In his postgame interviews analyzing the play of his basketball team, UCLA coach Mick Cronin is spot on. The problem is that as the coach, his prime duty is to fix these identified shortcomings, not to blame his players for the mounting problems.
If NIL funds are lacking, discuss this with the wealthy donors. If the offense is to generate more points, he needs to devise a new scheme. Quality coaches are able to change their approaches on the fly. If Cronin is unable to get the Bruins back on the winning track, his status in Westwood needs to be reassessed. But I guess Martin Jarmond performed an assessment when he secretly extended Cronin’s contract.
Neal Rakov Santa Fe, N.M.
The great John Wooden passed almost 16 years ago but he still watches UCLA from heaven. After Tuesday’s bad loss to Wisconsin he turned to his first Bruins athletic director, Wilbur Johns, and asked “Did we really give Mick Cronin a five-year extension?”
When the Olympic gymnast put on her “Dancing with the Stars” routine in November during an otherwise humdrum matchup against Pepperdine at Pauley Pavilion, the Bruins drew 9,103 fans. It remains, by far, their largest crowd of the season.
Unfortunately, Chiles isn’t available for every game. That leaves her school in need of more realistic solutions for another season of lagging attendance for what’s supposed to be its marquee sport.
UCLA’s home average of 5,211 fans entering its game against Maryland on Saturday evening at Pauley Pavilion is ranked third to last among the 18 Big Ten teams, topping only Northwestern (4,886) and USC (4,280).
Among a litany of explanations, there are the usual (tickets are too expensive, students have been on winter break) and relatively new (the team is disappointing, the best nonconference games are being held as neutral-site fundraisers for name, image and likeness endeavors).
While it’s almost certain that attendance will rise as the Bruins (10-5 overall, 2-2 Big Ten) enter the heart of conference play — more than 10,000 fans are expected for a showdown against No. 5 Purdue later this month, and the crosstown rivalry game against USC isn’t until February — the team could use some additional solutions for a problem that has plagued it in recent years.
What can be done to get more people in the building?
“That’s a Martin Jarmond question,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said Friday, referring to the school’s athletic director. “You know, there’s only so many things I can worry about. I’ve been getting that [question] since my days at Murray State. Donors, fans, friends of mine come with ideas — marketing, tickets. They have whole divisions of the athletic department to worry about that.
“Imagine having to raise $10 million to pay your team and you have to do it because the athletic department fundraisers raise money for the athletic department. So I think I’ll leave the marketing up to the marketing department.”
UCLA coach Mick Cronin cheers on his team against Oregon at Pauley Pavilion on Dec. 6.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
As part of its new ticketing partnership with Elevate, UCLA continues to tweak its pricing strategy. The entities have begun implementing dynamic pricing that can be adjusted based on demand, though they remain constrained by a new process that will be improved into a more nimble operation in the future.
Some fans might simply be unwilling to pay the asking price to see a team that has fallen short of expectations.
Tickets on UCLA’s website for the Maryland game range from $24 for a corner seat in the upper deck to $310 for a seat at midcourt in the lower level. (Each seat also comes with an additional ticketing fee ranging from $7 to $35.50, depending on location.)
One could buy a midrange smartphone for what it costs to see the Bruins play Purdue in a prime seat. Those tickets range from $44.50 for a corner seat in the upper deck to $449.50 at midcourt in the lower level. A comparable lower-level midcourt seat to see the Lakers face Milwaukee on Friday at Crypto.com Arena could be found on StubHub for $505.
UCLA has mitigated the pricing issue with promotions such as “Fours Up Fridays,” which offered fans $4 tickets for three Friday nonconference games; $10 tickets for the Arizona State, Northwestern and Rutgers games; and mini-plans offering bundled tickets at a discounted rate. Students were offered free entry for nonconference games in addition to free food during games while school is in session and a student attendance challenge providing prizes based on attendance.
Part of the attendance problem in recent seasons has been a lack of exciting nonconference opponents. The Bruins’ most attractive nonconference games this season — against Arizona, Gonzaga and California — were held at neutral sites to raise NIL money for each team.
“Everybody in the country is doing what we’re doing, would you agree with that?” Cronin asked a reporter inquiring about bringing more enticing nonconference opponents to Pauley Pavilion.
Well, yes and no.
While neutral-site NIL games have indeed become a major trend, some schools have continued to play big-name nonconference opponents on their home court. Arizona played Auburn. Duke played Florida. Michigan played Villanova. Kansas played Connecticut.
UCLA’s most attractive nonconference home game was against Arizona State, which isn’t exactly a national brand. The game drew only 5,553.
“They’re a high-major team in the Big 12 and everybody said we’ve got to keep Pac 12 rivalries,” Cronin said of the Sun Devils. “But everybody else, everybody in the country has got to raise money and is playing neutral-site games — everybody. Unless you know some donors that want to give me $5 million to pay players, we’ve got no choice.”
Some additional promotions could entice fans in the weeks to come. UCLA is offering 7,500 fans a free John Wooden bobblehead for the Purdue game. There will be a white-out theme, including a free rally towel for all fans, against Indiana.
