UCLA Signs Coach Mick Cronin to Six Year Extension

The extension keeps Cronin in Westwood through 2027-2028.

Mar 17, 2022

(Photo credit: Scott Chandler/uclabruins.com)

Hours before it was set to begin a new run through the NCAA Tournament, UCLA announced that it had signed coach Mick Cronin to a contract extension that will keep him with the program through the 2027-2028 season.

The financial details of the contract are unknown at this time, but it is assumed that Cronin will see a sizeable bump up from the $3.7 million he was making and that the contract should comfortably put him at the top of the Pac-12 Conference and among the top 15 in the country as far as salary. There are also reports that the new contract will include a raise in the assistant salary pool to help Cronin retain his assistants.

This extension should not be shocking to UCLA fans. Cronin had gathered interest during the season for a few potential job openings, especially Louisville where he had been an assistant under Rick Pitino. On top of that, Cronin was underpaid compared to his peers for the job that he has been doing in turning around the UCLA program, and this past season helped prove that last March’s Final Four run was not a fluke, but a harbinger of things to come.

Mick Cronin has led the Bruins to a 66-29 record over his three years as a head coach. UCLA has improved statistically in each season under Cronin; they finished the 2019-2020 season ranked 78th in KenPom, improved to 13th in 2020-2021 off the back of a phenomenal NCAA Tournament run, and are currently 9th entering the tournament. UCLA’s offense has been slow but consistently efficient under Cronin, but the defense has improved by leaps and bounds over the three years, to the point where the Bruins boast a statistically-elite defense this year. The Bruins have seen their stock rise accordingly, with good results on the court and excellent recruiting these past few years.

In the press release, UCLA Athletic Director Martin Jarmond is quoted as saying “Mick Cronin is one of the best coaches in the country, and this deal signifies our commitment to keeping him at UCLA and competing for national championships. Mick is the right leader for our program because he knows what it means to represent the four letters, he won't settle for less than being an elite program, and he wins with integrity. He has done a tremendous job of developing young men, and his players respect him.”

UCLA earned a four seed in the East Regional and will take on Akron in a first-round matchup later this afternoon.

You can read the press release here.

Go Bruins!

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