Not so long ago, UCLA looked like a legitimate contender for the National Championship. Their defense was among the best in the nation, and it wasnāt particularly close.
However, that doesnāt seem to be the case anymore. The No. 22 Bruins lost 75-94 to No. 4 Michigan, and coach Mick Cronin went viral after throwing his players under the bus.
The renowned coach didnāt mince his words about his players, ripping them and their effort in the loss and stating that they just didnāt want to win the game and were āsoft.ā
Mick Cronin calls his players āsoft and delusionalā
āDonāt tell me you want to win,ā the coach said, angrily. āYou start the game, Tyler Bilodeau gave up 12 points. Two screens, he didnāt say a word, 3s, and then he got dunked on three times. So, just donāt tell me you want to win. I mean, weāre soft.ā
UCLA head coach Mick Cronin looks on during a game.
The coach didnāt stop there. If that wasnāt enough, he also ripped his playersā attitude and demeanor, going as far as to say that they were ādelusionalā and full of themselves:
āI have to run on the court to get guys to play hard,ā Cronin said. āItās crazy, and itās every day. Iām tired of it. Iām upset with everybody in that locker room, my assistant coaches and my players. Itās really hard to coach people that are delusional. The hungry dog gets the bone. Weāve got guys that think theyāre way better than they are. Theyāre nice kids. Theyāre completely delusional about who they are.ā
see also
25 highest-paid college basketball head coaches: Who earns the most?
It must have been a very awkward couple of days on campus, and those comments might not do him any favors. The Bruins are now 2-2 in conference play and 11-4 for the season, and itāll be interesting to see if they can bounce back after this.
