University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Press Conference Quotes – UCLA at Selection Sunday
UCLA's Selection Sunday, Press Conference
Los Angeles, Calif. (Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom)
March 16, 2025
Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men’s Head Basketball Coach
opening statement
“We’re excited. Obviously, we’re excited to be back in March Madness. Last year was a tough year for us, so we’re extremely excited to be here. That’s pretty much it with me. We’re extremely excited to be here. It’s been a long process getting back here. Kobe and I went to dinner, but with the rest of these guys, there were a lot of portal Zooms and I’d say about 40 days of no sleep for me last spring, putting this team together. It was a lot of work by the staff to get us back to having a team that could be in the NCAA Tournament. And when we played in the Big Ten for the first time with a team where most of our leading scorers were first-year players. It was a huge challenge for us. Not just the travel, just the Big Ten. There are a lot of great teams. Great coaches, good players, and a lot of really good teams. As you guys know, everything we talk about with our team is to get to this point, to get to this moment. We’re fired up.”
on the team’s schedule in the Big Ten
“Hopefully playing in the Big Ten will help us. Obviously, a tough 20-game conference schedule with some really, really good teams.”
on Utah State head coach Jerrod Calhoun
“Jerrod Calhoun is a close friend of mine. I was counseling him two weeks ago on his contract extension. We laughed about this being a possibility, so we’ve already been texting. He’s a great coach, a great young coach. He’s a tremendous young coach.”
on Utah State’s team
“Because Jerrod and I are friends, on my nights sitting at home when they were on, I definitely watched them. I watched them play against Richard Pitino [New Mexico]. I saw them play Iowa. I’m well aware of their team. I root for the guys that I know well in the business. Utah State was on an absolute roll at the start of the season. They beat Iowa. They have multiple wins. UCSD got them up there and congratulations to those guys. I did scout the Iowa film in preparation for Iowa, so I watched them closely there. I’ve seen about five, six, seven times at least.”
on preparing for March
“We talk about it nonstop. We were in a really good place to end the season, and then we played the Boston Celtics the other day, who were 7-39 from three today. But what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and that’s just a good example for us to learn that you’ve got to come out in adherence to the game plan. You can’t let another team get started to their strengths, because you start a snowball rolling downhill. We’re healthy, so I think that’s the biggest key. I do think it helps that we got home and we didn’t play today or Saturday. If you’ve learned anything from this stuff, the conference tournament, other than the automatic bids, don’t matter. They’re glorified reality TV.”
on the upcoming travel
“You worry about the cumulative effect it’s going to have on the guys. Academically, that has been a huge concern here at UCLA for us. People have forgotten that these guys go to school, and it’s gotten worse and worse over the years. The academic pieces are a concern for us. We have a lot of good students. We had a guy take a proctored final on the flight home the other day. At UCLA, it’s not always an option to take it when you get home. The cumulative effect is a concern, but we’re used to it. I just told the guys we’d do our normal practice on Tuesday and then get on the plane.”
on what it takes to be a successful team in the tournament
“I think in this tournament, a lot of times, 90 percent of the games could be shaken up and played again and there would be a different result. You’ve got to get hot at the right time. Defense travels. Your guys have to continue to want to practice and play and that’s a big part of it. I’ve tried to keep these guys fresh for this moment. Having a guy get hot like [John] Tonje on Friday and Saturday for Wisconsin helps. Today he was 1 for 14 and they lost. The big component in this tournament is having a guy get hot at the right time. That can really help you.”
on this being many of the players’ first tournament
“Most of our guys have not played. But that’s why they came here. In the portal approach and with Trent Perry, we tried to sell these guys on the expectation to win. Eric Dailey, Trent Perry, Tyler Bilodeau, William Kyle, Kobe Johnson, and Skyy Clark all had offers to go to other places for more money. We were trying to get guys to gravitate towards what we were trying to build and to get back into the tournament. It’s why Lazar Stefanovic came here, he saw it at Utah. He’s the guy I’m really, really happy to be here for because this is his last chance. That’s a big reason why this team is together. We sold them on winning.”
on how their big games this season have prepared them for the tournament
“I’m a big believer that the ‘big game’ stuff can be overrated. It can be. But I like to think I build my guys tough enough that the environment doesn’t bother them. But it tends to help the home team play better. College basketball is the most home-court advantage sport in all of North American sports. 75% of games are won by the home team. That’s why this tournament is wild. It’s about neutral sites and matchups. I’m a big believer in that. It’s a one-and-out environment.”
on what he feels best about with his team, heading into this NCAA Tournament
“I would say health. Maybe that’s because I’m jaded because two years ago, I thought we were the favorite to win the national championship until Jaylen Clark and Adem Bona went down. I’m also jaded from 2000, when Kenyon Martin snapped his ankle, and we were probably going to win the national championship in dominant fashion.”
