Mick Cronin Enters Make or Break Year at UCLA

Mick Cronin is entering his eighth season as UCLA’s head coach, and after last year’s disappointing performance, his job security is becoming a legitimate question.

Entering last season, the Bruins were ranked 12th in the country in the preseason AP Poll. They were never able to meet those expectations, finishing the year well short of where the program anticipated being.

Mar 22, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) reacts UConn Huskies in the first half during a second round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Poor Development?

Cronin’s ability to attract talent to UCLA has not been the issue. The concern is what happens once those players arrive on campus. One of the more notable transfer portal additions was Donovan Dent, who was expected to step in as the Bruins’ primary scoring option. Dent did not live up to that billing in his one season at UCLA.

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As a junior at New Mexico, he averaged over 20 points per game while shooting 49 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range. While the Big Ten is a significantly tougher conference than the Mountain West, his production dropped sharply, as he shot just 40 percent from the field and 25 percent from three-point range as a Bruin.

Michigan Wolverines center Aday Mara (15) celebrates the team’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament national championship victory Monday, April 6, 2026, after defeating the UConn Huskies 69-63 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Then there is the case of Aday Mara. Mara went on to have a spectacular season at Michigan, helping lead the Wolverines to a national championship and positioning himself as a potential top-10 pick in the NBA Draft. Mara was viewed as a developmental prospect when he arrived from Spain, which makes his departure and subsequent rise elsewhere a difficult look for…

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Publish date : 2026-05-14 12:00:00

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