Maybe someone can help me with a big issue I have with UCLA basketball: Mick Cronin is a total a**hole to his players.
I've been a Bruin fan my whole life and from a multi-generation Bruin family, so I'm always going to support UCLA deeply. And I recognize that Mick is a good X's and O's and player development coach. But why does he need to be so angry during games? I imagine it's the same in practice too. I know it's a part of his tough brand but, wow, it is difficult to watch as a fan. I'm sure the players are pins and needles all the time.
I think a few negatives things will come from it: (1) Recruits/transfers won't want to come or stay here. I wouldn't. I'd want to play for a coach that is serious and skilled, but always has my back and addresses problems constructively. What if your boss at work looked or sounded like Cronin? It would be a miserable daily existence. These are 18-22 year olds and, hey, it's ultimately just a game that puts a ball in a hoop. I'm not saying to kiss players' asses or shy away from hard feedback, but it can be done tactfully, especially on national television. Just because players are getting paid, doesn't make it right or advisable. (2) I'm not sure there is a ton of constructive upside with Cronin's attitude and knee-jerk habit of going to the bench when a player makes a mistake. Dylan Andrews was in the Idaho State game for 31 seconds in the second half before he double-dribbled while starting to penetrate and got yanked. Sure, it was a mistake, but it wasn't an egregious mistake. Andrews was looking for the lane, presumably to dish to an open guy. What's the message Cronin is trying to send by pulling him? Or when someone throws a reasonable pass that goes a bit errant and out of bounds. Or any other error that's a part of playing basketball? I think it does two things: (a) Makes players tight. Being afraid to fail is antithetical to psychological safety and a terrible way to give employees in business or players on a team the confidence to succeed. If there's a pattern of mistakes or the errors are big, I get it. But the vitriol that Cronin exhibits and his quick benching often seems way out of proportion with the "crime". If I were a player, I'd be afraid of doing anything. The incentive for players to stay on the court then will be to play it safe and not take risks. But I think that can breed mediocrity and I think that's why Cronin's offenses are so clunky, boring, and awkward. Krzyzewski, Self, Calipari, Boeheim, Williams, Wright, etc. don't act like that and their offenses (and programs) have clearly been a step up over the years. There are lots of other factors at play than just on-court demeanor, but it's certainly a part of the puzzle.
I wish Cronin could take some deep breaths and calm down a bit. It will be better for his own health, be more positive for his players, and in my opinion, breed a more successful program.
I'd be interested in what Dimitri, the other Mighty Bruin writers, or the readers think about this topic.
I’ll address what I can, but do note that I’ve expressed thoughts on these same concerns before.
On your recruiting concern, Cronin did just get eight new players this offseason, including some sought-after ones in the transfer portal and from high school. Recruiting in 2024 is less about relationships and more about the size of the bag you can drop, as the Nicholas Khamenia recruitment taught everyone (cliffs notes version there: it was a UCLA/Gonzaga battle for over a year until Duke showed up in the last month and dropped an NIL deal that the other schools either wouldn’t or couldn’t match). And it’s not like Cronin’s demeanor was kept a surprise to these recruits; Bilodeau and Johnson have both played against UCLA and Cronin in the past, so they were intimately familiar with Cronin’s style. The yelling and sideline demeanor is a non-issue when it comes to players, and if it was then we’d have seen plenty of Cronin’s former players come out to speak against it.
I’d also be more receptive to this argument about the yelling being a problem if the NCAA Tournament hadn’t just been won by noted yeller Dan Hurley for two straight years, or if Coach K wasn’t notorious for throwing his players under the bus. All coaches do the stuff that Cronin does, they’re just not as animated as he is.
As for the quick hook thing, I’d argue the problem is that it is not applied more equitably. Skyy Clark, for example, should be getting a hook more often, and Kobe Johnson finally started seeing the hook this week after weeks of subpar play. The bench is absolutely a tool to use for getting players to focus and stop making mistakes. To your Andrews point, when he came back in he played much more focused and with better defensive focus.
The quick benching isn’t what inhibits the offense, but rather the style of play that Cronin has, which is a bruising defense and an efficient, methodical offense. It’s been a constant sore point for many UCLA fans, but it has led to results. I’m of the opinion that Cronin should open things up more offensively, but I also understand the logic of what his system entails and, to be fair, they have been experimenting with different ideas in recent years.
Hopefully this allowed. If so please watch this and realize life is tough. College basketball is tough. These kids/young men were coddled, treated like celebrities, being told how great they are. I think Jamie Juaquez would tell you Cronin's tough but fair and he does care about the players but he wants them to strive to be their best.
I'm sure he's a lot like his father. And his father is a coaching legend as far as high school.
Take a look at this its only 10 minutes. But Hurley himself describes how he is , and why he is that way. Is he the best coach, (Cronin) of course not but has he been a winner every stop! Can you imagine how tough he was on the squad who made it from the 68 playin game to almost shocking the world? I'm sure all that screaming and being an a##hole was effective. My take anyway.
Maybe someone can help me with a big issue I have with UCLA basketball: Mick Cronin is a total a**hole to his players.
