford.
I would agree with both of you--I thought Mara was the big surprise this year and on track to becoming a key contributor at both ends of the floor (until that norovirus outbreak), and Perry could have been given more minutes on the court to gain valuable experience and showcase his PG skills playing alongside one of the other veteran guards. Maybe the guard play overall could have excelled in running an offense more focused on ball movement and screens instead of the stagnant 1-on-1 iso ball attack or mindless/reckless drives right into the defense. Not sure why Andrews has regressed and hasn't improved--that was the other (bad) surprise for me this season.
Thought I would share this - straight from Bolch's story...
Cronin. 'We got our asses kicked. That's the headline.'
Dylan: 'I didn't feel like we were ready to play.'
Bilo: 'We didn't band together there to get what we wanted on offense and they just kept rolling.'
KJ: 'Just bad defensive mistakes. Not rotating enough, not having our hand up on shooters...'
So in summation, the team was not prepared or focused offensively or defensively. So my question is, why were they not prepared for this game? Why were they not focused?
There is plenty of blame to be shared both by coaches and players. Did they forget that they represent UCLA? They are so damn fortunate to be at UCLA and on top of that they are making money - lots of it! And they are not ready or prepared or focused?
I say a big F for incompetence all the way around, perhaps they should all be fired! I am so tired of these entitled kids and entitled coaches who are getting paid to play and coach BASKETBALL and they embarrass their school. In any other job, they would be gone, shown the door. End of rant!
It's the way we lost Gibs, not the loss. There are teams that play with great heart and focus, and preparation. Teams that give their all, but do not win due to injury, bad calls or they simply played a far better team. Not the case with this team.
Gibs, I have more ability to cope with losses than you could ever dream of having. I respectfully ask you to not go there, as you are entering a world you know nothing about. And Gibs, your attacks on so many in this community are the biggest sign of immaturity. Have a beautiful day 💙💛
Their quotes sound very much like they're still not playing, coaching, or thinking like a team having shared goals and objectives, which could explain why they've exhibited so much inconsistency throughout the season. Unfortunately, it may be too late to figure out a way to fix things, as they've already been eliminated from the B1G tourney and might have to pay for their lousy performance by getting seeded in a bracket somewhere back east by the NCAA tournament selection committee.
What's miserable is accepting an absolutely embarassing loss. Teams lose games, but it's the way we lost that is unacceptable. Little to no effort, not prepared, not focused . Again, nuances Gibs.
It's a fucking game. Some of you act like it's literally life or death! Conference tournaments don't really mean shit. It's for the auto bid. UCLA is already a lock for the NCAA Tournament as an at large. This loss probably won't have an effect on seeding, but some will never pass up an opportunity to criticize and say fire Cronin!
Oh and Gibs, it's not just a game, it's their JOB as paid players to show up prepared and focused. The WAY they lost is unacceptable. I would absolutely be ok with a loss if they played their hearts out and were prepared and focused. This loss was an embarrassment.
You can say it's their job. But you have to remember these are still college students. College students are still young and do make mistakes. They are not professional athletes in the NBA.
Then the players should give up their paychecks as some are making 100s of 1000s $$$. There are many people in our Country who would be so grateful to earn that kind of money and would show up prepared and focused to do their job.
Also, Cronin is not good enough to be earning a fraction of what he is making. He is a multi-flawed coach with an ego that won't allow him to improve. In the past, I have given Cronin credit when I thought he was showing some introspection and actually giving his players some freedom on the court. But he regressed back to his old stubborn, controlling, take no blame ways.
Also, and I digress... But many of the same people who state that our players are just young kids and college students, and this loss doesn't matter, and we love Cronin just the way he is, are often the same people who defend Cronin verbally abusing said players who are just young kids and college students. And I am not in the camp of justifying calling players stupid with low IQs as being 'tough love.'
You can thank Ed O'Bannon, a UCLA great, for the NIL. Saying the players should give up their paychecks for making mistakes is ridiculous. Mistakes happen. It's called LIFE. My God. The players don't deserve to get fired. They did a relatively good job this year and had a great attitude.
Face it, it's entertainment for the fans and a path to glory for the school. And telling me that I don't understand the "nuances of language" is absolutely ridiculous. It's no secret that you'd be ecstatic if our moronic AD fired Cronin.
It's truly next to impossible to have a conversation with you, Gibs, but I will keep trying...
Yes, I would absolutely love a different coach. I don't want a Calipari or Patino 'type.' I would love to have an up and coming coach who has the intangible and tangible qualities of Coach Wooden. And don't jump on me and claim I am demanding the same record as Coach.
I know our Athletic Dept is in debt. I know we are stuck for now with Jelly 2.0 who is not even capable of properly distributing tickets to students. I know Cronin's buyout is ungodly. But that doesn't make the road to change impossible, it means we have roadblocks that must be overcome.
