Tag: Mick Cronin

Mick Cronin’s tough, gritty teams a pro amid the Louisville rumors

There are pros for Louisville to hire Mick Cronin.

Will UCLA head coach Mick Cronin be headed to Louisville to be the Cardinals’ new head coach?

There have been a lot of discussions about Cronin leaving Westwood and going elsewhere, and it’s quite the conversation to have.

Matthew McGavic of Louisville Report mentioned the pros for Cronin to go to the Cardinals.

Louisville is a program that desperately needs constancy and stability, and for the decade or so, that is something that Cronin’s teams have brought to the table. Over the past 14 seasons, Cronin has failed to reach the 20-win mark just twice (his first year at UCLA and current season), along with eight seasons where his teams cracked 25 wins, and three with 30-plus. While the Bruins have been underwhelming this season, his previous three seasons all saw him reach the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, including a Final Four in 2021. His squads are known for their toughness and grit on the defensive end, a style that will resonate with the Louisville fanbase. Since the 2010-11 season, a Cronin-coached team has failed to crack the top 25 in KenPom defensive efficiency just five times. Being a midwestern guy, he has a plethora of recruiting ties to the area. Also having previously worked at Louisville, he should have a solid understanding of the expectations of the job. While Cronin’s coaching is ahead of his recruiting, he has appeared to embrace the modern landscape. His ’22 and ’23 classes both cracked the top 20, and featured a combined seven four-star and three-five star prospects according to 247Sports.

There are a lot of good things for Louisville to consider about Cronin, and consistency is one of them. After the disaster that was the Kenny Payne era, they could do much worse than hiring Cronin.

Has Mick Cronin coached his final game at UCLA?

Is Mick Cronin going elsewhere? Only time will tell.

The UCLA Bruins men’s basketball team lost to Oregon on Thursday in the Pac-12 Conference tournament.

It remains to be seen what the future holds for UCLA, but it was a disappointing season for a program that is used to winning and competing.

So, here comes the $1 million dollar question: Has Mick Cronin coached his final game at UCLA?

All season long, rumors have surrounded Cronin. When the Ohio State job became open, his name was floated out there. When Kenny Payne was fired from Louisville, Cronin’s name again circulated.

Cronin has become a candidate for the Louisville job on a number of lists, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him leave California and go back to the other side of the country.

The Bruins athletic program already changed course when Chip Kelly left for Ohio State, and bringing in a new face for the basketball program could work out.

It remains to be seen what the future holds for Mick Cronin, but Thursday’s game against Oregon could have been his last in Westwood.

What Mick Cronin said after UCLA loss to Washington State

Here’s what Mick Cronin and others said after the loss.

The UCLA Bruins men’s basketball team lost again, this time to Washington State on the road.

After a six-game winning streak, the Bruins have come crashing back down to earth and have now lost four in a row.

Mick Cronin has gone viral a few times for some fiery postgame interviews this season, including last time against Washington a few days before.

This time, it wasn’t as honest. Nonetheless, here’s what Cronin said after the game, including a quote from Dylan Andrews after he had another strong performance despite UCLA losing the game.

Mick Cronin’s fiery comments after UCLA’s ugly loss to Washington

Mick Cronin was fed up after UCLA’s 17-point loss to Washington.

The UCLA Bruins men’s basketball team had another ugly performance. This time, it came on the road against the Washington Huskies.

The Huskies shot the lights out and scored 92 points, including 50 in the second half, to hand UCLA its third consecutive loss after a six-game winning streak.

Once again, Mick Cronin expressed his displeasure with the team following the game (a recurring theme this year), and there are plenty of reasons why the UCLA head coach is fed up with the way the season has gone.

Cronin unloaded plenty of viral comments, and here’s some of what he said following the loss.

Everything Mick Cronin said after UCLA’s loss to USC

Mick Cronin had a lot to say after UCLA lost to USC.

The UCLA Bruins men’s basketball team lost a frustrating game against crosstown rival USC on Saturday. Fans flocked to Pauley Pavilion to see the UCLA-USC showdown, and the Trojans came out on top, 62-56.

UCLA scored just 22 points in the second half as both Sebastian Mack and Lazar Stefanovic struggled from the field.

UCLA’s recent streak has come to a crushing end with a loss to USC, who moves to 11-16 on the season.

After the game, UCLA head coach Mick Cronin had a lot of negative things to say about the performance — and rightfully so.

It could be a long week in Westwood.

Badgers Wire ranks Mick Cronin-DeShaun Foster UCLA HC combo 10th in Big Ten

@thebadgerswire has UCLA’s HC duo as 10th in Big Ten.

The UCLA Bruins have a big move ahead of them with the Big Ten Conference debut in 2024. UCLA, USC, Washington, and Oregon are joining the conference next season, making an already talented conference even better.

With UCLA losing Chip Kelly to Ohio State and hiring first-time head coach DeShaun Foster, as well as Mick Cronin’s basketball program taking a step back this year, it could make for a rough transition.

Ben Kenney of Badgers Wire ranked the Big Ten’s best basketball-football head coaching duos, and the Cronin-Foster pairing is 10th. Here’s what Kenney wrote:

Mick Cronin is considered one of the best coaches in college basketball — despite UCLA’s struggles this season.

