The University of California Los Angeles men’s basketball program looks to return to glory as a member of the new-look Big Ten Conference. After a below .500 season in their final year as part of the Pac-12, the Bruins are ready to change the narrative in 2024-25 under the guidance of head coach Mick Cronin.
On Thursday the UCLA Bruins 2024-25 men’s basketball schedule was released to the public. At the beginning of their campaign in November, the Bruins have one of the easiest stretches of out-of-conference games until their matchups get tougher in December.
𝐔𝐂𝐋𝐀’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐧-𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 …
The Bruins’ schedule of 11 non-conference games has dropped.
📰: https://t.co/Jsp2OdE8CV
🎫: https://t.co/Mgax1MLpOu pic.twitter.com/8EgNOSf4vs— UCLA Men’s Basketball (@UCLAMBB) August 27, 2024
After a lackluster season a year ago, Cronin and his squad will look to get off to a roaring start as it is very possible that the Bruins could be 8-0 before their first road test against fellow new Big Ten member the University of Oregon.
As the Bruins look to get back into March Madness tournament contention, Coach Cronin mentioned that last year’s lack of success was 100 percent on him. As some members of the Bruins’ media wondered if Cronin’s recruiting efforts were to blame, the former Cincinnati coach believes in the process of developing players for team success.
“Some players take longer than others and nobody bats 1.000 because I can tell you so many stories where you thought this guy was going to be your great recruit and he wasn’t and this guy who was easy, you saw him once and asked him to come, and he ends up playing in the NBA,” Cronin said. “Meanwhile, you spent two years chasing some guy that never helps you win.”
Last season Cronin played a significant number of freshmen forcing them to grow up a lot faster than they were potentially prepared for. This upcoming season, Cronin plans on finding balance between youth and establishing a winning culture, utilizing the talent in the Bruins’ locker room.
“You have to learn that there’s a point of the guy’s giving you everything he can and you can’t ask him for more than that or you’re just gonna beat him down and he ain’t gonna be able to give you that,” Cronin said. “Then, you have to be able to decide when a guy’s not giving you everything he can, and that’s where the coaching becomes a true art form. Because you say, ‘Well, we’re losing and they need to do this to win.’
Full UCLA Bruins Men’s Basketball schedule
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