Mick Cronin bluntly states 'losers have no clue why they lose'

Mick Cronin recognizes that coaching isn’t just about teaching his UCLA Bruins squad the intricacies of basketball but educating his players on what it takes to be a winner, as well.

Throughout his career, that’s something Cronin has grappled with, and it’s never been more prevalent since the onset of the NCAA Transfer Portal. Speaking with the media, Cronin elaborated on how difficult it is to change the pattern of behavior in transfer specifically.

He’s done it with a number of players, and in throughout UCLA’s current campaign, Eric Dailey and Tyler Bilodeau fit the bill. Since the duo arrived in Los Angeles from Oklahoma State and Oregon State respectively, Cronin has made it his mission to teach them what it means to win at the college level.

“Eric Dailey and Tyler [Bilodeau] for instance, that’s why they came here — they wanted to win,” Cronin stated. “You know, both had great relationships with their coaching staffs where they were, although Eric’s got replaced — but they wanted to win. It just takes time to build habits. It takes time. Defense, attention to detail, shot selection, taking care of the ball and rebounding — those are the things that determine victory. Not talent.

“I always say this, you know — winners know why they win, losers have no clue why they lose. Losers think that they lose because of talent. They blame their teammates, they blame their coach, they blame everything else. Winners know why they win. They’re tougher than the other team. They’re tough enough to take care of the ball on the road and impose their will on the other team. They’re tough enough to defend. They’re able to follow a game plan, take away a team’s strength. They know that’s what determines victory. Not, ‘Hey, we had a good night shooting,’ or, ‘We had a bad night shooting.’ So, it takes time for guys to understand that.”

All told, that’s a sound philosophy from Cronin, even if the Bruins have struggled at times over the course of the 2024-25 campaign. Still, they seem to be on the upswing, as they rebounded from four consecutive losses to win back-to-back games against Iowa and Wisconsin.

Perhaps that lends some credibility to Mick Cronin’s soliloquy on learning how to win. UCLA will look for win No. 3 in a row on Friday, as they travel to face Washington at 11:00 p.m. ET.