UCLA's Cronin Speaks on Difficult Nature of Portal Amidst Offseason

The UCLA Bruins are now fully focused on the offseason after their defeat in the Round of 32 at the hands of the UConn Huskies.

It was quite a strange season for the Bruins. They entered with lofty expectations and were ranked in the top 25 of the AP Poll. They came out of the gates struggling, losing to several ranked teams, and overall not meeting the expectations placed on them.

Mar 19, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin speaks with the media before a practice session ahead of the first round of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Portal Gave UCLA Interesting Returns

It isn’t like they didn’t have horses either. UCLA brought in perhaps one of the best players available in the transfer portal in Donovan Dent, who was a breakout star during his time with New Mexico. Dent initially struggled throughout the season, shooting career lows in efficiency and seeing his overall production decline from where it once was.

However, Dent found his stride down the stretch, finishing the year on a run in which he threw 93 assists to just eight turnovers, and also accumulated the first triple-double in Big Ten Tournament history.

Mar 22, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) reacts in the first half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Despite that, the Bruins will have to make changes this offseason. Both Dent and leading scorer Tyler Bilodeau won’t be back next season after exercising their eligibility. Skyy Clark is attempting to gain another year of eligibility, but aside from that, the Bruins will need to fill the massive production holes somehow.

On the "Petros And Money" radio show, head coach Mick Cronin detailed some of the plans for the team over the next few months, now that the full focus is on the offseason.

Mar 20, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts in the first half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Transfer Portal Is Always Open

“I'm on the phone immediately. What you have to do, during your season in January and February, especially February, you have to start evaluating your players and figuring out who you want to retain and what your budget is going to be, because when it ends, it ends quick,” Cronin said.

“Every player has an agent. Every player has a number. You have to detach yourself from what college basketball used to be. 'Hey, you didn't know how to practice. You weren't very tough. You have no idea what you're doing.' And I spent two years developing you and you're going to leave.“

Mar 22, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCLA Bruins center Steven Jamerson II (24) reacts with head coach Mick Cronin in the first half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

“That's just the way it is nowadays. That's going to happen to you. Look, it happened with Aday Mara. So it's a business,” Cronin added.

Cronin and his staff will now survey all of their options this offseason as they look to reshape the roster for the 2026-27 season and beyond.