UCLA guard Skyy Clark
on looking forward to this NCAA Tournament
“This is why I came here, to win and to go deep in the tournament. The fact that we’re finally here and we’re going to do our best with this opportunity.”
on what it takes to have success in the NCAA Tournament
“You’ve got to be physical, you’ve got to be the toughest team, you’ve got to play really smart. You can’t have dumb turnovers or anything like that. You’ve got to execute on offense and your defense has to be top-notch. These teams are the best of the best; you’ve got to come in sharp.”
on stringing together wins in the tournament
“We’re a team that could beat anybody. We could definitely put together win streaks.”
on the locker room conversation after UCLA’s loss to Wisconsin on Friday
“We’ve been talking as a team. We knew what happened, and we knew what we had to do. That’s something that we’ve got to remember but also to put it in the past. We need to get ready for Utah State on Thursday.”
on playing in Kentucky’s Rupp Arena
“I’ve never played there, but I’ve been on a visit there. It’s a beautiful gym and it gets rowdy in there.”
on mentally preparing for the tournament and upcoming travel
“It’s something that we’re used to with the Big Ten schedule. We’ve been traveling across the country all year, pretty much. We usually come out a little slow in the first game, so we know that that’s one thing we cannot do, especially right now.”
UCLA forward Tyler Bilodeau
on looking forward to the upcoming NCAA Tournament
“I’m super excited, this is why I came to UCLA. It’s that time, so we’re ready for it.”
on what it takes to have success in the NCAA tournament
“You’ve got to be playing your best basketball.”
on his connection to Utah State’s Dexter Akanno
“I know him, I’ve played with him the last two years [at Oregon State]”.
UCLA guard Kobe Johnson
on playing in the NCAA Tournament
“I don’t know if I’ve really had that much experience winning in the NCAA Tournament, but definitely getting there. The environment and that type of atmosphere is different. Every team is going to come out with their best game, and the little details matter in those types of games. We’ve got to be locked in on every single play, every single game. We’ve got to play the full 40 minutes, that’s what it’s going to take.”
Los Angeles, Calif. (Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom)
March 16, 2025
Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men’s Head Basketball Coach
opening statement
“We’re excited. Obviously, we’re excited to be back in March Madness. Last year was a tough year for us, so we’re extremely excited to be here. That’s pretty much it with me. We’re extremely excited to be here. It’s been a long process getting back here. Kobe and I went to dinner, but with the rest of these guys, there were a lot of portal Zooms and I’d say about 40 days of no sleep for me last spring, putting this team together. It was a lot of work by the staff to get us back to having a team that could be in the NCAA Tournament. And when we played in the Big Ten for the first time with a team where most of our leading scorers were first-year players. It was a huge challenge for us. Not just the travel, just the Big Ten. There are a lot of great teams. Great coaches, good players, and a lot of really good teams. As you guys know, everything we talk about with our team is to get to this point, to get to this moment. We’re fired up.”
on the team’s schedule in the Big Ten
“Hopefully playing in the Big Ten will help us. Obviously, a tough 20-game conference schedule with some really, really good teams.”
on Utah State head coach Jerrod Calhoun
“Jerrod Calhoun is a close friend of mine. I was counseling him two weeks ago on his contract extension. We laughed about this being a possibility, so we’ve already been texting. He’s a great coach, a great young coach. He’s a tremendous young coach.”
on Utah State’s team
“Because Jerrod and I are friends, on my nights sitting at home when they were on, I definitely watched them. I watched them play against Richard Pitino [New Mexico]. I saw them play Iowa. I’m well aware of their team. I root for the guys that I know well in the business. Utah State was on an absolute roll at the start of the season. They beat Iowa. They have multiple wins. UCSD got them up there and congratulations to those guys. I did scout the Iowa film in preparation for Iowa, so I watched them closely there. I’ve seen about five, six, seven times at least.”
on preparing for March
“We talk about it nonstop. We were in a really good place to end the season, and then we played the Boston Celtics the other day, who were 7-39 from three today. But what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and that’s just a good example for us to learn that you’ve got to come out in adherence to the game plan. You can’t let another team get started to their strengths, because you start a snowball rolling downhill. We’re healthy, so I think that’s the biggest key. I do think it helps that we got home and we didn’t play today or Saturday. If you’ve learned anything from this stuff, the conference tournament, other than the automatic bids, don’t matter. They’re glorified reality TV.”