Ultimately, the easiest answer won’t cost a thing. As always, winning is the best promotion.
Etc.
Cronin said guard Skyy Clark, who has been sidelined since suffering a hamstring injury in the second half against Iowa last week, was considered doubtful to play against Maryland. … Cronin said everything was on the table to improve the team’s lackluster defense, including lineup changes, schematic changes and the possibility “we don’t practice offense the rest of the year.” … UCLA will honor Dodgers manager and former Bruins outfielder Dave Roberts as the honorary captain Saturday. A limited edition “Westwood Brothers” T-shirt featuring Roberts and Cronin together in a playful twist on the movie “Step Brothers” can be purchased with a $25 donation to Men of Westwood. Fans must email their receipt to menofwestwoodtickets@gmail.com before picking up the shirts on the north concourse during the game. Asked if he had seen his likeness on the shirt, Cronin said, with a chuckle: “Somebody told me it was awful.”
Facing an overmatched opponent that allowed him to freely tinker with his lineups, UCLA coach Mick Cronin tried plenty of mixing and matching Tuesday afternoon.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway was that a three-guard lineup might be the way to go after the continued struggles of centers Xavier Booker and Steven Jamerson II.
“We’ve got to find a way to play our best players and win, whoever they are, because it’s not Little League,” Cronin said after his team’s 97-65 victory over UC Riverside at Pauley Pavilion. “You’ve either got to give us some rebounding and defense or somebody else has got to play.”
The leading candidates for a larger role based on what happened against the Highlanders appear to be reserves Trent Perry, Jamar Brown and Brandon Williams.
Perry was a playmaking force with his scoring and smart passes. Brown did a little bit of everything in an energetic fashion. Williams showed plenty of toughness as the second big man in small lineups also featuring Tyler Bilodeau, who was an offensive juggernaut against a team that provided little defensive resistance.
“The biggest thing I care about is winning,” said Bilodeau, who finished with a career-high 34 points while making 12 of 19 shots to go with six rebounds. “So whatever we need to do to get that done.”
Cronin joked afterward that Bilodeau shouldn’t have missed any shots because he needlessly took fadeaway jumpers.
“They don’t double [team],” Cronin said of the Highlanders, “so I said, ‘Buddy, you’ve got one night here where they’re just going to let you keep dribbling until you shoot, so go have fun. Keep going at the rim until you score.’ ”
Guard Skyy Clark added 14 points to help UCLA (10-3) post its third consecutive victory going into an extended winter break. Forward Osiris Grady finished with 20 points for the Highlanders (6-8), who shot 42.6% to the Bruins’ 50%.
The game’s biggest revelations came off the UCLA bench. Perry might have been the biggest, running the offense at a high level while finishing with 14 points, seven assists and zero turnovers in 24 minutes. Cronin went with some lineups in the second half featuring Perry alongside starting point guard Donovan Dent (seven points and three assists in 19 minutes).
“Three-guard lineup, we’ve been pushing in transition a lot more,” Perry said. “I mean, we’re just finding the groove before Big Ten” play.
Brown contributed across the board, tallying four points, seven rebounds and four steals in 24 minutes.
UCLA guard Skyy Clark drives against UC Riverside guard De’Undrae Perteete Jr. during the Bruins’ win on Tuesday.
(Jan Lim / UCLA Athletics)
“A tremendous portal find,” Cronin said of the transfer from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. “Great toughness. He’s a winning player.”
Williams’ biggest factor was his defense during a performance in which he had three points, one rebound and one steal in 18 minutes. The big question was whether he was providing more than the player whose spot he took.
Booker finished with six points and one rebound in 13 minutes, unfurling a second consecutive subpar showing after being limited to three minutes against Cal Poly because of matchups. Jamerson played only seven choppy minutes, once being yanked after an 11-second stint because of an inability to keep the Highlanders from reaching the rim with ease.
“Got to get better,” Cronin said of his centers. “I just talked to them about that.”
UC Riverside repeatedly made the mistake of leaving Bilodeau open in the first half and the forward made the Highlanders regret their decision by making five of nine shots on the way to 13 points. After having been UCLA’s primary center last year, Bilodeau said he was happy to go back to that role if that’s what his coach needed.
“Tyler would probably tell you he gets more open shots when he’s playing the five,” Cronin said, “because the other team’s five man is guarding him.”
Cronin said the issue that arises when going small is the need to be an elite offensive team — territory the Bruins might be approaching. Their offensive efficiency is ranked No. 27 nationally by the metrics of basketball analyst Ken Pomeroy, their best since they were No. 21 during the 2022-23 season that ended in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament after season-ending injuries to Jaylen Clark and Adem Bona.
If this is the best version of the Bruins, Cronin appeared ready to roll with it.
“All that matters is who you become, not in the last game or the game previous to that, so we’re on a search,” Cronin said. “Just like every team, it’s not who you are now, it’s who you are at the end and can you get enough wins along the way?”
