UCLA's Mick Cronin Asked About Indiana Coaching Vacancy

For the second time in two home games, the visiting coach was asked about his interest in the Indiana job in the post game press conference. 

Dusty May was diplomatic in his answers to that line of questioning, expressing an admiration for the Indiana program while saying he was happy at Michigan. Notably, he did not say no to the job, and Michigan's plans to extend him, first reported last week, have not resulted in an extension. 

UCLA's Mick Cronin was more straightforward in his refusal to discuss his candidacy. 

"I would never comment on a coaching situation," Cronin said. "It would be wildly inappropriate, because I'm the son of a coach, and the way I look at it is that Mike Woodson's the coach of Indiana. That man's coaching this basketball team... I have tremendous respect for the kids and their team, and to me, no one should say anything that distracts them with that."

This type of response is not unheard of in such a situation, when potential candidates may view the outgoing coach as an active colleague entitled to a graceful exit from coaching. 

When pressed further though, Cronin did not shy away from how speculation about his own job security has informed his approach to coaching carousel discussions. 

"I would say some people might be happy because some people might be on [UCLA] boards wanting me fired. I mean, this is what you gotta understand in this business, and I'm being dead serious, your popularity rating when you're a coach, you have to check your ego."

Cronin, while still a viable candidate for any high major coaching vacancy, is coming off the least successful season as Bruins head coach. He reached a Final Four in his second season at UCLA, and followed it up with back-to-back Sweet Sixteen appearances. 

Last year though, he failed to reach the NCAA Tournament, and apparently felt the heat. He recognizes that he would face similar pressure at Indiana, a program with comparable tradition and expectations. 

"It's never gonna change. Like, the Yankees are always gonna be the Yankees. UCLA basketball, Indiana basketball is always gonna be (blue bloods). That's just the way it is, even though it's been since (1987 when Indiana last won a National Championship), it's still the Hoosiers."

Cronin appears to have the 2024-25 Bruins locked into the NCAA Tournament field, which should make him desirable again to UCLA fans. On the other hand, his comments could be a sign that he's not interested in a job like the Indiana job, where he'll be expected to be the second-coming of a legendary coach. 

"I know my mentality. I walk out here and I see Coach Knight, just like I walk out in my job and I see Coach Wooden. That's just what I see."