Football head coach DeShaun Foster hasn’t coached a college game yet. But Cronin’s stature is enough to get the duo inside the top 10.

Even with Cronin’s squad having a down year, his resume speaks for itself and is worthy of UCLA being in the top 10. Things can change depending on how Foster does, but this is a good spot for UCLA despite being in an adjustment period in both sports.

It’s also worth noting that Kenney has the Dan Lanning-Dana Altman Oregon dup as the best in the Big Ten.

CBS Sports tabs UCLA’s Mick Cronin as possible Ohio State candidate

CBS Sports lists Mick Cronin as a candidate for the Ohio State opening.

The Ohio State Buckeyes men’s basketball program fired Chris Holtmann and suddenly they are in search of a new head coach.

And, believe it or not, UCLA Bruins coach Mick Cronin was listed as a potential candidate, per Kyle Boone of CBS Sports. Here’s what Boone wrote about Cronin:

Cronin has made it clear throughout this season he is unhappy about the support his program got during the offseason on the NIL front. He won 58 games the two seasons prior to this year, so it’s unlikely he’s looking for an exit even amid a down year, but a return to Ohio — where he previously led Cincinnati — would at least be worth Bjork’s time to make a phone call and kick the tires.

Cronin leaving for another Big Ten job, and another UCLA head coach going to Ohio State, would not go over well in Westwood. However, Cronin’s name popping up for the Buckeyes job isn’t all that surprising.

It will be an interesting few months for the UCLA basketball program.

Trojans Wire Q&A: Will Mick Cronin leave UCLA?

@TrojansWire site editor Matt Zemek answered the Mick Cronin-Louisville question.

For some reason, Mick Cronin’s name has popped up in some other college basketball job conversations. The biggest question is whether or not the UCLA Bruins coach will leave for a different job.

When Chip Kelly left for Ohio State, Trojans Wire site editor Matt Zemek answered a series of questions, one of them being about Cronin.

The question: Will this football mess make Mick Cronin think about leaving for Louisville or another quality basketball coaching job later this year?

Here’s what Zemek wrote:

 I think Cronin is looking at the mess at UCLA and is seriously questioning if he will get the resources and overall support he needs to keep UCLA basketball a top-tier power. Louisville will definitely give him top-level support. I’m not sure UCLA can match that.

There are plenty of questions about the state of UCLA athletics, although things could change with the move to the Big Ten Conference. Nonetheless, if UCLA misses out on the NCAA tournament, and Cronin gets a call, he could potentially dash for another job.

UCLA coach Mick Cronin goes viral after another last-second loss

Mick Cronin is back in the limelight after UCLA’s crushing loss to Utah.

UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin has had a whirlwind of a season. After a brutal start, hot seat quests arose. Then, UCLA won a string of games to be an outside contender for a bubble spot.

On Sunday, the Bruins lost to Utah on a buzzer-beater by Branden Carlson, ending the losing streak.

Suddenly, Cronin became a topic of conversation for yet another last-second loss. This is just another reminder of how quickly things can change while coaching a program with expectations such as UCLA.

The reactions on social media were a wide array involving Mick Cronin after another questionable loss.

Boogie Ellis starts hot but can’t repeat 2023 heroics vs UCLA in USC’s fifth straight loss

Boogie Ellis couldn’t carry USC with Isaiah Collier still injured.

Hoping for a revival of their stagnant offense, the USC Trojans entered the Galen Center on Saturday with a plan. They pinned their hopes against UCLA on the comeback of Boogie Ellis. When Ellis was unable to play in recent road games, along with freshman sensation Isaiah Collier, the simple fact of the matter is that USC’s offense collapsed. Missing their two primary ball-handlers and leading scorers has been disastrous for the Trojans’ hopes of making the NCAA Tournament.

Boogie, who was sidelined for three weeks due to a hamstring injury, came out against UCLA on fire. In the opening seven minutes of the game, he contributed eight of USC’s initial 10 points by making two 3-pointers and hitting a contested jump shot from the elbow.  However, this initial burst faded quickly, as he struggled to shake the rust off after missing the previous three games. Ellis finished the night going 3-10 from the floor and 2-5 beyond the arc. His eight points fell well short of his season average of 18.7 points per game. USC’s offense bogged down in a dispiriting 65-50 loss to UCLA.

Last year when UCLA visited the Galen Center, USC trailed by double digits in the first half as well, but the Trojans came back to win the game on Boogie Ellis’s 31 points, 27 coming during the second-half comeback.  The stage was set for an encore, but Ellis couldn’t get his sea legs back, which derailed any hopes of a Hollywood ending.

Andy Enfield’s squad has averaged 18.3 turnovers per game with Collier and Boogie out. Ellis’s return saw that number drop to eight against an aggressive Mick Cronin defense. Unfortunately, poor shooting in the paint, a 22-2 run by by the Bruins late in the first half, and giving up 17 second-chance points to the Bruins squandered that improvement.

The Trojans have now lost five straight games, dropping their record to 8-12 (2-7 in conference) and they are now in sole possession of last place in the Pac-12. Ellis and the Trojans hope to get back on track this Thursday at the Galen Center against the Oregon Ducks.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire.