UCLA Introduces Mick Cronin at Press Conference
April 10, 2019 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES – UCLA formally welcomed Mick Cronin as The Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach on Wednesday morning during a press conference in Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom.
Director of Athletics Dan Guerrero introduced Cronin, who spoke to a room full of media members and invited guests before answering questions and greeting guests. Cronin, who graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 1997, has served as Cincinnati's head coach the past 13 seasons. He was announced as the 14th head coach in program history on Tuesday morning.
"To be named the head basketball coach not only at John Wooden's program and UCLA but to be named the head basketball coach at the world's foremost, number one public institution is an unbelievable and incredible honor," Cronin said. "So, I am overwhelmed a little bit. But trust me, I'm prepared."
Cronin has recorded a 365-171 record in 16 seasons as a collegiate head coach – 13 years at Cincinnati and three seasons at Murray State. He has led his teams to 11 NCAA Tournaments in 16 years, and is one of just six head coaches in the nation to have guided his team to the NCAA Tournament the past nine seasons (along with Mark Few of Gonzaga, Tom Izzo of Michigan State, Mike Krzyzewski of Duke, Bill Self of Kansas and Roy Williams of North Carolina).
In 2018, Cronin was named the Sporting News National Coach of the Year. He was also a semifinalist for the 2018 Naismith Trophy National Coach of the Year award. Cronin currently leads the nation for most NCAA Division I victories (365) among active coaches under the age of 50.
A native of Cincinnati, Cronin helped bring about a considerable rebirth of Cincinnati's basketball program, built upon toughness, tenacious defense and an all-out effort. His teams at Cincinnati have ranked as one of just two in the nation (along with Virginia) to be listed in the nation's top 25 in scoring defense each of the past seven seasons.
"This is not a hard decision," Cronin said on Wednesday. "You've got to embrace it and you only live once. What an opportunity for myself and for my family, who is here today."
Most recently, Cronin led Cincinnati's 2018-19 squad to a 28-7 overall record and the AAC Tournament title. Despite losing AAC Player of the Year Gary Clark (Houston Rockets), Jacob Evans III (Golden State Warriors) and Kyle Washington (NBA G League), the Bearcats proved the naysayers wrong by winning 13 of their final 16 conference games to finish second in the conference's regular-season standings. Behind Jarron Cumberland, Cincinnati's second AAC Player of the Year recipient in as many years, the Bearcats clawed out 11 victories by five points or fewer before securing back-to-back league tournament titles for the first time since 1995 and 1996.