on the upcoming travel
“You worry about the cumulative effect it’s going to have on the guys. Academically, that has been a huge concern here at UCLA for us. People have forgotten that these guys go to school, and it’s gotten worse and worse over the years. The academic pieces are a concern for us. We have a lot of good students. We had a guy take a proctored final on the flight home the other day. At UCLA, it’s not always an option to take it when you get home. The cumulative effect is a concern, but we’re used to it. I just told the guys we’d do our normal practice on Tuesday and then get on the plane.”
on what it takes to be a successful team in the tournament
“I think in this tournament, a lot of times, 90 percent of the games could be shaken up and played again and there would be a different result. You’ve got to get hot at the right time. Defense travels. Your guys have to continue to want to practice and play and that’s a big part of it. I’ve tried to keep these guys fresh for this moment. Having a guy get hot like [John] Tonje on Friday and Saturday for Wisconsin helps. Today he was 1 for 14 and they lost. The big component in this tournament is having a guy get hot at the right time. That can really help you.”
on this being many of the players’ first tournament
“Most of our guys have not played. But that’s why they came here. In the portal approach and with Trent Perry, we tried to sell these guys on the expectation to win. Eric Dailey, Trent Perry, Tyler Bilodeau, William Kyle, Kobe Johnson, and Skyy Clark all had offers to go to other places for more money. We were trying to get guys to gravitate towards what we were trying to build and to get back into the tournament. It’s why Lazar Stefanovic came here, he saw it at Utah. He’s the guy I’m really, really happy to be here for because this is his last chance. That’s a big reason why this team is together. We sold them on winning.”
on how their big games this season have prepared them for the tournament
“I’m a big believer that the ‘big game’ stuff can be overrated. It can be. But I like to think I build my guys tough enough that the environment doesn’t bother them. But it tends to help the home team play better. College basketball is the most home-court advantage sport in all of North American sports. 75% of games are won by the home team. That’s why this tournament is wild. It’s about neutral sites and matchups. I’m a big believer in that. It’s a one-and-out environment.”
on what he feels best about with his team, heading into this NCAA Tournament
“I would say health. Maybe that’s because I’m jaded because two years ago, I thought we were the favorite to win the national championship until Jaylen Clark and Adem Bona went down. I’m also jaded from 2000, when Kenyon Martin snapped his ankle, and we were probably going to win the national championship in dominant fashion.”
UCLA guard Skyy Clark
on looking forward to this NCAA Tournament
“This is why I came here, to win and to go deep in the tournament. The fact that we’re finally here and we’re going to do our best with this opportunity.”
on what it takes to have success in the NCAA Tournament
“You’ve got to be physical, you’ve got to be the toughest team, you’ve got to play really smart. You can’t have dumb turnovers or anything like that. You’ve got to execute on offense and your defense has to be top-notch. These teams are the best of the best; you’ve got to come in sharp.”
on stringing together wins in the tournament
“We’re a team that could beat anybody. We could definitely put together win streaks.”
on the locker room conversation after UCLA’s loss to Wisconsin on Friday
“We’ve been talking as a team. We knew what happened, and we knew what we had to do. That’s something that we’ve got to remember but also to put it in the past. We need to get ready for Utah State on Thursday.”
on playing in Kentucky’s Rupp Arena
“I’ve never played there, but I’ve been on a visit there. It’s a beautiful gym and it gets rowdy in there.”
on mentally preparing for the tournament and upcoming travel
“It’s something that we’re used to with the Big Ten schedule. We’ve been traveling across the country all year, pretty much. We usually come out a little slow in the first game, so we know that that’s one thing we cannot do, especially right now.”
UCLA forward Tyler Bilodeau
on looking forward to the upcoming NCAA Tournament
“I’m super excited, this is why I came to UCLA. It’s that time, so we’re ready for it.”
on what it takes to have success in the NCAA tournament
“You’ve got to be playing your best basketball.”
on his connection to Utah State’s Dexter Akanno
“I know him, I’ve played with him the last two years [at Oregon State]”.
UCLA guard Kobe Johnson
on playing in the NCAA Tournament
“I don’t know if I’ve really had that much experience winning in the NCAA Tournament, but definitely getting there. The environment and that type of atmosphere is different. Every team is going to come out with their best game, and the little details matter in those types of games. We’ve got to be locked in on every single play, every single game. We’ve got to play the full 40 minutes, that’s what it’s going to take.”