UCLA basketball have not had their best week, as they suffered their second-straight 20-point loss, this time to Michigan State. Head coach Mick Cronin noted after the last game that things would change, and he was not lying, as he ejected one of his own players.
As UCLA trailed 77-50 and 4:26 left in the game, Steven Jamerson II was called for a flagrant after fouling Carson Cooper on a dunk attempt. Cronin sent Jamerson to the locker room, and he did not return. After the game, Cronin explained why he ejected the center.
“You know, true toughness is how you compete and how you go to work every day. Steve's a good kid. He made a bad decision,” Cronin said via ESPN. “But if you want to be a tough guy, you need to do it during the game, for a blockout, for a rebound.
“So, I was thoroughly disappointed; the guy was defenseless in the air. I know Steve was trying to block the shot, but the game's a 25-point game. You don't do that.”
Head coach Tom Izzo was surprised that Cronin ejected his own player.
“I guess he upgraded that to a flagrant 2, huh?” Izzo said. “That's the first time I saw a coach do it, but that sounds like Mick. So, he'll get that straightened out.”
There's no doubt that Cronin has been disappointed in his team over the past two games, as they've lost consecutive games by 20-plus points for the first time since the 1944-45 season. It wouldn't be a surprise if Cronin decided to make more changes after this mini slide.
