Calipari. Kryzyzewski. Izzo. Williams.
As opposed to the long-running episodic television show, Jeopardy, today’s version will allow many answers to be deemed correct.
If your answer is “Who are coaches with longevity in college basketball?” you’d be correct. How about “Who are coaches who have won championships?” or “Who are coaches who developed multiple first-round draft picks?”
You’d be correct in all of those questions.
UCLA basketball head coach Mick Cronin has been coaching since 2003, and it’s no secret that he is one of the best defensive minds in the game, but the lack of success is what’s keeping him from being listed as one of the all-time greats.
Before coming to Westwood, he spent 13 seasons coaching the Cincinnati Bearcats and, at one point, made the NCAA Tournament nine consecutive seasons, along with two consecutive AAC titles.
But the lack of NCAA Tournament success was weighing heavy on his tenure, and it was time for the program to move on from the longstanding coach.
Since he’s been at the helm in Westwood since 2019, it bears the question: is Cronin the long-term answer as UCLA’s head coach? It’s a fair question to ask.
The numbers aren’t bad, and he’s guided the Bruins to success, bearing a career winning percentage of .683. Cronin ranks towards the middle of the pack in UCLA coaching history, but the 2023–24 season was a significant black eye on his record with a 16–17 record.
Prior to that season, his Bruins had a .600 winning percentage or better. Then in 2024–25, he picked back up with a 23–11 record, or a .676%.
It should be prefaced by saying that there are no calls for Cronin’s job. It’s believed that he has a solid source of security in Westwood, but UCLA basketball is a program that demands excellence.
He’s led the Bruins to one Final Four and four NCAA Tournaments, as well as winning the Pac-12 Coach of the Year on two separate occasions.
This upcoming season, though, will be an interesting one.
There’s belief that the Bruins are going to take a major step forward in becoming a powerhouse once again.
The guard play since Tyger Campbell left has been average at best, and now Cronin secured Donovan Dent to come and become his floor general.
Last season, the Bruins were solid and one of the best defensive teams in the country, but the offense lacked.
With new additions like Dent, Xavier Booker from Michigan State, and Jamar Brown from UMKC, it could open up the offense in a major way, which helps UCLA avoid looking one-dimensional.
That’s the one problem with Cronin’s teams. While they all thrived on the defensive end, there was always something missing on the offensive end. Ultimately, he’s only had two first-round draft picks in his coaching career, both from UCLA: Jaime Jaquez and Peyton Watson.
Can Cronin have a John Calipari-like role at UCLA, where he stays with one program for decades? He absolutely can.
But the next two seasons at the helm are probably his most important ones yet. He’s earned the long leash, but now he needs more.
In 2020–21, Cronin helped guide the Bruins to the Final Four — a magical season.
Since then, though, it’s been difficult to recreate that magic.
And if he can get the best out of players like Brown, and especially Booker, who struggled, that’ll only be a testament to how well he connects with them.
There hasn’t been a Cronin-coached team with the ceiling the upcoming team has at any point in his coaching career.
Give it two or three years, and if the Bruins still can’t find the magic of 2021, UCLA may have to start looking elsewhere.
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