Mick Cronin of UCLA Shares Apology for Player Ejection and Affirms Coaching Commitment
UCLA men’s basketball coach Mick Cronin issued an apology on Friday following two incidents of heated outbursts earlier in the week. He emphasized his commitment to the university and reaffirmed that he is still “a good fit” for the Bruins.
“I know I’m not bigger than the brand,” Cronin stated. “The brand matters, the school matters. The last thing I want to do is bring negative publicity to our school. And sometimes — because it’s not about me, I don’t care what people think about me — I need to do a better job knowing I am the coach here, and I need to make sure I don’t do anything to embarrass our school.”
Cronin’s comments come in the wake of intense scrutiny after a game on Tuesday night against Michigan State, where he publicly reprimanded center Steven Jamerson II. This incident occurred late in the game, during which UCLA was trailing by 27 points and Jamerson received a hard foul. Cronin was filmed berating Jamerson and subsequently sent him to the locker room.
Feeling the weight of the situation, Cronin reached out to Jamerson personally and addressed the team. He explained that, upon reviewing the game footage, he reconsidered his initial belief that the foul was “a dirty play.”
Teammates have since rallied around Jamerson, with some noting that he seemed “a little in his head” after the unexpected ejection. “It was kind of a big-time moment,” said guard Skyy Clark. “Any player is going to have some thoughts after that.”
In response to the events, UCLA players convened a meeting to discuss the path forward. Guard Trent Perry remarked on the rarity of such an ejection, stating, “I don’t think, to be honest, the entire world has ever seen that in a game.”
The fallout continued to escalate when Cronin faced criticism for his remarks during a postgame interview, where he quipped about the Michigan State student section. He did not issue a direct apology to the reporter but acknowledged on Friday that he often needs to “dial back some of [his] humor” to navigate the current climate of public scrutiny.
“You have to realize, and I have to do a better job of this, that in this climate, you’ve got to be careful with what you say,” Cronin said.
Despite the backlash, UCLA players defended their coach, insisting that he supports them behind closed doors. “They’re not around him every day,” Clark pointed out. “They don’t see the full him. That’s just how he coaches.”
