Blending humor with contrition, UCLA basketball coach Mick Cronin said Friday that he regretted ejecting backup center Steven Jamerson II from a game and added that he needed to better represent his school by avoiding his sometimes flippant remarks.
Cronin indicated that he had apologized to Jamerson, joking that his player wanted an extra $10,000 in name, image and likeness funds for being thrown out of the game against Michigan State .
"Steve's everything that's good about college basketball," Cronin said, referring to Jamerson's having walked on at the University of San Diego before working his way up to playing for a major college program while getting his master's degree.
UCLA coach Mick Cronin directs his team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, in East Lansing, Mich. AP
So why did Cronin take such an extreme measure with someone he respects? The coach said he initially thought that Jamerson tried to wipe out a Michigan State player while fouling him from behind on a fast break but realized otherwise upon watching replays.
"It's the only reason I sent him to the locker room," Cronin said. "I thought he literally made a dirty play and tried to wipe the guy out."
Cronin also said he needed to "dial back some of my humor" in an effort to make sure he didn't do anything to embarrass UCLA, mentioning previous remarks he had made about a bad flight after the NCAA Tournament.
"You have to realize, and I have to do a better job of this, that in this climate, you've got to be careful with what you say," Cronin said. "I'm a good fit here because I know I'm not bigger than the brand and the brand matters here, the school matters. The last thing I want to do is bring negative publicity to our school.
"And sometimes because it's not about me — I don't care what people think about me — I need to do a better job knowing, well, I am the coach here and I need to make sure I don't do anything to embarrass our school. So for that, I apologize … to our people — school, students, everybody in our community because it's important."
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Cronin's ejection of Jamerson drew national scorn from television talk show hosts and newspaper columnists who accused the coach of being a bully and not living up to the UCLA standard set by legendary predecessor John Wooden. Cronin referred to Wooden and other Bruins icons when contending that he was the right coach for the school.
"I'm a good fit here because here, you're not the story," Cronin said. "You're never going to be the best coach. As a player, you're never going to be the best player."
Cronin had made himself the story Tuesday after Jamerson chased down Michigan State's Carson Cooper with about 4 ½ minutes left in UCLA's 82-59 road loss. Trying to block Cooper's shot from behind, Jamerson committed a hard foul that sent Cooper tumbling to the court. As fans inside the Breslin Center howled in disapproval, Cooper rose and the players briefly stood face to face before being separated.
Before officials could review the play, Jamerson walked to the UCLA bench. That's when Cronin grabbed a fistful of his jersey and motioned for him to go to the locker room, leaving a stunned look on Jamerson's face. He jogged off the court alongside a UCLA staffer as fans waved goodbye.
"I don't think, to be honest, the entire world has ever seen that in a game," Bruins guard Trent Perry said, "but it happened, and I'm just glad we're moving forward."
Officials eventually ruled the play a flagrant-1 foul.
"To be honest with you, I don't even know if he deserved that," Cronin said Friday. "When I watched it, coach Izz (Tom Izzo) thought the same thing when I communicated with him."
UCLA guard Skyy Clark said Jamerson's teammates stood by him and that the players had held one team meeting and might hold another one Friday.
"We're texting in the group chat and everything just, we just gotta stay together," Clark said. "That's been the main focus."
Clark indicated that Jamerson had been rattled by getting ejected, which coincidentally happened at the same school where Jamerson had spent his freshman year and failed in his efforts to walk on to the team and become a student manager.
"I mean, obviously he was a little in his head about it," Clark said of Jamerson, "but you know, we gave him some words of encouragement."
Perry, who is Jamerson's roommate, said Cronin also addressed the situation with the team. Was Perry satisfied with what he heard?
"I mean, I'm just glad we're able to handle it as a team and come together," Perry said.
UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin sends forward Steven Jamerson to the locker room after a hard foul during a college basketball game between the Michigan State Spartans and UCLA Bruins on February 17, 2026. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
When asked about a possible perception that he didn't have his players' backs, Cronin told the story of once giving freshman Peyton Watson more money than some of the other players on the team to compensate him for not getting much playing time on the way to becoming an NBA draft pick.
Cronin also said he slept well at night because he taught his players life skills such as money management and other traits that could help make them successful after their basketball careers ended.
"Nobody's got their players' backs," Cronin said, "more than me."
