Mick Cronin's Approach Stays Steady Despite Criticism

UCLA head men's basketball coach Mick Cronin faced plenty of criticism over his sideline demeanor and criticism of his own team this season, and he's far from the only coach to face that in recent years.

As a new era of recruiting grows, there are still a few "old school" coaches who believe in the fundamental values of building a program and developing players from the ground up, through the ups and downs, and Cronin has no plans to change his approach on and off the court as he navigates another offseason for the Bruins, no matter what challenges it brings in roster building.

"I think there's a faction of us that are known as really good coaches," Cronin told the Field of 68 Podcast earlier this week. "Their teams have maxed out. Their players have gotten better. We're never going to get the faction of players that don't think they need that, or their camp feels they need to go somewhere where they're going to be given the ball and let play so they can just go to the NBA in seven months."

Constructive Criticism and Team Over Self

Cronin isn't afraid to criticize his team when it's playing poorly, and these days, that can rub people the wrong way. Yet, his relationship with those players off the court makes it a comfortable approach for him. They make fun of him, and he can get on them, but they all have the same goal at the end of the day. It's not a unique approach, but it's a little less common than it used to be.

Cronin took particular inspiration from the way former San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich ran his team as an NBA contender for decades. The Spurs succeeded by bringing in certain types of players and attitudes, emphasizing team success and selflessness over individual achievements.

ucla basketbal — Oct 28, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich talks with guard Chris Paul (3) during the second half against the Houston Rockets at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

In the current age of college basketball, many players entering the ranks have the exact opposite in mind and just want to get to the NBA, and that's not what Cronin is looking for.

That's not to say Cronin and the Bruins plan to shy away from recruiting one-and-dones. He's already coached a fair number of them throughout his career. It just has to be the right type of player and the right fit. They don't want to bring someone in who values himself and his own agenda over the success and the good of the program.

"I'm okay with that because I think there's still plenty of one-and-done guys out there who do want to go somewhere and win and do want to get better," Cronin explained. But the [other] types of [one-and-done] guys ... I don't want them anyway."

So who fits this kind of philosophy? It's really a case-by-case scenario, but one player who Cronin used as an extreme example is former Duke star and reigning NBA Rookie of the Year with the Dallas Mavericks, Cooper Flagg.

In Cronin's opinion, Flagg did things the right way, visiting schools in Duke and UConn that not only made sense for the Maine-native geographically, but also pushed and emphasized values and work ethic similar to those of UCLA, other college basketball programs with a strong history of sustained success, and NBA teams.

Cooper Flaggs don't grow on trees, so the typical one-and-done UCLA would likely land has a bit of a lesser profile, but his work ethic and team mentality, which he has continued to display in the NBA, are exactly what the Bruins want from their players.

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