Post by mhbruin on Apr 5, 2021 9:37:20 GMT -8
Responding to his team’s weak defensive effort in an ugly loss to Cal State Fullerton at Pauley Pavilion on Dec. 28, 2019, Cronin told players they couldn’t wear practice jerseys bearing the UCLA name. They hadn’t earned the privilege of wearing those letters, hadn’t shown the humility and team-first mentality to lift the program back into the national conversation.
Mick Cronin is the coach to finally bring the John Wooden way back to UCLA
It should be noted that, on the weekend we celebrate a resurrection, UCLA’s basketball program was doing the same thing.
Often in sports, it is not the result that matters as much as the circumstances of that result. When Gonzaga, unbeaten and heavily favored, tossed in a 40-foot shot in the last tick of overtime to beat and shock the Bruins, there was victory in that defeat. It meant that the Bruins were just as good as the top college basketball team in the country. They were just less fortunate.
One can only imagine John Wooden, sitting on a bench somewhere in heaven, rolled-up game program in his hand, nodding and mumbling, “OK, maybe we can get back to where we were.”
Mick Cronin is leading UCLA's return to national prominence
"The way they play as a team with so much heart, it's inspiring and makes us proud," said Camarillo, California, resident Jaime Jáquez Sr., the father of star guard Jaime Jáquez Jr., prior to Saturday's game. Jáquez Sr. grew up a UCLA fan before his son committed to the program.
"Oh my, that (game) was so crazy," said UCLA fan Kevin Reisler, 50, of La Palma, after Saturday's game. "They fought so hard."
UCLA men's basketball is here to stay in the national equation under Mick Cronin
The Ignite, a development squad affiliated with the G League featuring elite NBA draft-eligible players, had a roster full of teenagers who all could’ve been standouts at the tournament — had they chosen the college route. Jalen Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Daishen Nix and Isaiah Todd were all coveted five-star recruits.
Elite basketball players find paths to NBA besides NCAA
If it’s any consolation, these same Bruins could be a sight to behold for six more months starting in the fall.
No one has to go from the roster that sparked so much joy over this NCAA tournament before eyes were dabbed over a 40-footer that Gonzaga banked in at the overtime buzzer
UCLA could run it back for another special season if everyone returns
Among the more visible UCLA fans on social media was Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman, the former No. 1 overall draft pick whose No. 8 jersey was retired by the Bruins.
“I couldn't be prouder of them,” Aikman said by phone Sunday of the basketball team. “I speak for all UCLA fans in that way.
Troy Aikman says UCLA proved it belonged in Final Four: 'I couldn't be prouder'
His Bruins lost a heartbreaker Saturday, when Gonzaga's Jalen Suggs hit a game-winning three-pointer in overtime that would send the Bulldogs to Monday's national championship game and ended UCLA's magical March run. It was just the latest of six buzzer-beaters involving the Bruins in Cronin's two-year Westwood tenure.
Here's a look at the thrillers.
Six buzzer-beaters during UCLA coach Mick Cronin's two-year tenure
Who Is Vegas Rooting For?
When UCLA fired Steve Alford midway through the 2018-19 season, missed the NCAA Tournament and then stumbled through a coaching search that saw a handful of high-profile candidates shy away from the gig, the Bruins could have disintegrated into a roster management disaster.
UCLA's memorable Final Four run shows Bruins are on the right track under Mick Cronin
UCLA students who burned couches and took to the streets of Westwood following the men’s basketball team’s overtime loss to Gonzaga in a national semifinal game of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament are facing a potential punishment from the court system and the university Sunday.
Two men were taken into police custody Saturday night in Westwood. The Daily Bruin reported that UCLA students were setting fire to chairs on Roebling Avenue at about 9 p.m. The students then walked south on Kelton Avenue but were blocked by police at Strathmore Drive, near Veteran Avenue, according to the Daily Bruin.
They should know better
5 reasons why Gonzaga-UCLA was the greatest college basketball game ever
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Even though Iowa got knocked out of the second round of the NCAA Tournament, many people in the state found a new team to cheer for in the tournament. That team was UCLA, and it wasn’t just because the Bruins were the Cinderella story of the tournament, but mainly because of Tyger Campbell.
Campbell, a redshirt sophomore guard, was born and raised in Cedar Rapids. His dad, Tony, played basketball at Regis High School and was an all-state player in 1993. His mother, Jennifer, is a Cedar Rapids Washington graduate. He also has several relatives that still live in the Cedar Rapids area.
“I have 14 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren,” said Tyger’s grandmother, Patricia Krekeler. “Tyger’s always been special to me. I was there when he was born.”
