In Reply to: Do you wear kneepads ? posted by Rubik543 on February 16, 2026 at 13:29:29
There are a number of the Mick sychophants in this thread who are volume posters and consider CMC as capable of walking on water.
Every issue/controversy they discuss winds up firmly on CMC's side of the ledger after a subjective dismissal of any Cronin shortcomings. Often, the dismissal consists of something to the effect that anyone who criticizes the coach or the players has got to come from someone "who doesn't understand the game"...............Fin, like a gerbil pedaling on a wheel.
I don't know that we can do any better than the Mick. I do regard him as a certified solid D coach, over his 23 years, most definitely inclusive of Cincy & UCLA. But, as regards his O capabilities, when you look at his record at Cincy & UCLA, to proclaim him a high tier O game schemer on his never ending perimeter weave, I would ask the Mick fanboys to name one nationally-known hoops authority who would point to that as opposed to his well-earned D bona fides. I couldn't name a single solitary one designating him as an O guru.
Here are some more realities that said volume-posting sycophants will tapdance around:
1) CMC was nowhere near being among our top choices for head coach, as exemplified by his multi-decade HC tenure at Murray State & Cincy wherein his highwater mark was a single S16 in more than a decade and a half;
2) who is responsible for assembling the UCLA roster who CMC constantly pokes holes at?;
3) who is responsible for....................follow the bouncing ball....................having lost Mara AND having replaced him with a void rotation at the 5?
4) how in G-d's name can you post that Mara made a mistake in becoming the starting C at the #1 team in the nation and a national posterboy therein, with a straight face?;
5) The two most ball-centric positions in college hoops are generally PG and C......................ready?..................cuz here it comes........................in his 23 seasons as HC, including 7 at UCLA, what standouts at C and PG has CMC been able to successfully recruit. Now, I agree that Dent has displayed a solid floor game. However, name me one nationally known hoops observer who would stand in the line that says DD has, to put it mildly, exceeded consensus expectations. Think hard and, as a hint, don't look at ANY of his shooting stats. To repeat, what heralded PG or heralded C would play or would want to play under CMC's: "my way or the highway" plain Jane vanilla O schemes where, as he repeatedly says: "I don't care how many points you score as I'm looking for effort and grit on D.":
6) As to key games of great import to the Bruin Nation, how has the Mick won the hearts and minds of the UCLA fanbase with his 5-7 career record against the hoops black hole crosstown?
Final points:
1) there's a whole lot more I could add;
2) a college hoops game is 40 mins long, not this 20 or that 20;
3) I don't "hate" anyone here;
4) To repeat, I am not sure that we could successfully hire anyone superior to CMC, whose act I nonetheless admit is wearing thin...........