In Reply to: well said, ej posted by barrya on April 20, 2025 at 08:15:12
Let me start by saying that I genuinely value your opinions. Most of the time, I think we’re actually on the same page. That said, I’ve noticed that on this board, when posters disagree, tone often gets inferred where it wasn’t intended, and the conversation can spiral into arguments. I’m not someone who enjoys arguing—especially not online—but I do believe respectful, healthy debate is a great thing.
With that in mind, I do think parts of your post are off—not necessarily because of you, but more so because of the sources you’re relying on. Some of those sources have been directly contradicted by the primary source himself. There’s no credible evidence that an agreement was in place before Mara went back to Spain. In fact, quite the opposite seems to be true. When Bolch asked the key players if they were returning, most said yes. Mara said something along the lines of, “I don’t know, I have a lot to think about.” He reaffirms that again in this more recent piece.
He also states he didn’t start speaking with Michigan until after informing Cronin. Now, sure—he has every reason to frame things in a way that supports his side of the story. But unless Cronin or someone from UCLA comes out and directly refutes that, I don’t see any strong reason not to believe Mara’s version. Bolch went through that BRO report and Mara laid out what was accurate and what wasn’t. Honestly, there are just so many issues with how that site reported on the situation that I’m not sure how anyone can take it as solid fact.
For example, the claim that Mara was upset about not being the focal point due to Dent’s arrival doesn’t really hold up. Mara himself said his concerns were about playing time and how he was used—reasonable concerns. But to make the leap from that to “he was upset about Dent” feels like lazy or speculative reporting.
I’ll admit I come into this with my own biases. I’ve always had questions about the credibility of that site—mainly due to one particular reporter. And based on what I’ve seen both here and elsewhere, it seems like a lot of the more dramatic narratives around this situation are coming from that same individual. It only reinforces my previous skepticism.
One more thing to add, not addressed in your post but a point of contention. On the topic of Mara being seen as the “second coming,” I think it’s easy to get lumped in with a group of fans who truly believed his presence alone would have dramatically changed the season—maybe even to the point of contending for a championship. That’s not where I stand. If anyone goes back through my posts, they’ll see I’ve been critical of Mara before. I distinctly remember saying he was being abused at one point.
To be clear: I don’t expect Mara to be All-Conference. But I do believe he’ll be MORE than serviceable, and I wholeheartedly think the 2024-25 team would’ve been better had he played more.
That said, I don’t even blame Cronin at this point. He didn’t think Mara fit into what he was trying to do, and as head coach, that’s his prerogative. But the reverse is also true—Mara has every right to seek out a coach who believes in him and is willing to use him in a way that maximizes his potential.
I’m genuinely excited to see how it plays out for both sides. At this point, it looks like Mara has found a situation that fits what he was looking for. I’m just not convinced Cronin has found players who can give him what Mara potentially could have.