Feb. 18, 2026, 2:08 p.m. PT
Following Tuesday night’s eruption, UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin has become a talking point for the entire sports world. Cronin ejected his own player Steven Jamerson and got into a verbal spat with a reporter in a postgame press conference.
There was nothing pretty about Tuesday’s loss for UCLA
The damage didn’t end there, it didn’t start there either. Firstly, UCLA was utterly dominated by Michigan State, another letdown showing by the Bruins against a quality Big Ten opponent. Then after the game, after the Jamerson ordeal and after raised voices in the press conference, a story was published by the Indianapolis Star about Cronin.
The Indianapolis Star shared some stories from NBA scouts
Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis Star wrote a story that featured quotes from anonymous NBA scouts about Cronin’s treatment of his players.
Is that why UCLA doesn’t film practices?
“He mother(bleeps) them in practice like you wouldn’t believe,” A Western Conference scout said. “Oh, he (bleeps) them. Mick is the only coach I know who doesn’t film his practice. You know why? He doesn’t want evidence.”
That wasn’t all either.
Far from a ringing endorsement
“John Wooden would be beside himself at the way Cronin treats his players on a daily basis,” an Eastern Conference scout said. “Not sure why he’s so combative.”
The scouts and Doyel himself all mentioned that they’ve had positive interactions with Cronin off the court but does UCLA want such a polarizing figure leading the program?
Mick Cronin has a freshly-signed five-year extension
Thanks to Martin Jarmond handing Cronin a five-year extension last year, UCLA will likely see things through with Cronin to avoid another expensive buyout, which would come less than a year after UCLA paid football head coach DeShaun Foster a big buyout after his failed stint in Westwood.
The night is darkest just before the sun breaks through, and boy, things are getting dark for the Bruins.