College Sports (Basketball)
College sports bill already in trouble..
He is not wrong.
So FN rich of that guy talking accountability.
The next time that guy looks in the mirror will be his first time.
Thanks for the laugh.
The next time that guy looks in the mirror will be his first time.
Thanks for the laugh.
He's not wrong....he's an a$$. Both things are true. Mostly just an a$$.
I can see how you can make that call. For some strange reason I like the guy! Speaks his mind! And to add to it…. glad we have Brad!
Brad really understands communication as a spokesperson and head coach. We sometimes joke about it, but he's good at being genuine, an advocate, but also staying in his lane. He's elite!For some strange reason I like the guy! Speaks his mind! And to add to it…. glad we have Brad!
Coaching is a strange profession in how coded the language is. There's a lot they don't talk about to stay out of trouble or say almost nothing meaningful to avoid offending some constituency. It's refreshing to hear coaches speak out, but I get why they don't or water down their thoughts. Cronin isn't going to solve the AAU issue, and if wanted to, there are probably better ways for him to do it than venting in a press conference. Still, he's not wrong and maybe saying it out loud makes a difference.
Cronin wants to be a taskmaster. He has a little man's complex. It's not working in 2026.
Cronin's won nothing as a coach. Yet, he'll try to brag about his own accolades. Never once mentioning the players. When things go wrong....it's always the players. Never ever him.
How about someone ask him about Mara? Mara who he didn't give the time of day in 2 years. The Mara that was the biggest disruptor in NCAA basketball, a national champion and a Top 10 NBA draft pick less than a year after leaving the little man for a program with a coach that knows how to maximize his players and create an environment that players want to be in.
How about someone ask him about Donovan Dent? Who suddenly retired from basketball entirely after a year with Cronin.
The one thing Cronin had right? He doesn't belong in the same breath as Izzo. Not even the same book. A joke he even mentioned Izzo in his sad lame attempt to try to put himself over.
College basketball will be better the day Cronin is gone.
Cronin's won nothing as a coach. Yet, he'll try to brag about his own accolades. Never once mentioning the players. When things go wrong....it's always the players. Never ever him.
How about someone ask him about Mara? Mara who he didn't give the time of day in 2 years. The Mara that was the biggest disruptor in NCAA basketball, a national champion and a Top 10 NBA draft pick less than a year after leaving the little man for a program with a coach that knows how to maximize his players and create an environment that players want to be in.
How about someone ask him about Donovan Dent? Who suddenly retired from basketball entirely after a year with Cronin.
The one thing Cronin had right? He doesn't belong in the same breath as Izzo. Not even the same book. A joke he even mentioned Izzo in his sad lame attempt to try to put himself over.
College basketball will be better the day Cronin is gone.
Maybe I’d buy this if the broader point was on the portal and NIL.
But everytime a coach or analyst says something like this, I feel like there’s a segment of bball fans who automatically agree and it comes off as very “my generation was better”.
Yes, there is more Europeans, but that’s mostly due to basketball becoming more of a global sport. I think the competition and level of play is only growing - at all levels across the world.
Every all American was American (all Americans
) born this cycle - and it’s widely considered one of the best draft classes ever - and all those guys are American players.
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BU said the other day that NIL is great. But the portal needs fixed. And I agree*. Coaches and professional athletes in every other league are bound by their contracts. Right now there is no device in place to regulate player movement and the result is unsustainable and chaotic.
*Actually, as a fan I kinda hate NIL but concede that it's probably the most ethical and just way forward for the sport.
I know this is a sound bite and there may be additional context, but continuing to complain about this is really lame IMO. Mick Cronin (and other coaches) is equally if not more accountable as a CBB recruiter and a coach as the "system" he is referring to is (in which he is a part of).
It feels like coaches you hear complaining about this year after year are the same coaches who underperform year after year. I don't recall Tier 1 coaches complaining about it, just recruiting around it (as they should).
It's like buying a luxury car that has very well-published mechanical issues, and then complaining about it after you buy it. The purchase is between two parties pal, and no one tricked you into buying the car. It says right there in JD Power that the Lexus won't fail you, yet you went with the Range Rover with well-documented crappy air suspension and electrical issues.
when you underachieve, it's a lot easier to blame the players. But be careful, you can't just blame YOUR players, because that implies it could be your fault for recruiting them in the first place. It's imperative you say ALL American players so you have no choice.
Throw in European players for good measure as examples of players you want, and hope everyone forgets you totally fudged up Mara and Buyuktuncel, and you got a great argument!
Be curious what he has in mind. I think the calendar is pretty bad, but I get that coaches want those rosters in place quickly, and that pushes the pressure towards movement as early as possible. I don't see any way the sport stops the big dogs from poaching from the smaller conferences, all day and twice on Sunday.
Illwinsagain
- Cary, IL
The impression I got was the annual free for all of the portal. Go to something like 1 free move, or if your head coach leaves. Though, I think that the courts may overturn any type of restriction, as they have in the past.
I agree that the guy is a pompous, angry gnome, but to say that he's won nothing isn't right. Only three losing seasons in a 23 year career. His teams have made the tournament 15 of the past 16 years. Three Sweet Sixteens and a Final Four. Four conference titles. Come on, now.
Prep recruiting is tough enough. I wouldn't want my coach criticizing the people who often have the most leverage is funneling players to particular programs. Especially, if my coach had only been to the Sweet 16, 4 times in 22 years...
If you are Self, Pitino, or the like, say whatever you want... Mick Cronin? He's stepping on toes he doesn't have big enough shoes to step on.
RabidDawgClassic
- Los Angeles, CA
The most ethical way forward is making the players employees and having them form a collective bargaining unit. That would solve the transfer portal problem because it would get players into binding multi-year contracts. But as of right now, the universities would rather have donors foot the bill and accept the chaos that comes with it.
I doubt making them employees would solve the NIL problem, however. Players could still sign outside endorsement deals, whether legitimate or disguised as recruiting incentives.
Hessel Blvd
stop listening to sleepers
- the desert
Cronin is mediocre coach and bad for college basketball. Don't know what's going on out there in UCLA, not sure how he has a job. I hope the UCLA basketball brand recovers from what he is doing to it someday.
Just another unfortunate victim of 18-year-olds that don't want it enough... honestly I feel bad for the guy, kids these days...
I've never heard anything against Painter. I'd have Bo Ryan on that list other than he retired ~5 years ago.
Hessel Blvd
stop listening to sleepers
- the desert
yeah he's a big time victim...
Tell us how you really feel about Cronin