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Myron Medcalf, ESPN Staff Writer
UCLA coach Mick Cronin called his team “soft” and ranted about his anger toward his players and coaches following his team’s 94-75 home loss to Michigan on Tuesday night.
Following the game, Cronin publicly berated his team and questioned its toughness.
“Obviously, they shot the ball well,” Cronin said. “But we’re soft. We’re too soft to play hard enough. Even in the [crucial moments], you can’t get a rebound. … So don’t tell me you want to win. Just don’t tell you want to win. I mean, we’re soft. To be fair, they have a unique skill set. But we’re soft.”
The Bruins, a minus-1.5 favorite per ESPN BET, were down by double digits at halftime but made a run to take a brief lead in the second half before they squandered that edge. The Bruins have lost three of their past four games and have started their first season in the Big Ten with a 2-2 record. Michigan made 71% of its shots inside the arc and 54% of its 3-point attempts against a UCLA squad ranked fifth in adjusted defensive efficiency per KenPom.
Cronin said his team needed Tuesday’s “humble pie” and added that he can’t be “the toughest guy in the room every day.” In the weeks ahead, he said he’ll only turn to the players who prove they can win.
“Here’s what you do: You play the guys that will play hard and do what you tell them,” Cronin said. “But right now, I’m searching for some guys that’ll play hard enough to win a Big Ten game. … It’s really hard to coach people that are delusional. The hungry dog gets the bone. We’ve got guys that think they’re way better than they are. They’re nice kids. They’re completely delusional about who they are.”
Cronin, however, did not reserve his frustration for just the players. He also added that his staff has work to do.
“I have to run on the court to get guys to play hard,” he said. “It’s crazy. And it’s every day. I’m tired of it. It’s every day. I have the most energy of anybody at practice every day. I’m upset with everybody in that locker room: my assistant coaches and my players.”
The Bruins hired Cronin in 2019 after his successful run at Cincinnati. The sixth-year coach has never been shy about expressing his emotions on the court. But Tuesday’s postgame news conference seemed extreme even for Cronin. He said his team lacks a leader that could hold the group accountable. He referenced “The Wizard of Oz” and advised some of his players “to go see the Wizard.”
On Friday, UCLA will begin a two-game cross-country trip when it travels 2,700 miles, across three time zones, to play at Maryland and then Rutgers three days later. Prior to the season, Cronin and Oregon’s Dana Altman said they hoped the new travel demands of the Big Ten would not adversely impact their teams. Now Cronin will enter the first long road trip in conference action with a team that is struggling.
Cronin, however, told reporters Tuesday that he has achieved enough in his career to this point.
“I mean, I don’t need to do anything else,” he said. “I’ve almost got 500 wins. I’m only 53. You’d think I’m coaching the Lakers. And it’s a joke. It’s a joke, but yet, I come in and I have more passion and energy and pride than everybody. And that’s the problem. That’s the truth right now.”