Bruins' Cronin Talks 500th Win Milestone

The UCLA Bruins (20-8, 11-6) earned a monumental win on Sunday afternoon, not only for their record, but for sixth-year head coach Mick Cronin. In a 69-61 win over the Ohio State Buckeyes (15-13, 7-10) at Pauley Pavilion, Cronin earned his 500th career win as a Division I college head coach.

Cronin is now the youngest active coach to reach that feat at 53 years old. He is currently the head coach at the third school of his career and seemingly the one that he will stay with for years to come.

In classic Cronin fashion, he spoke selflessly about his illustrious journey and how the credit goes to everyone else. He spent the first three head coaching years at Murray State (2003-2006), returned to his alma mater, Cincinnati, for the next 13 seasons (2006-2019) and has been with UCLA ever since.

"It means I'm old; when you first start coaching, you don't dream you're going to be the coach at UCLA," Cronin said. "So, for me, I got to coach at my own alma mater, at UCLA, and they've changed leagues, Murray State, the OVC broke up, but there was a time that Murray State was probably the best job to get in the country for a young first-time head coach. ... So, I've had some really really good jobs, and obviously, I haven't scored a point, so it's really not about me. I really don't think about stuff like that; I never have."

Reaching 14 NCAA Tournaments in 21 years as a head coach, including a Final Four in 2021, the least of Cronin's worries are his wins and the amount of trophies he can gather during his career. He gave a powerful message regarding legacy and the higher priorities that he tries to instill in his guys.

"Jeff Van Gundy said this ... he said legacy is the most overrated thing in life," Cronin said. "What I tell these guys, being a good father and a good person when they lay you down to lower that casket okay? The all-time wins leader is Mike Krzyzewski on the men's side; I would think that he would be more concerned with what they say about what kind of father he was, what kind of person he was, then, how many games he won. ... So, I like when it comes to that stuff. Today's about Bill Walton, and I went off on my die tribe there because I just think legacy's overrated. That stuff to me -- I'm not a guy that even has memorabilia and stuff. I did want a picture with the guys, and my family's into it, but I'm really not."

Sunday's contest was also a special day due to the honoring of the late great Bruin, Bill Walton. Cronin made sure to make a day that revolved around his accomplishment, more about Bill and what he meant to the University as a whole. It would be hard to find a better coach and person than Mick.

In the locker room following the win, UCLA Athletic Director Martin Jarmond came in to deliver the honorary game ball. With a grin and a chuckle, Cronin took a shot at his best player in a playful way, perfectly encapsulating the type of coach he is and the relationship he has with his players.

"In these 500 wins, I scored as many points as Tyler [Bilodeau] had rebounds today," Cronin said as Bilodeau finished with 8 points but zero rebounds in the win.

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