I think Cronin is an embarrassment to UCLA. I think the way HIS players play or lack thereof is an embarrassment to UCLA. You have your opinions. I have mine. I don't care about Cronin's record or 500 wins. I care about representing our great University with poise, dignity, gratefulness and competitive greatness.
I think our fans are the embarrassment to UCLA. We have entitled and nostalgic fans. Cronin isn't going anywhere. It's a fool's errand to keep typing "Fire Cronin."
Name calling makes you look really small, Gibs. I was making a point, figuratively by saying 'perhaps' they should all be fired.' But leave it to you to not understand the nuances of language. Have a beautiful day. 💙💛
Gibs... peace offering. You and I likely agree on many things outside the world of basketball, and even in basketball we could find common ground. I bet if we were ever to meet in person, we could actually have a great and meaningful conversation. Just stop calling those who disagree with you 'clowns' - first off I hate clowns so there's that 🤣
In terms of UCLA basketball, I agree that Jelly 2.0 would not make anything close to a good decision by himself. However, there are other people with huge influence who could and with enough loud voices, the decision could be made by the good guys.
I also realize Cronin has a huge buyout, but it does decrease at some point, I believe in April. Yes, we have a huge AD debt. But the BIG money will eventually help reduce that deficit. Also, selling tickets will help and Cronin's teams are not getting Pauley sold out.
I think many in this community who don't like Cronin as our coach, also acknowledge the uphill battle to make a change. I am hopeful we can have good discussions about this topic in the future.
Jarmond is a worse AD than Dan Guerrero. And the new Chancellor doesn't seem much better than Block. The administration is inept. I don't want to go through another rebuild.
Fair enough. I actually don't mind a rebuild if we had a coach with all the tangible and intangible qualities that Coach Wooden would embrace. I wasn't even around during the Wooden years, but I love the man - who doesn't...
Yes, we may have to suffer a couple less than good seasons, but I would like to see a 'hidden gem' that may come to light in the Madness, have a chance at UCLA. That said, we are back to Jelly 2.0. We shall also see how we do in the Madness. If we have an extra early exit, I do believe the influencers behind the UCLA scene, may push to make a change. All up in the air for now...
Wisconsin took down MSU today to make it to the B10 finals. They’re a legit team. Tonje scored 32 points in his 3rd game in 3 days, so ucla held him better than Michigan state did lol
Mich State played a very competitive game. And overall they played good defense. We did neither of those things. There is a BIG difference when you look at all the stats. Mich State lost by 3. We got crushed. Mich State can hold there heads high as that game could have easily been a win for them. Our team needs to hold their heads to their heart and determine if they have one.
Cronin is not a great coach, imho. I have, however, given him credit when I thought he waa giving his players more freedom and not yanking them at every turn. But that didn't last. I do think Cronin is decent to good, but he is a deeply flawed coach - just ask Cinci fans.
Also, Cronin treats people, beyond just his players, like crap. I have heard him be extremely rude, many times, to Josh Lewin and Bruin great Tracy Murray. Who the Hell does he think he is to treat Josh let alone Tracy like dirt? Plus, he gets on his political pedastal which is NOT cool for a coach whose fanbase varies widely.
Whether you think he is a great coach or not, the UCLA fanbase, increasingly, do not like his antics, nor do they like his team's poor execution of what many believe to be poorly designed offensive schemes. Or his lack of recruiting - as you pointed out.
I’ve held my thoughts a bit but I still think Cronin is a top 3 coach in the conference, with Tom Izzo and Matt Painter ahead of him.
No coach has done more to get the most out of his players than Cronin. Was this loss disappointing? Yes. Was the way we lost disappointing? Yes. But the quotes by the players in the post game and the comments by Cronin throughout the year show the high standards they set for themselves. We might think players don’t like Cronin’s antics, but we already have guys like Skyy Clark committing to return next season before the postseason has even started. When’s the last time THAT happened at ucla?
One thing I will ding Cronin on is that he doesn’t recruit well. He saves UCLA’s precious NIL for transfers (something Rick Pitino has endorsed this year) and compared to where we were last year, his moves really paid off.
From missing the tournament to a top 4 conference finish without any players that have a chance of getting drafted this season is impressive. Look at where the other teams with lottery players are - Illinois with Kasparas finished below us and Rutgers with their two lottery players would be lucky to be invited to the CBI. We finished above Wisconsin with their player of the year candidate Tonje, and even beat them once this year. Cronin beat Dana Altman and Eric Musselman twice this year. Cronin had a bunch of talented players that have never been on winning teams, and coached them to a top 40 offense and top 15 defense. To me, the regular season has already been a success.
Yeah. UCLA did pretty well this year. They did lose two games they probably should have won(Minnesota, UNC) but overall they met my expectations for the regular season. Hopefully they get hot in the Tournament!
