In Reply to: I have a friend who knew Howland pretty well. posted by ej on July 16, 2026 at 11:07:05
The one thing we agree on is this: if Cronin wins, he's probably going to be UCLA's coach for a long time.
Where we differ is on his disposition. Yes, he can be charming at times, but I think his true personality has become more apparent as his tenure at UCLA has gone on. Either that, or someone who was once more personable has simply become more hardened by the job.
The Jamerson incident was one example, but it's not an isolated one. His interactions with the media have been difficult to watch for a while. It's not just the exchange with the student reporter after the Michigan State game-listen to some of his postgame interviews with Josh Lewin after losses. I cringe through them. To me, Cronin's demeanor has noticeably changed over the past few years. There have been moments where it seems like he's trying to dial it back, but he eventually slips into old habits.
I also had a conversation about a year and a half ago with the father of a former UCLA player while we were sharing a cigar. I won't repeat the specifics because I don't think he intended for that conversation to end up on the internet; I hesitate even to bring it up, because there's a good chance I'll share another cigar with him someday. What I will say is that he was not a fan of Cronin. That surprised me because, from my perspective, his son had a very successful career under Cronin. You'd think the family would have been thrilled with the coach, but that wasn't the impression I got. Full disclosure, we'd both had a couple of drinks, so maybe he was just venting. I didn't come away thinking, "This proves anything." What it did reinforce for me is that people can have very different experiences with the same person. That's really the only point I'm making. Just as your friend had an unfavorable view of Howland, someone else can walk away with a completely different impression of Cronin. None of us really knows what shaped those opinions.
That said, your larger point is still the most important one. If Cronin wins, most people won't care much about his personality. College basketball has a long history of successful coaches who weren't exactly warm and fuzzy. Coach K, Izzo, Knight, Huggins—the list goes on. None of them were ever going to win a congeniality contest.