The UCLA Bruins basketball program had a terrific offseason and added a ton of players in the transfer portal.
After missing the NCAA Tournament this past season, Mick Ceronin brought in some high-profile additions in the portal.
Cronin discussed the offseason with Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times and it shows how the times have changed due to various circumstances.
“It took us a year longer than I would have liked to get things where they needed to be and without naming names, there were obviously some people who really carried the weight,” Cronin said. “But there’s also grassroots level, so there’s literally people out there who are donating $10 a month, but we’re talking about people who don’t have that to give; their $10 a month is maybe hurting their pocketbook as much as somebody who gave $100,000.”
But, even with big-time additions and a team that is regularly picked as a top-10 program for the 2024-2025 season, Cronin knows they have to do it again next season.
“The craziness of it for now is, we had a good year in the portal and we were able to compete in free agency,” Cronin said, “but next year, you’ve got to be able to do it again.”