Mick Cronin Named Semifinalist for Naismith Coach of Year Award
March 10, 2023 | Men's Basketball
ATLANTA โ Fourth-year UCLA head coach Mick Cronin has been named as one of 10 semifinalists for the 2023 Werner Ladder Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year Award, as announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club on Friday.
ย
Cronin, the Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach, has guided No. 2-ranked UCLA to a 28-4 overall record and the program's first Pac-12 regular-season championship since 2013. The Bruins are the No. 1 seed in this week's Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas and will take on No. 4-seed Oregon on Friday night in a semifinal contest.
ย
UCLA has engineered two double-digit winning streaks this season. The Bruins are currently riding an 11-game winning streak, after having lost back-to-back games in late January. Earlier this season, UCLA had recorded a 14-game winning streak, the program's longest such streak since winning 14 games in a row at the end of the 2007-08 basketball season.
ย
The Bruins currently rank No. 7 in the country in fewest points allowed per game (scoring defense, 60.4 ppg) and No. 7 in scoring margin (13.9 ppg). UCLA registered its first undefeated home record (at 17-0) since the 2006-07 team went 16-0 at home. The Bruins have compiled the nation's longest active home winning streak, currently at 25 games.
ย
Now in his 20th season as a college basketball head coach, Cronin was named the 2018 Sporting News National Coach of the Year while serving as head coach at his alma mater, the University of Cincinnati.
ย
The award's four finalists will be announced on Monday, March 20. The 2023 Werner Ladder Naismith Trophy for Men's Coach of the Year will be awarded on Sunday, April 2 during the NCAA Men's Final Four in Houston.
ย