In Reply to: imo loss of Mara disrupted Cronin's plan for this season posted by barrya on December 23, 2025 at 09:29:59
I agree wholeheartedly, and I’d add that in this case he misplayed his hand. Had he played Mara even a little more, he likely keeps him happier and accelerates his development. As I said last year, Mara was nowhere near a complete player, but giving him more minutes would have made this team better by the end of the season. Cronin ultimately bet on the small lineup, and in retrospect, that was a mistake. That’s easy to say now with the benefit of hindsight, but even at the time there were plenty of people questioning Mara’s limited role.
To be fair, it’s an incredibly difficult position for a coach. There’s always a tension between investing in a developing player and leaning on the older, more reliable option who might give you a marginally better chance to win right now. Coaches are paid to win games, not to run long-term experiments, and that calculus is never simple, especially in a results-driven environment like UCLA.
We’re seeing that same dilemma play out again this year. I’ve been clamoring for Jamerson to get more minutes, but that comes with a real cost. The price is Booker’s happiness and potentially his development. Every extra minute for one player is a minute taken from someone else, and in the NIL era those decisions carry even more weight than they used to.
That’s the reality now: rotations aren’t just about matchups or performance anymore—they’re about development curves, locker room dynamics, and retention. The margin for error is thinner, and one miscalculation can ripple into the following season.