Why UCLA's Cronin Made Wrong Decision During Tuesday's Loss

Mick Cronin would eject Steven Jamerson midway through the second half following a flagrant foul.

This event will inevitably send shockwaves throughout the entire UCLA program. It affects recruits looking to play for UCLA moving forward and the culture that is currently in the building. It would not be surprising to see Athletic Director Martin Jarmond make some severe changes moving forward.

How This Ruins UCLA's Season

Besides humiliating one of his players in front of 14,000 people, Mick Cronin also disrupted UCLA’s team dynamic. Steven Jamerson is one of the Bruins’ most irreplaceable assets on a roster that’s already lacking depth in the frontcourt. Betraying him could seriously damage UCLA’s already fragile team chemistry.

By ejecting him, Cronin not only damaged Jamerson’s mental state but also sent a troubling message to the rest of the locker room about his coaching style. Clearly, Cronin is not afraid to call players out in front of everyone, but doing so on a national stage is simply unacceptable.

Cronin wanted more physicality from his players, and ejecting Jamerson sends mixed messages to the entire locker room. Jamerson playing hard when the team is down 20-plus points is not something you should punish your player for.

Is This Justified?

The only angle that somewhat supports Cronin’s decision is that Jamerson was clearly very emotional. That’s understandable, though, given that this unfolded in the middle of a blowout — coming right on the heels of another lopsided loss to Michigan in the previous game.

Obviously, both parties are very frustrated with what's going on on the court, but that does not mean Cronin's actions were justifiable. Jamerson made a completely normal basketball play, and he held his ground when Carson Cooper was getting up in his face.

For Cronin to do this, there has to be a lot of frustration building prior to this. This is the only way something like this makes sense. But besides Cronin being completely out of pocket, UCLA as a whole needs to be more disciplined moving forward. Jamerson included.

Mick Cronin is already on the hot seat after back-to-back brutal losses, and getting physical with one of his players and humiliating him only turns up the heat. If you’re the athletic director, Martin Jarmond, evaluating this situation, there has to be some form of disciplinary action.

The bottom line is that you cannot do this to one of your players. As a coach, you’re supposed to stand by them no matter what. By acting this way, Mick sends a serious message to the rest of the locker room that they cannot trust their coach moving forward.

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