UCLA basketball coach Mick Cronin is offering his opinion about why his school is doing well in the transfer portal. Cronin says UCLA is able to offer a strong financial package to prospective players.
“Our NIL grew exponentially,” Cronin said, per the Los Angeles Times. “All you have to do is look at our recruiting class this year versus last year.” Cronin is referring to the infamous name, image and likeness platform that athletes can use to make money.
The Bruins are trying to rebound from one of the worst seasons in recent program history. UCLA had a rare losing season in 2023-24, finishing the campaign with a 16-17 record.
What is changing at UCLA for the upcoming season
The Bruins are taking an aggressive approach in the transfer portal this offseason, to build the team into winners again. The Bruins snagged six transfers, including former USC guard Kobe Johnson. UCLA basketball also has four stars transfers Tyler Bilodeau and Eric Dailey, who are both big men that should make an impact. The Bruins clearly went out and got talent.
“I know you’re going to ask me, are we the Dodgers? Where do we line up?” Cronin added. “It’s tough to say because the way things are now, you don’t know. You only can guess because say I beat you for a recruit, you’re going to tell everybody, ‘Oh, he gave him $1 million.’ It used to be, ‘Oh, they cheated.’ Now it’s, ‘Well, they gave him $1 million. They gave him $1.5 million.’ Well, I can tell you, nobody [on the team] got $1 million.”
The team will need that talent. UCLA basketball is making their maiden voyage this season in a new conference. The team is in the Big Ten, after serving as a member of the Pac-12 for decades. USC, Oregon and Washington are joining UCLA in their new league. The Big Ten is going to be loaded, as there will be multiple schools with competitive rosters.
One of the assets UCLA has is their history. The program has won multiple national championships, under coaches John Wooden and Jim Harrick. The Bruins have 11 national championships, the most of any NCAA men's basketball program. Wooden won 10 of those titles.
There's pressure on Cronin to win another at the school. Cronin got close in 2021. The Bruins made a run to the Final Four; the first time Cronin ever went to that round as a coach in the NCAA tournament. It was the only time the school has been to a Final Four in the last 15 years. Cronin believes this roster is as good as he has had at UCLA.
“If we need to play small, we can play small and good luck trying to put your big guy on him,” Cronin added, speaking about his center Bilodeau.
UCLA basketball faces USC, Oregon and Washington twice this season. The Bruins also play all of the Big Ten's other teams once. In non conference action, UCLA will play North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic on December 21.
Follow Us
Subscribe
