Nov 11, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin during the first half against the Boston University Terriers at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Where UCLA's Cronin Ranks Among Big Ten Coaches

Originally posted on UCLA Bruins on SI | By Connor Moreno | Last updated Aug 5, 2025 8:00 AM ET

The UCLA Men's Basketball season is still a ways away, but that doesn't shadow the anticipation of the Bruins going into this season.

Under head coach Mick Cronin, UCLA is primed to make a deep run in this year's NCAA Tournament. Few coaches can recover after a disappointing loss in last year's tournament like Cronin did by bolstering his squad through the transfer portal. For that reason, and many others, he is regarded as one of the best coaches in the Big Ten Conference.

On3 Sports' James Fletcher III released a ranking of the top 10 coaches in the conference, and Cronin was ranked fifth behind Purdue's Matt Painter, Michigan State's Tom Izzo, Michigan's Dusty May and Illinois' Brad Underwood. Here's what Fletcher had to say about Cronin ahead of the season:

"Mick Cronin continues to operate as one of college basketball’s most fiery personalities, working to build the UCLA program to the level he wants it on a consistent basis. His track record speaks for itself, with plenty successful runs which he must now turn into a consistent string of seasons.

"As the roster-building quickly swings back to where it should be after a hole two seasons ago, there is no reason to believe they should slide anywhere in the Big Ten. However, with big investment from rival programs comes a challenge of holding on."

UCLA Primed For Deeper Run Behind Transfer Guard

No player in college basketball's transfer portal raised his new team's ceiling quite like New Mexico transfer point guard Donovan Dent did to the Bruins.

Not only did he raise Cronin's squad's ceiling, he impressed a ton of national media pundits, including CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein, who came away from his Westwood visit thoroughly impressed and lamented Dent as one of Cronin's best point guards ever.

"Mick Cronin has been coaching a long time, but he has never had a point guard as a head coach with the ceiling and passing capabilities of New Mexico transfer, Donovan Dent," Rothstein said in his reaction to UCLA on X (formerly Twitter). "[Dent] might be pound-for-pound, inch-for-inch, a top two point guard in college basketball in 25-26, along with Purdue's Braden Smith."

Dent addresses a major issue Cronin's Bruins had (especially) down the stretch of last season -- offensive efficiency and creation. Bowing out of the NCAA Tournament in the second round to Tennessee, Cronin new exactly what needed to be addressed and he found the perfect solution in the SoCal kid.

After finishing their first season in the Big Ten Conference with a 23-11 record UCLA's trajectory is looking up for next season.

This article first appeared on UCLA Bruins on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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