“Would Have Been Fired Already”: Mick Cronin’s Relentless Persona Was Identified During Early UCLA Days

UCLA has come out to be one of the teams to watch out for in the Pac-12. The Bruins have been a formidable force and no team can afford to take them lightly. While the credit revolves around the impact its locker room has been able to create, let’s not forget the notable contributions of its head coach– Mick Cronin.

We have always witnessed the 52-year-old getting animated with his antics at the sidelines on every UCLA Bruins game. However, behind the screaming and stomping is a winning attitude that only a handful of people managed to figure out.

The legend of Mick Cronin

It was in 2019 when the Bruins saw Cronin’s potential and decided to hire him as the head coach. Right from the very start, he had the clarity of what he needed to do his job. This mindset was revealed by UCLA’s then-point guard David Singleton. Describing his first encounter with Cronin, he said, “I didn’t know who he was talking to. But, he looked up and said, ‘Why isn’t the video ready? If you were working for coach [Rick] Pitino, you would have been fired already.’ And I’m like, who is he talking to? Is he serious? He was talking to the video guy. So that was like, ‘Oh, OK, this guy means business.'” 

This no-nonsense attitude has been instrumental in bringing the Bruins some recognizable success. Under Cronin, they were able to reach the Final Four in 2021. Mick also helped them grab the AAC tournament in 2019 and the Pac-12 regular season in 2023.

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Meanwhile, their trajectory in the current season has also been noteworthy.

How are the Bruins doing this season?

The crew that Mick Cronin has managed to assemble this season are on quite a roll. They have been victorious in 8 out of their last 10 games. The Bruins have won 8 of 13 home games and have gotten the desired result in 9 conference games. Offensively, the team has been doing pretty well with an overall scoring average of 66.2 and distributing 11.2 assists per contest. Further, the team has been impressive on the defensive front as well grabbing 34.8 rebounds per game and allowing their opponents to score 64.1 points.

A good coach can really bring a change with him, even if it is through tough love. Mick Cronin has been doing something similar with the UCLA roster to bring out their hidden shine.