This post was updated Oct. 7 at 1:50 a.m.
Westwood has heard criticism galore about its efforts in modern college recruiting.
But if there’s one coach that can now be excused from scrutiny, it’s Mick Cronin.
Masterfully working the transfer portal in the offseason, Cronin reeled in six transfers to reload his roster and erase the sting of last season’s losing record.
Cronin, entering his sixth year as UCLA men’s basketball’s head honcho, attended this year’s Big Ten Media Day in Chicago alongside junior guard Dylan Andrews and senior guard Kobe Johnson. Cronin harped on the roster overhaul – featuring eight new players, including high school recruits – and his determination to land a veteran anchor.
The Johnson effect
“This is just the reality of the new portal era,” Cronin said. “We needed a senior leader, and you can go get one in Kobe Johnson in the portal. We were just not old enough last year, and the reality of college basketball – we need to get older, we needed a leader, and Kobe Johnson’s a huge addition for us.”
Johnson’s jump from USC to UCLA etched what appears to be the first crosstown transfer since World War II. In that historic title may lie the Bruins’ biggest weapon of the 2024-2025 season: a two-time Pac-12 All-Defensive Team member who averaged 10.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 steals last year.
Slated to start on the wing, the 6-foot-6-inch veteran headlines UCLA’s No. 9 recruiting class. Johnson is often acclaimed for his defensive tenacity and basketball IQ, and in the modern game where versatility is paramount, he has the potential to prove a stalwart right out of the gates.
“I’ll be shocked if he’s not an old-league player when it matters in the postseason,” Cronin said. “He’s as good a defensive player as I’ve ever coached, and I coached a national player of the year two years ago defensively in Jaylen Clark.”
Scoring Johnson from the portal wasn’t just a technical decision – it was a response to the reality of the game. With program-building obsolete, Cronin said he adapted to navigating a constant roster overhaul.
In lieu of shifting tides, Cronin enlisted Johnson to take command of the Bruin unit, impressed by his sharp instincts through years of coaching against USC.
“I know what he’s (Cronin is) all about, I know what he brings to the table. I know how he coaches his players, how he wants them to be and how he gets the best out of them,” Johnson said. “That’s exactly what I want, that’s exactly why I came here, that’s exactly why I wanted to come play for him.”
Dylan Andrews and a new roster
After capping off a breakout sophomore campaign as UCLA’s top scorer, Andrews will co-pilot the Bruins’ attack alongside Johnson. He proved the team’s offensive engine, even when it sputtered, solidifying his role as the Bruins’ primary facilitator.
“What I’ve been trying to do is be an extension of him (Cronin) on the court,” Andrews said. “I’ve learned so much, gained so much knowledge from Coach Cronin that I just want to pour into the other guys, the guys that haven’t been here and in their first year playing for coach Cronin.”
At the forefront of the Bruins’ returning unit is the backcourt pairing of Andrews and sophomore guard Sebastian Mack. While not yet a long-range threat, Mack earned a spot on the 2023-2024 Pac-12 All-Freshman Team thanks to his prowess in the paint and defensive agility.
UCLA’s lone transfer in 2023 – senior guard Lazar Stefanovic – averaged 11.5 points and 6.1 rebounds last season and will likely earn a starting nod in the Bruins’ backcourt.
After forward/center Adem Bona departed to the NBA, Cronin fortified his frontcourt with a trio of additions in junior forwards William Kyle III and Tyler Bilodeau and sophomore guard/forward Eric Dailey Jr.
“You’re trying to empower guys that haven’t ever played a game at UCLA – it’s a very interesting dynamic,” Cronin said. “You’re trying to empower William Kyle and Tyler Bilodeau – these guys are juniors – ‘Look guys, we don’t have time for you to play games with the jersey before you get comfortable. … You didn’t come here to wait, you got to step in and we all got to go after it right away.’”
UCLA is 24 days out from its inaugural exhibition game as a member of the Big Ten. Ironically, it will then kickstart conference competition against familiar former Pac-12 adversaries in Washington and Oregon on Dec. 3 and Dec. 8, respectively.
“We’re trying to make it to the Big Dance, we’re trying to make it to the national title,” Andrews said. “Coach Cronin right here, he’s a competitor, and I feel like everybody that came to UCLA knows that.”
Eleven banners are draped across the glorified walls of Pauley Pavilion every single day.
And Cronin, who boasts a 115-53 record in Westwood, is intimately attuned to the prestigious heritage that is UCLA men’s basketball.
“At the end of the day, when you’re coaching at UCLA, you’re trying to win the NCAA Tournament,” Cronin said. “We have high expectations at UCLA to try to get the 12th banner up there, but there’s nothing I’d rather be doing.”
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