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Mick Cronin fumbled Aday Mara's tenure with the UCLA Bruins
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- Mick Cronin fumbled Aday Mara's tenure with the UCLA Bruins
Mick Cronin fumbled Aday Mara's tenure with the UCLA Bruins
The Michigan Wolverines capturing the NCAA championship on Monday brought back a lot of feelings about how Mick Cronin valued center Aday Mara during his time with the UCLA Bruins .
Mara joined the Bruins as a five-star recruit fresh from Spain. Even if Mara wasn't polished, 7'3" centers don't grow on trees and UCLA was lucky to have him. Perhaps Cronin didn't feel quite as lucky.
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Despite his skillset at the five, Mara never became a major contributor with the Bruins, and a lot of that was due to limited opportunity. During his two seasons in Westwood, Mara averaged just 11.5 minutes per game.
College Sports Wire writer Matt Zemek wrote about Cronin's shortcomings when it came to helping turn Mara into a star at UCLA.
"The Bruins got a No. 7 seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament and then, without Mara, did no better in 2026," Zemek wrote. "UCLA has become irrelevant in college basketball after its 2021 Final Four joyride as a No. 11 seed. Mick Cronin is not making the grade in Westwood."
There were some notable low points for UCLA this season, while the Bruins can wonder what would have happened in the NCAA tournament with a healthy Tyler Bilodeau, it was another quiet ending for a Bruins season.
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"UCLA fans would like to see Mick Cronin go, but he's likely staying for 2027," Zemek wrote. "If he gets another 7 seed and a first-weekend exit in March Madness, the drumbeat for his dismissal will grow louder."
A year after riding pine in Westwood, Mara is now a national champion . UCLA still has the most NCAA men's basketball titles but the Bruins aren't coming close to adding onto that total in recent years under Cronin.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Mick Cronin and UCLA watched Aday Mara become a champion without them
