UCLA coach Mick Cronin has admitted he went a little too far during Tuesday’s game against the Michigan State Spartans.
Cronin admitted Friday that he apologized to Steven Jamerson for ejecting the backup center over what the coach originally saw as a dirty play during Tuesday’s loss to Michigan State. Cronin sent Jamerson to the locker room with under five minutes left in the second half of a blowout loss.
Cronin said Jamerson is “everything that’s good about college basketball,” and that he felt bad for embarrassing the UCLA brand.
“I’m a good fit here because here I’m not the story,” Cronin said, via Ben Bolch of the New York Post.
Cronin has inadvertently made himself a story lately, whether he has tried to be or not. In addition to his handling of Jamerson, he was ridiculed for his reaction to a reporter’s question about Michigan State’s student section.
Throughout his career, Cronin has been known for his prickly demeanor and brutal honesty. However, the Bruins have hit a rough patch lately, and the criticism has ramped up as a result. The fact that he has not been able to keep his cool does not help matters.
