Did McDonald’s finally add a croissant-donut hybrid, or did UCLA hire a new Head Basketball Coach?
I am not one of those Dan Guerrero haters. I don’t make a habit of calling the portly Athletic Director “Donut Dan” like many others do. I’m much more interested in his struggles hiring a new Coach than his struggles counting and curtailing calories. So it’s my duty to explain that there is NO TRUTH to the rumor that someone recommended Cincinnati Head Coach Mick Cronin, and he thought they said “McCronut” so he said “Let’s do it!”
In general, I like Mick Cronin. His Bearcat teams have looked great — at least against UCLA — in the last couple of years, and are known for tenacious defense, which is exactly what has been missing in Westwood for the half-decade since Ben Howland was removed from his post.
Also on the plus side: He is not John Calipari, Rick Pitino, Larry Brown, Kelvin Sampson, or Bruce Pearl — all potential candidates with DIRTY hands and/or sleazy pasts. And, Cronin is not Earl Watson. As much as I may appreciate that Watson is a great Bruin, I do not want someone who has never Coached or recruited at this level. So Cronin has won at this level, gotten his team in the Top 25, reached the Tournament every year for almost a decade, and is only 47 years old. These are all pretty much “prerequisites” in my opinion.
But… there is still lots of downside to this choice: He’s not one of the top choices of the search committee — more like the 8th. And worse, he has never gone far in the NCAA Tournament. He has gotten to the Sweet 16 only once, and never any further. His last two teams have gotten eliminated after blowing huge leads — not a good sign that a Coach can coax clutch performances when it really matters.
However — I am not upset with the choice, and I am not convinced that he is doomed to fail. If he can recruit better than he did while a mid-major, then he can get something done at UCLA. If he can get 4-star players to commit to Defense, he could easily build the next UVA, right here in L.A.
Speaking of L.A., here are 69 more shots of cheerleaders from that other school in L.A….
from Saturday’s Swim with Mike Charity Fundraiser. By the way — it is not too late to donate to this worthy cause.
