Editor’s note: this Mick Cronin article originally ran on Feb. 20, but is now updated with the reporting conducted after UCLA’s Big Ten Tournament elimination.
From the outside looking in, if UCLA and their head Men’s Basketball Coach, Mick Cronin, parted ways, perhaps most of those involved would be happier. We know that Cronin seemingly hates the media as much as any coach in the game. However, the press is not the thing he hates the most, arguably. The travel component, involved in being the UCLA head coach during this modern iteration of the Big Ten, sames to be the bain of his existence.
Purdue sent Mick Cronin off.
The UCLA coach went on an obscenity-laced tirade, against his own staff and team, at halftime in the tunnel leading to the locker room.
This was in the hallway, in full view of several people, including myself. Several LOUD f-bombs dropped— Paul M. Banks (@PaulMBanks) March 15, 2026
Cronin doesn’t seem to have much love for the media, or the commute to work, and at times, he’s got some problems with his own players too. He literally ejected his own center, Steven Jamerson II in a blowout loss at Michigan State on Tuesday night.
There is something commendable about taking a stand, and being tough love with your own players, so let’s give Cronin credit for that. A lot of players aren’t going to like that, but maybe sometimes, it needs to be done. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo joked after the game that perhaps Mick “upgraded the foul to a flagrant and two.”
Student cheering sections, and the heckling they engage in towards the opposition are a part of what makes college basketball great. Michigan State’s student section, the Izzone was especially hard on UCLA this past week. Specifically, they targeted Xavier Booker, a five star recruit who didn’t quite pan out in East Lansing, and then transferred to the Bruins program.
After the game, Cronin got not only defensive, but also openly hostile and condescending with a media member who brought this topic up.
Watch this exchange below:
Mick Cronin when asked about the Izzone:
“I could give a rat’s ass about the other student section… I would like to give you a kudos for the worst question I’ve ever been asked” 😳pic.twitter.com/eFtUUxNKMp
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) February 18, 2026
First off, the reporter didn’t raise his voice, at all, so that was ridiculous. Lots of coaches receive questions that they do not like from reporters, all the time. Absolutely you can voice your displeasure with a line of questioning, but don’t be delusional about it, and accuse the press of doing something that we can all see, from video, they are not.
Also, the tone of “are you raising your voice at me?” seems like more for a parent-child or boss-employee kind of dynamic.
A reporter is not a subordinate to a basketball coach; no matter what the salary disparity may be.
Let’s keep this professional.
And then finally, nothing quite says “I don’t give a rat’s ass about topic XYZ” quite like bringing up topic XYZ two more times in the same media session. (also, a “rat’s ass” is not the same as “a flying rat’s ass,” as was defined in the late ’90s comedy Night at the Roxbury)
Mick Cronin has always been somewhat testy with the media, but this is next level right now.
This is on the same plane as the infamous Bobby Knight and his notoriously outright disdain and hostility for the field of journalism. Maybe that’s unfair?
Maybe Mick Cronin is more of a basketball Brian Kelly. You even have the messy divorce with Cincinnati in common for that analogy.
Up next for the Bruins is a visit from #10 Illinois tomorrow night.
“I’m sure we’re going to get an angry and fired-up UCLA team,” Illini head coach Brad Underwood said on his conference call with local media this morning.
Brad Underwood was asked about the frustration we have seen from Mick Cronin this season.
He says it all depends on your specific group, the circumstances, what motivates them, etc.
“Mick has been awfully successful every stop of the way being able to read and understand his… pic.twitter.com/luWZrCNkYe
— Glenn Kinley (@glenn_kinley) February 20, 2026
Now to be fair, we can comment or opine on Cronin and his current situation, but we can’t make assumptions and then pass that speculation along as fact, or truth. Underwood reiterated this, when asked about this topic on Friday.
“It’s really unfair for me to have to answer that because until you know your group, and what motivates them, what they need, and what’s internally what’s going on (you don’t truly know),” he said.
“Mick has been awfully successful, every step of the way in being able to read and understand what his team needs and what it looks like in order to be at its best. I think we all do that as coaches.”
Underwood then related his own experiences as a head coach to Cronin’s situation in Westwood.
“I think there’s times in the past I’ve questioned effort, leadership, or this or that,” he said.
“We all go about it in different ways, so it’s not fair for me to truly dig into that very much/ You just know your team and what they need, and sometimes, it can be a kick in the rear end. And sometimes it needs to be a hug and love, and we all feel that, and we do it in different ways.”
Obviously, Mick Cronin loves the game of basketbal, or at one time, he definitely did. However, doing this right now seems to make
To quote ’90s alt-rocker Sheryl Crow:
If it makes you happy
It can’t be that bad
If it makes you happy
Then why the hell are you so sad?
Or in this case, “so angry?”
Because after all, like we always say, there is no better gig on Earth than head coach who was just received a big, expensive buyout.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, RG.org and Ratings.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.