Mick Cronin's Cleverly Brutal Criticism Of His Team Isn't Disrupting Ucla's Surge

Call it nan Mick Cronin Say Something Nice Challenge.

Not thing nice-ish, not a chocolate-covered diss aliases an reproach teased arsenic affirmation. Just a compliment, nary chaser.

It’s not impossible, it turns out.

“We person awesome guys,” Cronin said astir his team, which demolished USC 89-68 astatine Galen Center connected Saturday to decorativeness nan play 21-10. “I person to make myself outcry astatine immoderate of these guys, because they’re specified bully guys. And I did that by design.”

He’ll person a funny measurement of showing it, but Cronin likes nan guys he recruited aliases plucked from nan transportation portal. He really, really likes them.

They put up pinch him, aft all. They get him.

Coming aft an awesome 72-52 triumph against No. 9 Nebraska connected Tuesday, Saturday’s triumph launched his Bruins men’s hoops squad into tourney play, starting pinch a third-round Big Ten tourney crippled Thursday, and past nan NCAA tournament.

And, no, nan controversial coach won’t apt beryllium excused from his station anytime soon. Not pinch different 4 years connected his contract, a existent buyout value of $22.5 cardinal and now a not-terrible decorativeness to this unusual play of each peaks and valleys and nary plateaus.

The Bruins are connected nan measurement up astatine nan correct time, moreover playing capable defense for Cronin’s sensation — though, of course, he’s prepared for that to change.

“I’ve been astir these guys for 5 months,” he said, “so I cognize that nan conflict is not complete pinch that. We tin spell correct backmost to who we were, which was a bad protect team.”

What tin you say? The man’s work mightiness beryllium questionable, but his backhands are unparalleled.

UCLA coach Mick Cronin talks astir nan Bruins’ triumph complete USC connected Saturday.

His opening connection nan past clip UCLA clocked USC, 81-62 connected Feb. 24: “Proud of nan guys, they sewage nan occupation done ...” and, hold for it, “I’m good alert you’re going to inquire astir rebounding, and arsenic I show people, you can’t beryllium awesome astatine everything. And we’re surely not.”

There was nan clip he really fell connected nan proverbial beard aft his team’s 86-74 nonaccomplishment to Ohio State: “Blame maine — blasted me,” he said, only kidding: “I recruited ’em, I signed them arsenic free agents.” (The bums!)

He isn’t precisely dropping jewels of inspiration suited to beryllium posted successful classrooms beside John Wooden’s “Pyramid of Success.”

But aft 5 up-and-down months pinch him, his players opportunity they’re cool pinch Cronin, who has shaken disconnected what feels for illustration an annual activity of nationalist criticism. This clip it deed aft he booted his ain center Steven Jamerson II from a crippled astatine Michigan State connected Feb. 17, overreacting because he mistook a cleanable hoops play for thing else.

UCLA coach Mick Cronin shouts instructions to a subordinate during nan Bruins’ triumph complete USC connected Saturday.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

“I’ve adapted to really he coaches and really he runs stuff,” said Donovan Dent, nan Bruins’ sure-handed constituent defender who had 25 points connected 11-of-15 shooting to spell pinch his 7 assists without a turnover Saturday.

How does he coach? “Fun, very fun,” Dent laughed, acknowledging that, yes, “absolutely” players person to person immoderate heavy tegument if they’re going to play for Cronin.

“He tin get connected you,” Dent said, “but he conscionable wants nan champion for you.”

“I mean,” guardant Tyler Bilodeau said, “he’s intense. Coach Cronin has nary disconnected days, he is who he is each azygous day. You gotta respect that.”

And Cronin’s bait-and-switch bit? It would termination astatine a drama club, but moving a locker room? Maybe he’s recovered nan correct assemblage of young athletes.

“I’m astatine a constituent successful my career, I want guys who are bully guys,” said Cronin, whose squad went 17-1 astatine Pauley Pavilion and 4-9 distant from it. “I don’t want to beryllium fighting pinch guys, I don’t person nan power for it. I won capable games, it’s not worthy it.”

Well, astir that.

The Bruins will person made nan NCAA tourney 5 times successful Cronin’s seven-year tenure pinch nan team, and they’ve precocious to nan Final Four and doubly to nan Sweet 16. But nan Final Four tally was six seasons ago, and successful nan past 2 years, UCLA made conscionable 1 tourney quality and sewage only arsenic acold arsenic nan 2nd round.

That hardly seems capable for a UCLA programme that’s regularly expected to beryllium breathing rarefied aerial without caveats aliases qualifiers.

But he thinks he’s recovered nan correct players to rotation pinch his punchlines, and to play defense too.

“We tin support winning games,” Cronin said, “if we extremity nan different team.”

Wouldn’t that beryllium nice?