In Reply to: My biased perspective is that the opinion that posted by ej on February 06, 2026 at 16:49:46
I agree 100%—most of the time, Cronin makes his players better, especially on the defensive end. But it’s not just that. Look at Dent’s improved turnover rate this year. I think Cronin has had a significant impact on Dent’s carelessness with the ball, and his assist numbers are fantastic.
That said, I’m not fully convinced by some of your other points. If you remember back to Howland, it was largely ex-UCLA players who raised similar concerns about the style of play. Walton’s rant comes to mind—it was mostly about the team's pace of play. Recently, we’ve heard comparable criticisms from pros like Gilbert Arenas, Kenyon Martin, and Nick Young in a discussion with Baron Davis. Arenas went as far as saying, “No 5-star player wants to go to UCLA!” Meanwhile, Kenyon illustrated the point by putting his arm in a handcuffed position. I get that some of these guys may be biased against UCLA, but Kenyon was coached by Cronin, if I’m not mistaken. That’s pretty harsh criticism coming from a former player. True or not, it’s out there.
Also, I won’t go into too much detail since we’ve already discussed it, but the scramble for a center is ultimately on Cronin. If Ben Bolch knew the player was uncommitted after the last game, Cronin surely should have known too—I don’t accept that as an excuse.
Again, I don’t think Cronin is a bad coach, and I don’t think his system is flawed. My concern comes down to one thing: can he get the right players? If he lands the talent and wins, I’m his biggest fan. But if he can’t secure the right recruits and misses the tournament two out of three years… well, that’s when I start groaning. Granted, he hasn’t missed the tournament just yet.