Mick Cronin reveals if he'd rather have talent or continuity on UCLA roster

Roster retention and continuity in college athletics has never been challenged more than it has during the transfer portal era. With players able to leave at the end of any season, it’s rare for programs to see the same roster each year.

This has impacted every sport, including college basketball at all levels, especially at the highest level. Touching on how he’s had to shift his mindset in this new age, UCLA head coach Mick Cronin was asked whether he’d choose continuity over talent on his roster. His answer may surprise some fans.

“If you’ve giving me a choice, I’ll always take talent. That doesn’t mean it’s important,” Cronin said. “You want to give the other guy three or four-year guys, but I got better players? I will always take talent.

“Continuity is irrelevant if you don’t have talent. You got both, you got Zakai Zeigler, right? And you got Zakai Zeigler. You’re running around with basically another coach on the court. He’s an hell of a player, too. I will always take talent, though, but both are important. There’s a lot of stuff that’s important.”

Zeigler spent four seasons at Tennessee where his steady presence has provided the continuity Cronin mentioned, as well as leadership as his team’s motor specifically in the past two seasons. Add in the fact that he’s the team’s second-leading scorer and averages the fifth most assists in the country — and he has the talent, too.

That’s rare to find in college basketball. For Cronin, four of his five players highest-scoring players during the 2024-25 season were all playing elsewhere in 2024. UCLA had just three players on its roster this year who have played multiple years of college basketball, and played their entire career for the Bruins.

That’s not a bad thing, and the Bruins have had success under Cronin in the past with transfer portal talent. Johnny Juzang, a Kentucky transfer, was a key piece to UCLA’s Final Four run during the 2021-22 season. That roster also featured the likes of Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Tyger Campbell, both of which played their entire college careers with UCLA.

UCLA was still able to have success under Cronin’s leadership this past season. The Bruins finished the season 23-1 1 overall during their first season in the Big Ten Conference. UCLA would go on earn a No. 7-seed in the NCAA Tournament where they would finish in the Round of 32 after a loss against Tennessee.