I think it's been a frustrating success because of the inconsistencies this team has demonstrated throughout the season especially in effort and focus which I think is what drives Cronin crazy... it seems like when this group plays well for a bit, its' collective personality is to coast and play like they just have to roll the ball out on the court to win which is clearly not the case.
Obviously I don't know what happens behind closed doors, but I have to suspect much of what some would call Cronin's "antics" are just him trying to tell his players the truth of what they are as a team - one that, when it plays hard and focused can win both a "first to 60" game and a "first to 85" game against top 10-12 teams and when it doesn't can lose to crap teams like Minnesota. Personally, in this age of snowplow parents and hangers-on in the AAU/club team culture, I have NO problem with a coach telling his or her players hard truths - and apparently neither do most of his players. Certainly I have no problem with how he represents the university especially compared with a trash human like Alfor from the "lay back and enjoy it" coaching tree.
That said, I wholeheartedly agree with Army and others re. Mara and his lack of useage/living with his offensive shortcomings to get his defense and putting Bilodeau in his proper position as well as with Tamara and others re. Perry and how he's neither been developed or trusted. Cronin is certainly at fault for that - but effort and focus are the responsibility of the player first and foremost. Firing him would be a huge overreaction IMHO - not to mention, I'd rather use the buyout money to buy a better transfer or 5* - and now I need to take a shower 🤑
It looks like we'll be a 6, 7, or 8 seed - I'd hope we draw a similarly flawed P5 team rather than a mid-major conference champion... can this team go on a run? It can... but it can also flame out in the first game - hence the frustration... but always Go Bruins
The trouble with early games is stewing through the rest of the day on how badly we lost.
I am right there with you Jim 😢
I actually disagree. I feel like blowout losses like this are ones I can just forget about completely, while close losses are ones you remember for days
I again am to blame. I believed the hype.
DD, 30% from the 3fg is not "respectable."
I don't know if respectable is the right word, but 9-30 is about what I'd expect from this team shooting that number of three-pointers, if that makes sense.
"Fitting." "As expected."
I was filled with Hopium after the victory over suc. In fact, I was filled with hopium every time we won. Smdh after this embarrassment 😞
It's December that was the anomaly. We have seen what this team is.
Hopium is highly addictive, isn't it, Ms. Tamara? I think there's just too many issues with this year's team, including their contunuing inconsistency and some of the coaching decisions being made, to rely on any further doses of hopium. The Bruins are apparently back to being soft and delusional again. Thank goodness the Lady Bruins possess the greater promise of postseason success.
Go Lady Bruins!
Yes hopium can literally turn you inside out, or upside down 🤣 I too believe there are too many unresolved issues with this team and coaching staff. The Lady Bruins have won my heart and I love the way they play with such heart and passion and grit. Just love them as human beings as well - they are humble and grateful. Go Lady Bruins!!! 💙💛
I had to go look at next years recruiting. UCLA currently has zero commits and only one prospect who is listed as cool and likely to go anywhere but ucla. I’d say he’s more likely to come if cronin leaves.
I’m sorry, but this has gone on long enough, are the cronin supporters still holding strong that this is your guy? After his abysmal usage of Mara this year, I find it hard to believe this guy has any supporters left at all. It’s time to fess up and admit you were wrong. Admit that CRONIN IS BAD FOR UCLA BASKETBALL!
UCLA has moved away from recruiting five-stars in general, just given their cost from an NIL standpoint. For example, UCLA seems unwilling to pay the $2 million it would take to get a Brandon Burries for a year and would rather spend that money on more proven college players.
Now, you can quibble with whether that is a smart decision or not (I lean towards yes, as you can count the amount of instant-impact high school players worth that amount on one hand) but it is the new landscape of college recruiting. Going heavy on top-end high school recruits is hit-or-miss (take Rutgers, which has two probable Top 5 picks on its roster and went .500 this year) as is going heavy on transfers (Kansas this year is well below their standards after going heavy on transfers, for example). There's much more volatility on a year-to-year basis in college basketball currently, and unless you're a Duke that is throwing a money cannon at any and all recruits, you have to pick and choose your battles. UCLA is aiming more at the transfer market, where they were pretty successful last season especially given how poor 2023-2024 was. Again, your mileage may vary here.
What about calipari and Arkansas? Do they have an endless supply of money for him? Why do all these top high school players want to play for calipari? Alabama? And now usc? It’s because those teams bring exciting and fun basketball. The whole point of basketball is to put the sphere through the round thing. That’s what makes basketball fun for most people. When you have a coach that doesn’t encourage wreckless offensive flow that increases the number of points you score, you wind up with a bunch of players scared to make mistakes because they’ll get benched, yelled at, humiliated, in front of the whole world. That might be what some players need, but good offensive game players need freedom. Thats the opposite of what cronin sells. He sells his way or the bench because in his mind he’s the best coach on the planet. His offensive game planning and utilization of offensive sets is TERRIBLE! Sure, you can say he wins more than he loses, and overall he’s a good coach. But I still think that he’s absolute garbage when it comes to offensive game planning and the rotations he’s used the last two years is atrocious. He is a BAD offensive coach in my opinion, and the recruits that choose not to come play for cronin share my feelings
Arkansas literally has the strongest NIL situation in college basketball.
