UCLA Players Explain Impact of Mick Cronin’s Technical Foul

UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin has long been one of the most animated coaches in all of college basketball, but it isn’t without reason.

Cronin is no stranger to showing his emotion on the sidelines during games, often getting up to shout at either his players on the floor, or in some cases, the officials.

Some may think Cronin is just being grouchy, or a hindrance to his team, while others applaud his level of competitiveness and passion that he shows by getting so animated. One may recall his ejection against Maryland in Jan. 2025 that he later admitted he did intentionally, as a way to fire up his team.

Feb 7, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin gestures in second half against the Washington Huskies at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

That emotion was on display during UCLA’s latest win, a 77-73 takedown of Washington. Upset with the officiating, Cronin could be seen jumping out onto the court several times throughout the game as a way to stand up for his players on the floor. Cronin eventually received a technical foul in the second half for his actions.

In a tightly contested game with the Huskies, Cronin attempted to spark a fire in his team to pull off a win at home. That went according to plan, as the Bruins would go on a 13-5 run following the technical foul, allowing them to pull away from the Huskies en route to the win.

Feb 7, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts on the bench against the Washington Huskies at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Perry, Dent share thoughts on Cronin’s technical foul

Guards Trent Perry, and Donovan Dent noted the effect that Cronin’s intensity had on the rest of the group.

“It gives us juice,” Dent said. “I think we actually went on our defensive run after that where we kind of held them a little bit. It just gives you juice. When your coach is fired up, it gets you fired up, Trent hit a big three right after that, it just gets you in the right head space.”

“It gets you fired up,” Perry added. “In the moment I was like ‘Yo, coach, we don’t need that,’ and he was like ‘I did it on purpose.’ So, it’s all good, we went on a run and got the job done.”

Feb 7, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Trent Perry (0) contratulates UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) as they leave the court after the game against the Washington Huskies at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

UCLA will try to keep some of that fire and emotion as they now enter a pivotal stretch of games against #2 Michigan, #10 Michigan State, and #8 Illinois over their next three games. At 17-7, and 9-4 in Big Ten play, the Bruins have gotten themselves back in the NCAA Tournament conversation, and they’ll be looking to prove themselves over the next couple of weeks.

Never again miss one major story related to your beloved Bruins when you sign up for our 100% FREE newsletter that comes straight to your email with the latest news. SIGN UP HERE NOW