Mick Cronin ponders why he should have to challenge UCLA players' manhood

UCLA head men’s basketball coach Mick Cronin doesn’t like to trash his own players, but he’s clearly not against it after an exhaustive rant following Tuesday night’s 94-75 home loss to No. 24 Michigan at Pauley Pavillion.

Following the loss, the 22nd-ranked Bruins’ third of its last four, Cronin went scorched Earth on his Bruins squad, calling his own players “delusional” and “soft.”

“It was embarrassing. So, what the truth of it has been, it’s really hard to coach people that are delusional,” Cronin said after the game. “The hungry dog gets the bone. We got guys that think they’re way better than they are. They’re nice kids. They’re completely delusional about who they are.”

When asked about what he told his team at halftime Tuesday, with UCLA trailing 47-47, Cronin questioned why its his responsibility to call out his players’ manhood, character and toughness.

“Why should I have to challenge your manhood and your character and your toughness? Why should I have to do that?” Cronin continued. “You can only do that so much, and right now, I don’t have a player … Like, Adem Bona last year would’ve been going crazy. The year before, Tyger (Campbell) and Jaime (Jaquez Jr.) and David (Singleton) for a couple of years. But we don’t have that guy.”

UCLA had just four players reach double figures in scoring while shooting a dismal 41.7-percent from the field, including 2-of-20 from 3-point range. It was worse in the last Saturday’s 66-58 loss at Nebraska, when the Bruins shot just 38.6-percent from the floor and 4-of-28 from 3 with just two double-digit scores.

UCLA (11-4, 2-2 Big Ten) next hits the road for a pair of Big Ten games at Maryland and Rutgers, before returning to Los Angeles on Jan. 17 against Iowa.

Stephen A. Smith defends Mick Cronin after coach called UCLA players ‘soft, delusional’

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith defended Cronin after the latter called his team soft and delusional following a blowout loss to Michigan.

“I don’t know much about Mick Cronin, let me say this: He can coach my team any day,” Smith said on First Take. “I loved what he said. I applaud this man. I’m looking at this guy right now. His career record as a coach is 491-228, that is a 68.3 winning percentage. At Murray State, where he started, he was 93-69. At Cincinnati, he was 296-147, that’s 66-percent winning percentage. At UCLA over the last several years, he is 126-57. That’s a 69-percent winning percentage. He has been to a Final Four. He has been to three Sweet 16s. Last year, they were like 16-17 and missed the NCAA tournament. This year, he is 11-4.

“What he is saying is, damn it, it ain’t good enough. I have expectations of excellence, and I’m seeing a team that are nice kids that can play, but they don’t want it bad enough, and I got a staff that’s letting them get away with it. That’s what he’s saying.” 

Cronin’s track record speaks for itself and that’s where Smith backed him up. Especially after a flat performance against Michigan.

Nick Kosko contributed to this report.