I learned a new thing today… was this all boosters?
Yup, and among those boosters you have the Tyson family (yes, the chicken people) who drove the Calipari hire, to go along with the Walton family (Walmart) and Jerry Jones. Arkansas is surprisingly not hurting for mega rich donors who are heavily invested in athletics.
And they're a bubble team. LMAO.
I mean, Arkansas broke the supposedly unbreakable Kentucky buyout to get Calipari there last year, and they're backed by a ton of money. Same with Alabama, and I'm sure we're all aware of Southern Cal having a bunch of rich kids who love to throw daddy's money around. And if you go by recruiting rankings, the only Top 10 classes that are currently ranked are Duke, Alabama, and Missouri; there are just as many sub .500 teams in that top 10 as there are ranked ones.
In general, the point here is that the top teams in basketball are increasingly looking away from high school recruits because they, by and large, are not worth the cost. For every Cooper Flagg out there, you have plenty of players not worth that cost, and the NIL world is not made of infinite money. I think Rutgers is a good example of this: they grabbed the #2 and #3 recruits in the country last cycle, breaking the bank to do so, and they're a sub .500 team because they didn't have anywhere close to the money required to fill out the rest of their roster with quality talent.
And to cut this argument off before it happens: if Cronin leaves, UCLA's NIL operations go into freefall, because Cronin is the driving force behind MoW, not the athletic department. Quite literally, all the money UCLA has to work with from an NIL standpoint is because Cronin has acted as point man from day one in raising funds while the athletic department sits on its hands and overcharges for tickets. Losing Cronin means more of Jarmond in charge, and given how meager the football NIL is now that it was separated from MoW, I'm not confident that is a better outcome.
And I strongly disagree with your first sentence. It should be changed to, UCLA has moved away from recruiting high school players ENTIRELY!!!
We have 3 high school recruits redshirting currently. We may only have a couple of slots available for next year. And, in this era, how important are 5-star high school recruits? Rutgers has 2 freshmen lottery picks and going nowhere. Today, I saw questionable schemes, poor effort and poor execution. The team seems to have no idea how to utilize Mara and would rather jack up 3 point shots. Had Mara been playing all year, they might have learned how to play with him on the floor. This does not look line a team capable of getting to the 2nd weekend.
Speaking of Mara, one thing I thought was interesting was how much better the team was at getting the ball to Kyle in the post compared to Mara. I'm not exactly sure why that is the case (my guess is Kyle is much stronger than Mara and it's easier for him to get position compared to Mara, who does get pushed out way too easily), but it was an interesting thing to note in a game that was generally abysmal to watch.
I doubt that Wisconsin was too focused or concerned with Kyle. It was Mara that torched them last time. Mara would draw attention. Kyle, not so much.
That Rutgers team which is going nowhere defeated the Bruins in Conference play. I'll leave it open as to what that says about our Bruins.
And I strongly disagree with your first sentence. It should be changed to, UCLA has moved away from recruiting high school players ENTIRELY!!!
They brought in two last year, one of whom was the California High School Player of the Year in Trent Perry. The year before they had seven freshmen. There are only a few roster spots available as-is next year (only two scholarship players out of eligibility for a team that was already one over the scholarship limit, and given there will likely be two transfers as well there's only a few spots this cycle) so yeah it makes sense to prioritize more-seasoned college players over high school players.
Mara needs to get his base wider. That being said, they both received the ball too far away from the basket. This is not a well spaced offense in general and not one that feeds the post well.
I wish I had a money cannon. I'd point it at myself.
This team is epitome mick cronin. A poorly coached offensive game plan with poor decisions throughout the season. ISO basketball is boring to watch and most of the time downright predictable. Mick had a better season than I thought, a better season than last year, but this appears to be his ceiling. I’m still hopeful that an early exit in the big dance will ship this lame duck back to a mid major school where he rightfully belongs. Somewhere next to Steve Alford perhaps? Unlv? Davidson? Temple? It would probably be best if he goes to Indiana. As the predictable coach that he is, ucla would have an easy game at least once a season.
