UCLA has signed men's basketball head coach Mick Cronin to a new six-year contract that runs through the 2027-28 season, the school announced on Thursday.
The announcement comes as UCLA prepares to play in its second consecutive NCAA Tournament. The Bruins, who finished second in the Pac-12 with a 15-5 record this season, come into this year's tournament as a No. 4 seed in the East region with a 25-7 record. They will face No. 13 seed Akron on Thursday night in the first round.
Cronin was hired as UCLA's coach in 2019, guiding the Bruins' to back-to-back 20-plus-win seasons the last two years.
In three seasons as the Bruins' head coach, Cronin has compiled a 66-29 record. He helped lead UCLA to the Final Four last season for the first time since 2008, where the Bruins ultimately fell to Gonzaga 93-90.
"I believe we have created a culture of success and competitive greatness at UCLA," Cronin said in a statement. "I am totally committed to seeing this process through with the goal of becoming national champions and one of the elite programs in college basketball."
(Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Getty Images)
Why does this deal make sense for both sides?
Brian Hamilton, college basketball senior writer: It appears UCLA has a coach who can win and recruit at a high level. Or at least that's what the last couple years have told us about Cronin: A Final Four run last year, a top 10-level squad this year with a top-10 recruiting class coming for the 2022-23 season. So UCLA is smart to keep that guy around and more or less preempt advances from other schools with job openings.
Cronin, meanwhile, has the resources to pursue his first national championship. He's smart to stick around and try to see that through, and now he can assure recruits he's not going anywhere soon.
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What has made Cronin so successful at UCLA?
Hamilton: Pretty much what's made him successful elsewhere, only with better players. UCLA is patient — 341st in adjusted tempo last year, 260th in tempo this year — and Cronin has the Bruins guarding at a high level. It didn't happen immediately, it took a little time to evolve into it, but UCLA heads into the NCAA Tournament as a top-15 team in both offensive and defensive efficiency.
Can the Bruins make another Final Four run this year?
Hamilton: It's plausible. The aforementioned offensive and defensive balance is characteristic of Final Four teams. UCLA has stars in Jaime Jaquez Jr. and, if he can get in rhythm again, Johnny Juzang, and therefore it has the elite-level talents to make elite-level plays when needed along the way.
Of course it's not going to be easy as a No. 4 seed. A potential matchup with a grinding, veteran Saint Mary's team in the second round is treacherous. But the path was much more difficult last year. The Bruins are used to this.
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