UCLA Basketball: Mick Cronin Blasts Young Bruins Despite Win Over Sharks

Despite a 20-point win, the Bruins' head coach has some notes.

Even though your UCLA Bruins improved to a flawless 3-0 record on the (very young) 2023-24 NBA season with a high-flying 78-58 victory Wednesday over Rod Strickland (yes, that Rod Strickland)'s Long Island University Shark, fifth-year head coach Mick Cronin believes this incredibly talented, incredibly young crop still has plenty of room for growth, writes Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times.

Cronin seemingly called out the fitness of his younger players in his postgame comments, as captured by Bolch.

“We don’t have enough guys who can play hard enough long enough,” Cronin said. “I’ve got my work cut out for me — young team, we’ve got to learn the things that we need to do to give ourselves a chance in a real game.”

The Bruins have seven freshmen rostered this season, plus another new player, 6'7" swingman Lazar Stefanovic. To return to the Sweet Sixteen (or, hopefully, to go even further) in next spring's NCAA Tournament, the club will have its work cut out for it, despite fielding a roster that includes possible 2024 NBA lottery pick Aday Mara, a 7'3" center out of Spain, and two other possible draft-worthy forwards in freshman wing Berke Buyuktuncel (who has yet to play due to NCAA eligibility shenanigans) and sophomore four Adem Bona.

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