Who is coming next year? Nobody? I stopped caring about recruiting but haven’t looked. Until cronin is gone, it doesn’t matter because there are no more 5 star recruits on the horizon, those kids are too smart to come play for cronin
Baskets... I would love your opinion as to who you would like to see on a short list to replace Cronin. I don't think Jelly 2.0 has a clue, and wouldn't know where or how to search for a coach - he doesn't even know how to distribute tickets. I don't know who UCLA could get given Cronin's buyout, although it does decrease in April, I believe. Would welcome your thoughts 💙💛
There lies the ultimate problem. The next coach probably won’t be any better… might even be worse, but at least a new coach will provide some more hopium to get through the next decade.
I’d prefer to go after a coach that isn’t high up the list. Arizona seemed to find a coach that is decent on the offensive end and good at recruiting. That’s all I want. A coach that doesn’t joystick his teams offense
Perhaps the Madness might reveal a hidden gem, a coach with all the right tangilbe and intangible qualities may come into the light. Not that Jelly 2.0 could see the possibilty but I believe there are always those super talented coaches who haven't made it to the bigs yet and are just waiting for the chance 💙💛
If Cronin left on his own, I think Doug Collins is a coach that does more with less at Northwestern. Whether that translates to UCLA, I don't know. But he is a solid coach.
I agree with you. He has really done a great job at NW, getting the most out his players 💙💛
Chris Collins, son of Doug Collins. I agree.
.507 head coaching record, .377 in the Big 10. 3 tourneys in 10 years. That's hard to get excited about.
At Northwestern. That's a good record at that school. It's a difficult place to succeed.
Cronin has to go. There's simply no excuse for this.
An early loss in the big dance should do the trick. If they lose their next game and he isn’t canned, then there’s truly no hope for ucla basketball
Wait for it (all of these already have been cited this year):
"Lots of new faces."
"Inexperience."
"Travel."
And who can forget "soft" and "delusional?"
The Cronin apologists will become a dying breed, just like the Alford apologists
You are dreaming. UCLA isn't in a financial position to fire him and if they did fire him, no respected coach would take the job, after learning UCLA fired their coach for winning 22 games.
He's not leaving until they make him. Crying about a conference tournament quarterfinal. LMAO.
Nothing delights Baskets quite like a chance to jump on the “Fire Mick Cronin” train.
Honestly, how can you defend Cronin after this embarrassment. He is a flawed coach who can't seem to overcome his flaws. He's not stupid, he's just not very introspective or humble.
His team wasn't even competitive today. I don't hate Cronin or think he is a terrible coach. He just isn't a great coach, and the WAY we lost today is unacceptable.
A conference tournament quarterfinal loss is not the end of the world.
Nothing delights Croninistas quite like a chance to jump on the "Crnin Apologist Train" after another bad, embarrassing loss.
Wah! Let's burn it all down and trust Jarmond not to mess it up! Solid strategy considering Jarmond messed up the football coaching hire! LMFAO.
LOL! There is no train jumping Matt! I’ve been driving that train for the last 5 years! You should know better than anyone. I’ve never supported cronin, so I’m not some sort of bandwagon person in this fight
Mick isn't going anywhere. I think it's a bit silly to think otherwise. Let's go women! Let's go Dodgers!
i'm not convinced we can keep him
He literally said yesterday that he's not leaving until UCLA makes him. He's committed to the job.
Like clockwork, you show up after losses to crow, and more or less disappear after wins. I will give you credit, you are consistent. And you are a hell of a lot better fan than me, if watching UCLA made me this miserable I would have given up long ago.
Definitely not better… you’re a damn good fan and one of the most knowledgeable fans I’ve seen in these threads. You always have good numbers and good thoughts. Your opinions are usually grounded in solid statistical facts unlike myself. That’s why I appreciate your opinions
It seems that anti-Cronin fever is a highly contagious infection, with the misery spreading more quickly after a loss by the Bruins. The Martin Guerrero antidote, however, is highly experimental and subject to serious complications that could result in another costly and prolonged bout of misery generated by an inexperienced or unproven coach... ;-)
No kidding. Anyone who says "fire Cronin" is absolutely ridiculous for trusting Jarmond not to mess up the replacement hire.
It's stupid.
I say the recruiting issue has 2 causes, NIL and Cronin. We need to stock the NIL fund note the rumored 10M for that QB who went from LSU to Michigan. Apparently LSU now has a massive NIL fund. We are not going to get stellar talent (Cooper Flagg, Johni Broome) if we have unexciting offense. Auburn plays good D but puts up big numbers. Bruce Pearl anyone.
How much are you willing to pay to "stock the NIL fund"?
I personally hate the concept of NIL but alas that ship has sailed
I agree NIL has changed the game, but it was a Bruin who helped open that door. It is the way it is. If I had a billion or so, I would contribute 10-20M. I always believed that the athletes were not sufficiently compensated, is this the way who knows?
Ed O did open the door, and I give him credit for effecting that. But his intention was for the players to get a reasonable stipend for the use of their name, image, and likeness to offset the prohibition to work or generate any other small income while in college. I'm pretty certain he didn't intend for players to become targets of multi-million dollar recruiting battles funded by multi-billion dollar donors looking to buy championships. But that's how this place rolls anymore, and the rich get richer and everyone else has to sell out to keep up.