I've been a Bruin fan my whole life and from a multi-generation Bruin family, so I'm always going to support UCLA deeply. And I recognize that Mick is a good X's and O's and player development coach. But why does he need to be so angry during games? I imagine it's the same in practice too. I know it's a part of his tough brand but, wow, it is difficult to watch as a fan. I'm sure the players are pins and needles all the time.
I think a few negatives things will come from it: (1) Recruits/transfers won't want to come or stay here. I wouldn't. I'd want to play for a coach that is serious and skilled, but always has my back and addresses problems constructively. What if your boss at work looked or sounded like Cronin? It would be a miserable daily existence. These are 18-22 year olds and, hey, it's ultimately just a game that puts a ball in a hoop. I'm not saying to kiss players' asses or shy away from hard feedback, but it can be done tactfully, especially on national television. Just because players are getting paid, doesn't make it right or advisable. (2) I'm not sure there is a ton of constructive upside with Cronin's attitude and knee-jerk habit of going to the bench when a player makes a mistake. Dylan Andrews was in the Idaho State game for 31 seconds in the second half before he double-dribbled while starting to penetrate and got yanked. Sure, it was a mistake, but it wasn't an egregious mistake. Andrews was looking for the lane, presumably to dish to an open guy. What's the message Cronin is trying to send by pulling him? Or when someone throws a reasonable pass that goes a bit errant and out of bounds. Or any other error that's a part of playing basketball? I think it does two things: (a) Makes players tight. Being afraid to fail is antithetical to psychological safety and a terrible way to give employees in business or players on a team the confidence to succeed. If there's a pattern of mistakes or the errors are big, I get it. But the vitriol that Cronin exhibits and his quick benching often seems way out of proportion with the "crime". If I were a player, I'd be afraid of doing anything. The incentive for players to stay on the court then will be to play it safe and not take risks. But I think that can breed mediocrity and I think that's why Cronin's offenses are so clunky, boring, and awkward. Krzyzewski, Self, Calipari, Boeheim, Williams, Wright, etc. don't act like that and their offenses (and programs) have clearly been a step up over the years. There are lots of other factors at play than just on-court demeanor, but it's certainly a part of the puzzle.
I wish Cronin could take some deep breaths and calm down a bit. It will be better for his own health, be more positive for his players, and in my opinion, breed a more successful program.
I'd be interested in what Dimitri, the other Mighty Bruin writers, or the readers think about this topic.
I’ll address what I can, but do note that I’ve expressed thoughts on these same concerns before.
On your recruiting concern, Cronin did just get eight new players this offseason, including some sought-after ones in the transfer portal and from high school. Recruiting in 2024 is less about relationships and more about the size of the bag you can drop, as the Nicholas Khamenia recruitment taught everyone (cliffs notes version there: it was a UCLA/Gonzaga battle for over a year until Duke showed up in the last month and dropped an NIL deal that the other schools either wouldn’t or couldn’t match). And it’s not like Cronin’s demeanor was kept a surprise to these recruits; Bilodeau and Johnson have both played against UCLA and Cronin in the past, so they were intimately familiar with Cronin’s style. The yelling and sideline demeanor is a non-issue when it comes to players, and if it was then we’d have seen plenty of Cronin’s former players come out to speak against it.
I’d also be more receptive to this argument about the yelling being a problem if the NCAA Tournament hadn’t just been won by noted yeller Dan Hurley for two straight years, or if Coach K wasn’t notorious for throwing his players under the bus. All coaches do the stuff that Cronin does, they’re just not as animated as he is.
As for the quick hook thing, I’d argue the problem is that it is not applied more equitably. Skyy Clark, for example, should be getting a hook more often, and Kobe Johnson finally started seeing the hook this week after weeks of subpar play. The bench is absolutely a tool to use for getting players to focus and stop making mistakes. To your Andrews point, when he came back in he played much more focused and with better defensive focus.
The quick benching isn’t what inhibits the offense, but rather the style of play that Cronin has, which is a bruising defense and an efficient, methodical offense. It’s been a constant sore point for many UCLA fans, but it has led to results. I’m of the opinion that Cronin should open things up more offensively, but I also understand the logic of what his system entails and, to be fair, they have been experimenting with different ideas in recent years.
Hopefully this allowed. If so please watch this and realize life is tough. College basketball is tough. These kids/young men were coddled, treated like celebrities, being told how great they are. I think Jamie Juaquez would tell you Cronin's tough but fair and he does care about the players but he wants them to strive to be their best.
As Dmitri said, the last 2 championships were won by this guy https://youtu.be/x1sU3gKNeao?si=k7BbFU5Fe3YKwo7t
I'm sure he's a lot like his father. And his father is a coaching legend as far as high school.
Take a look at this its only 10 minutes. But Hurley himself describes how he is , and why he is that way. Is he the best coach, (Cronin) of course not but has he been a winner every stop! Can you imagine how tough he was on the squad who made it from the 68 playin game to almost shocking the world? I'm sure all that screaming and being an a##hole was effective. My take anyway.
The changes in opponents continue to present different perspectives on our Bruin Team. I like the
top scorers in the I/S game and would tend to go with the same combination until such time as they
no longer click. We need 8 strong players to be ready for the BIG 10. I think we have them in sight
now and should attempt to cultivate them into a Conference contender.