UCLA Basketball: Reflecting on the head coach search

The UCLA Basketball Bruins will start a new chapter in 2019 after a search for a new head coach that was certainly an interesting one.

Mick Cronin is the guy. The dust has settled in Westwood for now so let’s break it all down and discuss what it means for the UCLA Basketball Bruins moving forward.

There is a lot to reflect on from UCLA’s recent head basketball coach search. Virtually every name was mentioned as a possibility to come to Westwood. Everyone from John Calipari to Earl Watson was named as a possibility to replace the recently departed Steve Alford.

UCLA and their hiring team went to work all across the nation to look for their next head coach. Reportedly, UCLA was willing to give a ton of money to both Calipari and Jay Wright to leave their prospective positions to take over UCLA. Both declined with Calipari, in particular, receiving a “lifetime” deal to stay with the University of Kentucky.

In recent years, UCLA has been used as leverage for other coaches looking to extend their current deals and to make more money. The four letters used to sell itself to recruits and coaches alike.

That is just not the case anymore as evident by this strange, embarrassing coaching search. UCLA is better than this.

Rick Barnes even turned the job down and the 75-degree weather to stay at Tennessee. Not to mention, the debacle with TCU’s Jaime Dixon. UCLA was unwilling to pay out his buyout yet was basically writing a blank check to Calipari and Wright.

I understand that Calipari and Wright are championship-winning coaches and are arguably the top two coaches in the country but the administration decided that Dixon wasn’t worth paying the buyout.

I personally never understood the Jaime Dixon fit to begin with. He is one of Ben Howland’s “guys” but UCLA fired Howland after three straight Final Four appearances. The alumni and fans are confused about the direction of the program.

UCLA finally ended up hiring their 15th choice in Mick Cronin. He is an excellent coach and led Cincinnati to multiple tournament appearances. He has done a lot with very little at UC. His teams are disciplined and play hard.

UCLA is in desperate need of that right about now. Coach Cronin comes into a tricky situation with UCLA. After an ugly coaching search, he is tasked with bringing UCLA back to relevance in the national picture. Winning Pac-12 Championships is not going to cut it.

He needs to build this program back up to compete for National Championships. Yes, UCLA is not what it once was when John Wooden was walking the sidelines, but they have the resources and talent pool to be successful.

Cronin will get about a 3-4 year window to turn this program around. Otherwise, the UCLA Basketball program will be in the same situation as it was this time around. Stay tuned.