I just wonder where our multi-billion dollar donors are.
They seem to be more interested in investing in engineering buildings and music buildings and professional programs and things like that - which is probably a better thing in the grand scheme.
And just for the record, I am not one of them.
💯 true.
Ok, I promise, my last comment. Many have torched me for saying cronin is garbage in the past, and rightfully so. He’s clearly not garbage overall. BUT, his offensive game planning, rotations, and usage of his players IS GARBAGE!
This team was the highest rated transfer class if I’m not mistaken? It clearly has athleticism, speed, and there is talent on this team. It’s clear to me it’s a coaching problem. I’d be curious what a real basketball coach like pitino would have been able to accomplish. What oats could do with these players? What Loyd could do with these players? Even few? I could go on and name 20 other coaches that I would love to see what they are capable of with a team like this… Cronin has underperformed and under delivered two years running. Why do we need more proof of what he’s truly capable of?
Ps, I’m not suggesting that any of those Coaches listed are prospects. I’m truly curious what other coaches could do with the level of players that ucla has on their roster. We will never know, but I do wonder
Curious. What is your and Tamara’s current coaching solution? I have none. That’s why I’m asking.
This wasn't even the highest rated transfer class in the Big 10. Cronin's big flaw this year as I beat this horse to death, was the usage of Mara. I will never understand that. FYI, Cronin is a far better coach than Alford.
I also believe Cronin needed to develop Trent Perry. Our guard play was also an achilles heal.
I would agree with both of you--I thought Mara was the big surprise this year and on track to becoming a key contributor at both ends of the floor (until that norovirus outbreak), and Perry could have been given more minutes on the court to gain valuable experience and showcase his PG skills playing alongside one of the other veteran guards. Maybe the guard play overall could have excelled in running an offense more focused on ball movement and screens instead of the stagnant 1-on-1 iso ball attack or mindless/reckless drives right into the defense. Not sure why Andrews has regressed and hasn't improved--that was the other (bad) surprise for me this season.
And a far better human. Alford is basically the basement floor in any comparison of character.
Thought I would share this - straight from Bolch's story...
Cronin. 'We got our asses kicked. That's the headline.'
Dylan: 'I didn't feel like we were ready to play.'
Bilo: 'We didn't band together there to get what we wanted on offense and they just kept rolling.'
KJ: 'Just bad defensive mistakes. Not rotating enough, not having our hand up on shooters...'
So in summation, the team was not prepared or focused offensively or defensively. So my question is, why were they not prepared for this game? Why were they not focused?
There is plenty of blame to be shared both by coaches and players. Did they forget that they represent UCLA? They are so damn fortunate to be at UCLA and on top of that they are making money - lots of it! And they are not ready or prepared or focused?
I say a big F for incompetence all the way around, perhaps they should all be fired! I am so tired of these entitled kids and entitled coaches who are getting paid to play and coach BASKETBALL and they embarrass their school. In any other job, they would be gone, shown the door. End of rant!
Preach!
🤣 Couldn't help myself, Sea 💙💛
Re: Off With Their Heads!
1. Coach Cal said that he fines his professional athletes for underperforming and misconduct. What does he do with the funds? "I keep it!"
2. I predict that these student professionals will transfer between programs mid-year in the future.
That's literally illegal.
Fire everyone! Raging over a conference tournament quarterfinal loss. What were your thoughts 4 years ago when the same thing happened? 🤣
It's the way we lost Gibs, not the loss. There are teams that play with great heart and focus, and preparation. Teams that give their all, but do not win due to injury, bad calls or they simply played a far better team. Not the case with this team.
Auburn would have lost to Wisconsin yesterday with the way the Badgers shot the ball. LMAO.
Go LYAO Gibs. Have a beautiful day 💙💛
The inability to cope with disappointment in a sports game shows low maturity. LOL.
Gibs, I have more ability to cope with losses than you could ever dream of having. I respectfully ask you to not go there, as you are entering a world you know nothing about. And Gibs, your attacks on so many in this community are the biggest sign of immaturity. Have a beautiful day 💙💛
Their quotes sound very much like they're still not playing, coaching, or thinking like a team having shared goals and objectives, which could explain why they've exhibited so much inconsistency throughout the season. Unfortunately, it may be too late to figure out a way to fix things, as they've already been eliminated from the B1G tourney and might have to pay for their lousy performance by getting seeded in a bracket somewhere back east by the NCAA tournament selection committee.
Truth. Sadly. 😞
Fire Cronin! So predictable. LOL. A lot of you are miserable.
What's miserable is accepting an absolutely embarassing loss. Teams lose games, but it's the way we lost that is unacceptable. Little to no effort, not prepared, not focused . Again, nuances Gibs.
