Bruins' Cronin on Brink of Major Career Milestone

UCLA coach Mick Cronin is on the verge of an impressive career milestone as his team prepares for a Tuesday night battle with the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Pauley Pavilion.

Jan 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin calls out a play during the second half against the Oregon Ducks at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Alex Gallardo-Imagn Images | Alex Gallardo-Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins (19-7, 10-5) are seeking another key Big Ten win this week as they prepare for the Minnesota Golden Gophers (13-12, 5-9) on Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion. Besides seeking their 20th win of the season, that potential victory could mean a lot more to Coach Mick Cronin.

The sixth-year Bruins head coach is on the verge of history, seeking to win his 500th career game as a head coach. Dating back to the 13 seasons as the head coach of his alma mater, University of Cincinnati, Cronin is on the verge of being etched in the history books of college basketball,

"Yeah, we [are] going to get 500 for him for sure," said sophomore guard Eric Dailey Jr. while addressing the media on Monday. "Definitely a great milestone in his career, and just lucky that we'll be the team to do it for him, so it's going to be fun."

As the Bruins' head man, Cronin holds a 134-60 (.691) record in almost six full seasons while his career coaching record is 499-231 (.684). He will seek No. 500 against the Gophers with a chance to win it at home. HIs success of his coaching career that has spanned over three decades.

Dailey was later asked what his favorite quality of Cronin's is and his response is a perfect example of why the Bruins are very lucky to have him as their head coach.

"Just his intensity on the court," Dailey said. "His energy gets us going all the time and just having a coach like that, that's fiery, it gets the team going. We play with a lot of energy and fast pace and it all starts from your coaching, so as a team, we just try to match his energy all the time."

The reason UCLA is not only a good defensive team but also a resilient one is due to Cronin's coaching methods and the intensity that he brings to his team on a daily basis. He expects the same out of himself that he does his players which is no surprise to their success in the past several years.

After Cronin took home the Pac-12 Coach of the Year Award in his debut season (2019), the Bruins knew good things were to come. He has led them to a Pac-12 regular season title (2023), three NCAA Tournament appearances and a Final Four appearance in 2019.

If Tuesday's contest with the Gophers comes out in UCLA's favor, Cronin will surely receive an ovation from the Bruin faithful. He is an extremely selfless coach and will do everything to point the spotlight to each one of the former Bruins and Bearcats that have led him to this point in his illustrious career.

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