When his team lost three games in a row during what was shaping up to be a difficult debut season, Mick Cronin forced players and coaches to train without UCLA logo on T-shirts and shorts.
There is no need to deprive anyone or anything at this time.
This is nothing like what UCLA basketball should be like anymore.
The defense is lagging, the lineup is short, and no one seems to know what to do about it.
Second straight loss hits Bruins hard into bubble territory in the NCAA Tournament, a team that wears those four letters on its chest should never be there. They have a 10-5 average, no convincing wins, and a .500 record entering Big Ten play.
Unless there is a major midseason course correction, UCLA is in danger of missing its only major postseason tournament for the second time in three seasons.
The last Bruins coach to survive this scenario was Ben Howland, who immediately entered the next season in the hot seat with his fate seemingly a fait accompli. Not even the Pac-12 regular season title could save Howland, who was fired after the Bruins lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Cronin does not appear to face a similar fate, given his recent contract extension which will run until the 2029–30 season. Unless both sides agree to settle his buyout or Cronin leaves for a job elsewhere, UCLA will owe him $22.5 million if he transfers before April 1 and $18 million at that same time in 2027.
Since Cronin will likely be here for a while, unless things hit rock bottom, it's much more productive to focus on what he needs to do to solve his current conundrum. So here are five fixes designed to ensure that the team entering the season ranked No. 12 plays closer to expectations:
Make Donovan Dent ride
There were tantalizing moments in the second half against Iowa.
Dent constantly attacked the basket, fending off defenders on the dribble. He made layups. He fouled. He was at least vaguely similar to the player who dominated the Bruins last season as the star point guard at New Mexico.
This was followed by another performance against Wisconsin in which Dent showed some good chances but didn't hit anyone.
UCLA was always going to go as far as Dent did this season, spending an exorbitant amount of money on name, image and likeness on his high-profile acquisition.
As a result, the company received little return on investment.
This is due to some combination of injuries, increased pressure and higher levels of competition. Whatever the reason, Dent's production declined across the board except for a slight increase in assists. The most worrying thing is the drop in points – from 20.4 to 13.5 – and three-point accuracy – from 40.9% to 9.1%.
Cronin said he tried to boost Dent's confidence, and Dent acknowledged his mental struggles in moving from the Mountain West to the Big Ten. One thing that might help is giving Dent permission to play as fast as he wants, turnovers be damned.
Whether they agree to a stylistic change or bring in positivity guru Tony Robbins, the Bruins can't rule out any possible solution in their attempt to get Dent back to playing like one of the best players in the country.
Fix protection
Stephen Jamerson II looks for the rebound pass.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
This is another big question.
How can a coach known for his quarterbacks continue to put out a product that looks like this?
UCLA is on track to finish with its worst defense under Cronin since his first season with the Bruins, with the team already giving up 80 or more points in five games.
The biggest problem comes with the big players, as the lack of rim protection has forced Cronin to increasingly use smaller lineups in recent games. Center Xavier Booker hasn't put up much defensive resistance, and backup Stephen Jamerson II can't seem to go a minute without calling a foul.
After his team's latest defensive debacle, Cronin said his players need to stay ahead of their man to mitigate the Bruins' problems with help on defense and slow rotations that give up open 3-pointers.
One idea would be to start Jamerson and small forward Jamar Brown — power players who are the best defenders at their positions — to set the defensive tone, even if Bilodeau plays most of the minutes at center.
Go small or go home
Cronin entered the game against Wisconsin with a small starting lineup, inserting Brandon Williams along with fellow forward Tyler Bilodeau.
That didn't last long as Williams battled stomach flu and Cronin was forced to play in a number of patchwork lineups amid defender Sky Clarke being sidelined with a hamstring injury.
But it might be worth taking a small step.
Once the Bruins are back at full strength, they could start with Bilodeau, Eric Daly Jr., Brown, Clark and Dent. This will help mitigate the team's current issues at center and small forward, even if it will be difficult to use in long games against some of the Big Ten's bigger teams.
But the smaller lineup helped spread out the space, creating more lanes for Dent and also allowing Bilodeau to beat slower opponents on offense.
Give your best effort
UCLA head coach Mick Cronin yells at his team during a game at Oregon this season.
(Jesse Alche/Associated Press)
When Cronin's first UCLA team recovered from that terrible start and won 11 of its final 14 games before the pandemic intervened and canceled the season, it used a simple formula.
Even though they were relatively young and probably the least talented collection of players Cronin had in Westwood, the Bruins knew they could win by remaining relentless, playing defense and treating every offensive possession as if it could win—or lose—the game.
Anyone who doesn't believe in this formula should go back and look at what happened when UCLA played Arizona on February 29, 2020. The Bruins shot 33.3% that night and were outshot, beating the Wildcats to move to the top of the Pac-12 standings.
“First place!” At the end of the game, a fan at the top of Pauley Pavilion roared. “First place!”
Restore Confidence
Two years ago, the Bruins were in for a truly terrible season.
A 46-point road loss to Utah in January left the team with a 6–10 record and raised doubts about whether it would win another game.
UCLA won eight of its next nine games. What has changed? To start, Cronin told his players to worry about doing the little things needed to win, not about winning itself.
It bore fruit.
The Bruins were on the verge of contending in the Pac-12 before a late-season collapse.
Perhaps no one in Los Angeles is more driven to win than Cronin, who reflected on the sleepless nights and miserable existence of losing.
At least he fully understands the expectations associated with his job. Cronin doesn't need school clothes to know this is UCLA.