It's a fucking game. Some of you act like it's literally life or death! Conference tournaments don't really mean shit. It's for the auto bid. UCLA is already a lock for the NCAA Tournament as an at large. This loss probably won't have an effect on seeding, but some will never pass up an opportunity to criticize and say fire Cronin!
Like I said. Have a beautiful day, Gibs 💙💛
Oh and Gibs, it's not just a game, it's their JOB as paid players to show up prepared and focused. The WAY they lost is unacceptable. I would absolutely be ok with a loss if they played their hearts out and were prepared and focused. This loss was an embarrassment.
You can say it's their job. But you have to remember these are still college students. College students are still young and do make mistakes. They are not professional athletes in the NBA.
Then the players should give up their paychecks as some are making 100s of 1000s $$$. There are many people in our Country who would be so grateful to earn that kind of money and would show up prepared and focused to do their job.
Also, Cronin is not good enough to be earning a fraction of what he is making. He is a multi-flawed coach with an ego that won't allow him to improve. In the past, I have given Cronin credit when I thought he was showing some introspection and actually giving his players some freedom on the court. But he regressed back to his old stubborn, controlling, take no blame ways.
Also, and I digress... But many of the same people who state that our players are just young kids and college students, and this loss doesn't matter, and we love Cronin just the way he is, are often the same people who defend Cronin verbally abusing said players who are just young kids and college students. And I am not in the camp of justifying calling players stupid with low IQs as being 'tough love.'
You can thank Ed O'Bannon, a UCLA great, for the NIL. Saying the players should give up their paychecks for making mistakes is ridiculous. Mistakes happen. It's called LIFE. My God. The players don't deserve to get fired. They did a relatively good job this year and had a great attitude.
Face it, it's entertainment for the fans and a path to glory for the school. And telling me that I don't understand the "nuances of language" is absolutely ridiculous. It's no secret that you'd be ecstatic if our moronic AD fired Cronin.
It's truly next to impossible to have a conversation with you, Gibs, but I will keep trying...
Yes, I would absolutely love a different coach. I don't want a Calipari or Patino 'type.' I would love to have an up and coming coach who has the intangible and tangible qualities of Coach Wooden. And don't jump on me and claim I am demanding the same record as Coach.
I know our Athletic Dept is in debt. I know we are stuck for now with Jelly 2.0 who is not even capable of properly distributing tickets to students. I know Cronin's buyout is ungodly. But that doesn't make the road to change impossible, it means we have roadblocks that must be overcome.
I think Cronin is an embarrassment to UCLA. I think the way HIS players play or lack thereof is an embarrassment to UCLA. You have your opinions. I have mine. I don't care about Cronin's record or 500 wins. I care about representing our great University with poise, dignity, gratefulness and competitive greatness.
I think our fans are the embarrassment to UCLA. We have entitled and nostalgic fans. Cronin isn't going anywhere. It's a fool's errand to keep typing "Fire Cronin."
Ucla Athletics has a $200 million deficit and we have clowns saying "Fire Cronin." LMAO. Pony up the buyout money then, folks. It's about $20 million.
Name calling makes you look really small, Gibs. I was making a point, figuratively by saying 'perhaps' they should all be fired.' But leave it to you to not understand the nuances of language. Have a beautiful day. 💙💛
Look at all the fire Cronin comments here. UCLA Athletics simply can't afford to do it and hire an Elite Coach.
Gibs... peace offering. You and I likely agree on many things outside the world of basketball, and even in basketball we could find common ground. I bet if we were ever to meet in person, we could actually have a great and meaningful conversation. Just stop calling those who disagree with you 'clowns' - first off I hate clowns so there's that 🤣
In terms of UCLA basketball, I agree that Jelly 2.0 would not make anything close to a good decision by himself. However, there are other people with huge influence who could and with enough loud voices, the decision could be made by the good guys.
I also realize Cronin has a huge buyout, but it does decrease at some point, I believe in April. Yes, we have a huge AD debt. But the BIG money will eventually help reduce that deficit. Also, selling tickets will help and Cronin's teams are not getting Pauley sold out.
I think many in this community who don't like Cronin as our coach, also acknowledge the uphill battle to make a change. I am hopeful we can have good discussions about this topic in the future.
Go Bruins! 💙💛
Jarmond is a worse AD than Dan Guerrero. And the new Chancellor doesn't seem much better than Block. The administration is inept. I don't want to go through another rebuild.
Fair enough. I actually don't mind a rebuild if we had a coach with all the tangible and intangible qualities that Coach Wooden would embrace. I wasn't even around during the Wooden years, but I love the man - who doesn't...