“Cedar Rapids is a special place for us,” said Tony Campbell, Tyger’s father. “A lot of milestones have happened there. For Tyger to rep Cedar Rapids is a big deal.”
UCLA guard Tyger Campbell brings Cedar Rapids connection to Final Four
Mick Cronin is the coach to finally bring the John Wooden way back to UCLA
It should be noted that, on the weekend we celebrate a resurrection, UCLA’s basketball program was doing the same thing.
Often in sports, it is not the result that matters as much as the circumstances of that result. When Gonzaga, unbeaten and heavily favored, tossed in a 40-foot shot in the last tick of overtime to beat and shock the Bruins, there was victory in that defeat. It meant that the Bruins were just as good as the top college basketball team in the country. They were just less fortunate.
One can only imagine John Wooden, sitting on a bench somewhere in heaven, rolled-up game program in his hand, nodding and mumbling, “OK, maybe we can get back to where we were.”
Mick Cronin is leading UCLA's return to national prominence
"The way they play as a team with so much heart, it's inspiring and makes us proud," said Camarillo, California, resident Jaime Jáquez Sr., the father of star guard Jaime Jáquez Jr., prior to Saturday's game. Jáquez Sr. grew up a UCLA fan before his son committed to the program.
"Oh my, that (game) was so crazy," said UCLA fan Kevin Reisler, 50, of La Palma, after Saturday's game. "They fought so hard."
UCLA men's basketball is here to stay in the national equation under Mick Cronin
The Ignite, a development squad affiliated with the G League featuring elite NBA draft-eligible players, had a roster full of teenagers who all could’ve been standouts at the tournament — had they chosen the college route. Jalen Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Daishen Nix and Isaiah Todd were all coveted five-star recruits.
Elite basketball players find paths to NBA besides NCAA
If it’s any consolation, these same Bruins could be a sight to behold for six more months starting in the fall.
No one has to go from the roster that sparked so much joy over this NCAA tournament before eyes were dabbed over a 40-footer that Gonzaga banked in at the overtime buzzer
UCLA could run it back for another special season if everyone returns
Among the more visible UCLA fans on social media was Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman, the former No. 1 overall draft pick whose No. 8 jersey was retired by the Bruins.
“I couldn't be prouder of them,” Aikman said by phone Sunday of the basketball team. “I speak for all UCLA fans in that way.
Troy Aikman says UCLA proved it belonged in Final Four: 'I couldn't be prouder'
His Bruins lost a heartbreaker Saturday, when Gonzaga's Jalen Suggs hit a game-winning three-pointer in overtime that would send the Bulldogs to Monday's national championship game and ended UCLA's magical March run. It was just the latest of six buzzer-beaters involving the Bruins in Cronin's two-year Westwood tenure.
Here's a look at the thrillers.
Six buzzer-beaters during UCLA coach Mick Cronin's two-year tenure
Who Is Vegas Rooting For?
When UCLA fired Steve Alford midway through the 2018-19 season, missed the NCAA Tournament and then stumbled through a coaching search that saw a handful of high-profile candidates shy away from the gig, the Bruins could have disintegrated into a roster management disaster.
UCLA's memorable Final Four run shows Bruins are on the right track under Mick Cronin
UCLA students who burned couches and took to the streets of Westwood following the men’s basketball team’s overtime loss to Gonzaga in a national semifinal game of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament are facing a potential punishment from the court system and the university Sunday.
Two men were taken into police custody Saturday night in Westwood. The Daily Bruin reported that UCLA students were setting fire to chairs on Roebling Avenue at about 9 p.m. The students then walked south on Kelton Avenue but were blocked by police at Strathmore Drive, near Veteran Avenue, according to the Daily Bruin.
They should know better
5 reasons why Gonzaga-UCLA was the greatest college basketball game ever
-----------
Even though Iowa got knocked out of the second round of the NCAA Tournament, many people in the state found a new team to cheer for in the tournament. That team was UCLA, and it wasn’t just because the Bruins were the Cinderella story of the tournament, but mainly because of Tyger Campbell.
Campbell, a redshirt sophomore guard, was born and raised in Cedar Rapids. His dad, Tony, played basketball at Regis High School and was an all-state player in 1993. His mother, Jennifer, is a Cedar Rapids Washington graduate. He also has several relatives that still live in the Cedar Rapids area.
“I have 14 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren,” said Tyger’s grandmother, Patricia Krekeler. “Tyger’s always been special to me. I was there when he was born.”
“Cedar Rapids is a special place for us,” said Tony Campbell, Tyger’s father. “A lot of milestones have happened there. For Tyger to rep Cedar Rapids is a big deal.”
UCLA guard Tyger Campbell brings Cedar Rapids connection to Final Four