UCLA men’s basketball coach Mick Cronin became the center of attention for all the wrong reasons on Tuesday night during the Bruins’ game against Michigan State.
During UCLA’s 82-59 blowout loss to Michigan State, Cronin ejected one of his own players, Steven Jamerson II, when he was called for a technical foul late in the contest. After the game, Cronin got snippy with a reporter who asked him a question about Michigan State’s student section. Cronin responded in part, “I would like to give you a kudos for the worst question I’ve ever been asked."
On Friday, Cronin met with reporters at UCLA again and shared that he already had apologized to Jamerson. Cronin clarified that he initially thought Jamerson made a dirty play and “tried to wipe the guy out,” and that’s why he ejected him. When Cronin watched the play later, he felt Jamerson wasn’t even deserving of the foul he received from the officials.
“It gives me the chance to tell you guys what a great guy Steve is,” Cronin added. “... Steve’s everything that’s good about college basketball.”
Mick Cronin’s four-something minute start to his availability today:
— Ira Gorawara (@IraGorawara) February 20, 2026
Cronin said he apologized to Steven Jamerson II, went on to praise many traits of Jamerson and talked about the importance of his words and perception, apologizing to the UCLA community as well. pic.twitter.com/MwNDyNXOcD
Cronin also acknowledged that sometimes he is too candid and that he has to be better about being careful with what he says, especially because it’s important to protect the UCLA brand.
“I need to make sure that I represent us in the right way,” Cronin said.
“I’m a good fit here because I know I’m not bigger than the brand,” he added. “The brand matters, the school matters. The last thing I want to do is bring negative publicity to our school. Sometimes because it’s not about me, I don’t care what people think of me, I need to do a better job knowing I am the coach here and I need to make sure I don’t do anything to embarrass our school. For that I apologize because that I don’t want. “
More College Basketball on Sports Illustrated
- Projecting the Men’s Basketball Top 16 Seeds in the NCAA Tournament
- Nine Best Games to Watch on Historic Weekend for Men’s College Basketball
- Darryn Peterson: All the Injuries That Have Slowed the Kansas Star This Season
- What Is ‘Wins Above Bubble’? Explaining the NCAA’s New Favorite Basketball Metric
This article was originally published on www.si.com as UCLA’s Mick Cronin Issued Lengthy Apology After Ejecting His Own Player .
