UCLA's Mick Cronin’s Message After Beating Washington

Hannes Steinbach was easily the biggest factor in why this game was so close. He had an amazing 29 points and 10 rebounds, while shooting a very solid 11-12.

They got real players. They got a first-round draft pick. I've been doing this now. Guy's a first-round draft pick. Guy's got 29 and 10. Yeah, he's got 29 and 10 in 32 minutes. Three assists, one steal. So, great win for us. Obviously, we would like to put him away.Mick Cronin on Steinbach

Cronin on Eric Dailey Jr's Performance

After a very solid showing against Cal, we expected Eric Dailey Jr to follow that up with another good outing against Washington. It was clear that this was not Dailey Jr's night; the only non-zero in his stat line tonight was the 16 minutes he played. This is what Cronin had to say about it:

Eric, foul trouble really took him out of the flow. You know, got his third immediately, got his fourth immediately. He's got to grow out of that because we really need him. So, basically, you're playing without Trent and Eric tonight, so too many minutes for some guysMick Cronin on Eric Dailey Jr

Cronin on the Impressive Guard Play

Both Skyy Clark and Donovan Dent had good outings against Washington. Clark was able to score 25, and Dent with 17. This is exactly the performance Cronin was hoping to get versus Washington.

Donnie [Donovan Dent] and Skyy [Skyy Clark] tonight played like real quarterbacks. So, not only did they score, but they got him [Tyler Bilodeau] the ball when we needed to get him the ball when he had the advantage.Mick Cronin on Guard Play

Mick Cronin on Donovan Dent's Early Struggles

Something that has really hurt UCLA recently has been Donovan Dent's slow start. While he has been good in the playmaking department, his scoring has really hurt him this season. However, he did take a step in the right direction. Here is what Cronin had to say:

Yeah, he's digging himself out with effort and practice. You know, coming home, you know, so much expected of him then. And then getting an oblique injury at the same time gets a foot injury, gets off to a bad start, and feels the weight of the world on his shoulders. My job to help him through it....you just got to fight through it, buddyMick Cronin on Donovan Dent

Overall, this was a pretty good press conference from a normally upset Mick Cronin. The key takeaway from this presser is that the Bruins have ways to go, but they are getting on the right path, and that is something to look forward to.