Yes, we may have to suffer a couple less than good seasons, but I would like to see a 'hidden gem' that may come to light in the Madness, have a chance at UCLA. That said, we are back to Jelly 2.0. We shall also see how we do in the Madness. If we have an extra early exit, I do believe the influencers behind the UCLA scene, may push to make a change. All up in the air for now...
Sometimes the hidden gem doesn't always pan out. Remember Porter Moser? He led Loyala Chicago to the Final Four. Hasn't done much at Oklahoma.
True.
And don't cry when the moronic AD hires a worse coach.
Where are the people who said the Bruins wouldn't make the Tournament? LOL.
Wisconsin took down MSU today to make it to the B10 finals. They’re a legit team. Tonje scored 32 points in his 3rd game in 3 days, so ucla held him better than Michigan state did lol
Chenalex, I guess Izzo should be fired too! LOL. 🤣
Chen...
Love you fren, but I have to say this...
Mich State played a very competitive game. And overall they played good defense. We did neither of those things. There is a BIG difference when you look at all the stats. Mich State lost by 3. We got crushed. Mich State can hold there heads high as that game could have easily been a win for them. Our team needs to hold their heads to their heart and determine if they have one.
Cronin is not a great coach, imho. I have, however, given him credit when I thought he waa giving his players more freedom and not yanking them at every turn. But that didn't last. I do think Cronin is decent to good, but he is a deeply flawed coach - just ask Cinci fans.
Also, Cronin treats people, beyond just his players, like crap. I have heard him be extremely rude, many times, to Josh Lewin and Bruin great Tracy Murray. Who the Hell does he think he is to treat Josh let alone Tracy like dirt? Plus, he gets on his political pedastal which is NOT cool for a coach whose fanbase varies widely.
Whether you think he is a great coach or not, the UCLA fanbase, increasingly, do not like his antics, nor do they like his team's poor execution of what many believe to be poorly designed offensive schemes. Or his lack of recruiting - as you pointed out.
All imho 💙💛
I’ve held my thoughts a bit but I still think Cronin is a top 3 coach in the conference, with Tom Izzo and Matt Painter ahead of him.
No coach has done more to get the most out of his players than Cronin. Was this loss disappointing? Yes. Was the way we lost disappointing? Yes. But the quotes by the players in the post game and the comments by Cronin throughout the year show the high standards they set for themselves. We might think players don’t like Cronin’s antics, but we already have guys like Skyy Clark committing to return next season before the postseason has even started. When’s the last time THAT happened at ucla?
One thing I will ding Cronin on is that he doesn’t recruit well. He saves UCLA’s precious NIL for transfers (something Rick Pitino has endorsed this year) and compared to where we were last year, his moves really paid off.
From missing the tournament to a top 4 conference finish without any players that have a chance of getting drafted this season is impressive. Look at where the other teams with lottery players are - Illinois with Kasparas finished below us and Rutgers with their two lottery players would be lucky to be invited to the CBI. We finished above Wisconsin with their player of the year candidate Tonje, and even beat them once this year. Cronin beat Dana Altman and Eric Musselman twice this year. Cronin had a bunch of talented players that have never been on winning teams, and coached them to a top 40 offense and top 15 defense. To me, the regular season has already been a success.
Yeah. UCLA did pretty well this year. They did lose two games they probably should have won(Minnesota, UNC) but overall they met my expectations for the regular season. Hopefully they get hot in the Tournament!
I think it's been a frustrating success because of the inconsistencies this team has demonstrated throughout the season especially in effort and focus which I think is what drives Cronin crazy... it seems like when this group plays well for a bit, its' collective personality is to coast and play like they just have to roll the ball out on the court to win which is clearly not the case.
Obviously I don't know what happens behind closed doors, but I have to suspect much of what some would call Cronin's "antics" are just him trying to tell his players the truth of what they are as a team - one that, when it plays hard and focused can win both a "first to 60" game and a "first to 85" game against top 10-12 teams and when it doesn't can lose to crap teams like Minnesota. Personally, in this age of snowplow parents and hangers-on in the AAU/club team culture, I have NO problem with a coach telling his or her players hard truths - and apparently neither do most of his players. Certainly I have no problem with how he represents the university especially compared with a trash human like Alfor from the "lay back and enjoy it" coaching tree.
That said, I wholeheartedly agree with Army and others re. Mara and his lack of useage/living with his offensive shortcomings to get his defense and putting Bilodeau in his proper position as well as with Tamara and others re. Perry and how he's neither been developed or trusted. Cronin is certainly at fault for that - but effort and focus are the responsibility of the player first and foremost. Firing him would be a huge overreaction IMHO - not to mention, I'd rather use the buyout money to buy a better transfer or 5* - and now I need to take a shower 🤑
It looks like we'll be a 6, 7, or 8 seed - I'd hope we draw a similarly flawed P5 team rather than a mid-major conference champion... can this team go on a run? It can... but it can also flame out in the first game - hence the frustration... but always Go Bruins