A week ago, the UCLA Bruins basketball program made headlines for all the wrong reasons. Something rarely seen happened. Mick Cronin ejected his own player from the court and, as you would expect, received intense criticism for it. Cronin has built a reputation for being hypercritical about everything, but is he really that kind of coach with his players? Well, one UCLA player did shed some light on it.

Following the 81-62 win over USC, Bruins guard Trent Perry was asked about his relationship with coach Mick Cronin, and his answer might change your point of view.

“I mean, just having that one year under my belt and going through what I went through, especially with him. I’m just grateful that we have the relationship that we have,” Perry said about Cronin. “We can talk back and forth now, talk basketball, talk about what I did wrong, all those types of things. It’s something a player dreams of, having that relationship with a coach, especially with Cronin.”

It’s quite interesting to note that Perry had actually committed to USC before coach Andy Enfield left the program for SMU. Instead of following Enfield, Perry chose to join arch-rivals UCLA, and it’s safe to say that Mick Cronin had a role in that decision. It’s a move the sophomore guard certainly doesn’t look like he regrets, either.

Perry is currently averaging 12.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.6 assists as a starter. Even against USC, he delivered a strong performance, scoring 13 points on 66.7% shooting while also recording four assists. Those are ideal numbers from a guard who isn’t the primary scoring option. That said, his comments also helped dispel the myth that Cronin is an overly harsh coach to play under.

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When Mick Cronin took matters into his own hands by ejecting Steven Jamerson II after his hard foul on Michigan State’s Carson Cooper, with the Bruins down 27 and 4:26 left in the second half, he was met with heavy backlash from fans. Yes, it was a poor foul, and Jamerson was already given a flagrant as punishment, but tossing your own player didn’t make much sense. The UCLA coach, however, was quick to correct his mistake.

“I already apologized to Steve, OK?” Cronin told reporters before UCLA’s practice. “It’s the only reason I sent him to the locker room. I thought he literally made a dirty play and tried to wipe the guy out. Once I saw the film, I mean, he still got an F-1. To be honest with you, I don’t even know if he deserved that.” He even joked that Jamerson “asked me for $10,000 more in NIL because of that.”

This just shows it was a moment where emotions got the better of him. Cronin has always discouraged overly physical play, and Jamerson’s foul could have led to a serious injury for Carson Cooper. That’s not the kind of play the coach promotes. So you can understand why he reacted that way.

Cronin can be very critical of his team at times because he wants to win. And since that incident, something has clearly clicked in the locker room, just as Perry pointed out. UCLA is now on a winning streak and looks dangerous.

Mick Cronin’s UCLA is peaking at the right time

Since those back-to-back blowout losses at the hands of the two ranked Michigan teams, which were overshadowed by the Steven Jamerson II ejection incident, the Bruins seem to have found the right game plan to go and fight back against the adversity they’ve faced this season.

Mick Cronin’s side bounced back with a huge win over No. 10 Illinois, thanks to Donovan Dent’s last-second bucket that sealed an unlikely 95-94 victory. They have now followed that up with another big win over USC and now look like a team peaking at the right time.

The Bruins have three games left on their regular-season schedule. They face Minnesota, Nebraska, and then get another rematch against USC. Apart from the Nebraska matchup, you’d expect them to win both games comfortably. But given the form they’re in right now, would it really be wrong to expect them to beat Nebraska as well? We certainly don’t think so.

After all the negativity that shadowed the program over the past few weeks, the Bruins finally look like they’re in harmony and ready to come together and create some madness in March.

Where do you think Mick Cronin’s side would finish in the big dance this season? Let us know in the comments down below!