Negative Effect Mick Cronin Is Having on UCLA's Players

UCLA head coach Mick Cronin has long been one of the most boisterous and demonstrative head coaches in all of college basketball, but is it becoming a major problem?

For context, Cronin has been the Bruins' head coach for the past seven seasons. In that span, the Bruins have been to the NCAA Tournament five times and reached the Final Four one time in the 2020-21 season. Cronin holds a 162-76 overall record with the Bruins, but something just feels off about the program in recent years.

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

UCLA This Past Season

This past season was perhaps Cronin’s most glaring campaign. On the surface, the Bruins had a fairly successful season, going 24-12 and winning an NCAA Tournament game before being bounced in the second round by UConn, which would go on to reach the National Championship game.

However, if we pop the hood, we’ll see that the Bruins dealt with several distractions and overall bad vibes throughout the season that held them back from reaching their potential, with Cronin largely at fault. Most notably, aside from his usual outbursts, whether it be at officials or criticizing his own players, Cronin caught a lot of heat towards the end of the season for an incident at the end of a blowout loss to Michigan State.

Michigan State's Carson Cooper, right, and UCLA's Steven Jamerson, left, stare each other down after Jamerson's flagrant foul on Cooper during the second half on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With the game out of reach, forward Steven Jamerson committed a hard foul that was potentially worthy of a flagrant foul. While the refs discussed his fate, Cronin took matters into his own hands and ejected Jamerson from the game himself, sending him to the showers early, an embarrassing display in a hostile road environment.

Cronin would then follow that up with an outburst on a reporter who asked about Michigan State after the game, only pouring gasoline on an already blazing fire.

Mar 22, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts 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

By some miracle, the Bruins didn’t allow that incident to totally derail their season. However, things like that don’t simply leave players’ minds that easily. Cronin’s hard-nosed coaching style has come into light this past week, amidst point guard Donovan Dent’s sudden retirement from basketball.

Mar 13, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin yells at his team in the game against the Michigan State Spartans during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

Dent’s Sudden Retirement

Dent was a former standout at New Mexico before transferring to UCLA last season. The player they got was nowhere near the version he was at New Mexico, as his overall production and efficiency declined sharply last season with the Bruins. Nonetheless, Dent was good enough as a prospect to possibly earn a second-round selection at this summer’s NBA Draft, and he would’ve had numerous opportunities to play elsewhere.

Mar 22, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) dribbles there ball against the UCLA Bruins 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

Dent has noted that last season was very challenging for him, and with his recent retirement, many have wondered if Cronin’s coaching style stripped Dent of his love for the game. It should also be noted that Dent has since moved back to New Mexico to become a basketball trainer, rather than remain in California, where he is originally from, and where he played his last season of college basketball.

Regardless, Cronin is still the head coach at UCLA — for now — but next season could prove pivotal as the university continues to fall short of its lofty expectations each year.

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