Has Mick Cronin‘s Time at UCLA Run its Course?

This past Tuesday UCLA lost to Minnesota at home in a game which it was up 17 points. The Bruins totally self-destructed — missing 10 free throws in the second half en route to the Golden Gophers mounting a furious comeback. In the process, Minnesota prevented Cronin from winning his 500th career game.

Going into the game, UCLA had won eight of its past nine contests. While one loss won’t exactly color an entire season or coaching tenure, it does raise some serious questions as to whether he is the right man for the job moving into the future. This is the second consecutive season in which Cronin has underwent a massive roster overhaul. While the climate of college basketball has certainly changed with the emphasis on the transfer portal, there are some potentially worrying signs.

Cronin has the reputation as being a coach operating with rigidness and over the top discipline. As such, freshmen don’t often emerge under his guidance. He’s an old school coach and operates with the mindset that veteran players generally have preferential treatment over younger ones. This hasn’t helped in the avenue of recruiting particularly when the greater Los Angeles area and the state of California is loaded with high-end prospects on a near annual basis.

Unfairly or not, Cronin has the reputation as being a coach that does not mesh with 5-Star prospects coming into college. Peyton Watson played sparingly before becoming a first round pick of the Denver Nuggets a few years ago. Amari Bailey was once a five star prospect. However, he ultimately became a second round pick of the Charlotte Hornets. Trent Perry — a McDonald’s All-American a season ago — struggles to get minutes on a team with very inconsistent guard play. Adem Bona played two years before leaving to become a second round pick of the 76ers.

Three of the four European freshmen players from last year‘s vaunted recruiting class all transferred out of the program. While Cronin holds his players responsible, he’s not the easiest coach to play for.

Due to this, more than a handful of a elite prospects on the West Coast have opted to play for more player-friendly coaches as it pertains to scheme, and actually allowing the players to make a mistake without the constant threat of being pulled.

On a recent podcast with ex-NBA players, UCLA great Baron Davis asked Gilbert Arenas why his son, an elite prep prospect in LA, committed to USC rather than the traditional blue blood power in UCLA. Arenas said that “no 5-star wants to go to UCLA until [Cronin] gets fired.”

Kenyon Martin also spoke about Cronin handicapping players — saying that may have worked in Cincinnati with 3-star players, but won’t work in LA with a higher caliber talent. Remember, Martin played at Cincinnati and knows Cronin personally.

Having five star players doesn’t necessarily equate to wins. We’ve seen Cronin take a team to the Final Four that didn’t possess elite recruits out of high school. At the same time, this is the most winningest basketball program in the history of college basketball. UCLA shouldn’t be settling for lesser recruits when it totally has the ability to go out and get the best players.

The Minnesota loss was also microcosm of things that may worry fans about Cronin’s ability to lead the program years from now. UCLA‘s head coach may have been very tight with the prospect of winning a very special game pertaining to his personal career.

His father flew out from the Midwest in order to watch the game live. From the jump, one could see Cronin visibly anxious on the sidelines. He was yelling at assistant coaches and players for the duration of the game. He is an intense individual, but it seemed almost borderline unnecessary at times. The rotations were also very puzzling, and this relates back to the point of relying on older players rather than younger more talented ones.

Perry and 7’3” Spanish center Aday Mara are arguably the team’s two best pro prospects. Mara’s impact on the floor is unquestionable both analytics-wise and when using the famed ‘eye test’. The misusage of Mara in particular is borderline egregious at this point. He’s the only shot blocker/rim protector on the roster. There’s also the size element where he completely changes how the other team plays. Yet, he seemingly hasn’t gained Cronin’s trust enough to where he can freely play 20 minutes a game.

This also speaks to Cronin‘s pre-mentioned rigidness if a player makes a mistake. He’s often pulled immediately from the game. This seems counterproductive on the surface, considering that the player can’t truly get into the flow of things and is instead looking over his shoulder at the bench, hoping to not make a mistake. The importance of taking care of the ball is something Cronin values, and this certainly is a reason for why he’s won nearly 500 games in his coaching career.

At the same time, his players look rather mechanical on the floor. There’s a lack of freedom with which they can operate. Couple that with his intensity and propensity to yell, and one has to wonder whether the lack of joy playing basketball is something that’s simply turning off recruits from wanting to play at this storied institution.
Cronin is still a top 20 coach in the sport. He prepares very well for the opposition and his reputation for being a defensive-minded coach is real. However, there could be a ceiling with his tenure in Westwood. His offensive schemes seem very pedestrian, and it has led to large lulls in efficiency and production.

Cronin is a great ambassador of the university. He seems to understand the magnitude of the job and truly does seem to appreciate being at UCLA. If he doesn’t maximize the resources available to him within this privileged position, there’s a real chance he may be replaced within a couple of years if not sooner.