Coach Mark Gottfried sits down with Mick Cronin, Head Coach of the Men’s Basketball program at UCLA. Both coaches talk about the grind of coaching, the undeniable sacrifices you have to make in order to be great, and the change in college basketball’s landscape.
1:41 – Childhood influenced by father’s coaching and scouting.
3:54 – Gaining coaching experience at the high school level.
6:24 – Learning opportunities in coaching basketball at Murray State.
12:02 – Challenges of building a sustainable NCAA program amidst the NIL and transfer portal.
18:18 – Concerns about uncertainty in student-athlete pay in college sports.
22:14 – Embrace challenges, avoid complaints, and seek solutions.
23:18 – Mick is admired for his honesty and integrity with players.
29:38 – Upholding honesty and dedication in parenting and coaching.
32:09 – Coaches’ expectations and recruiting tactics analyzed critically.
35:42 – Influential coaching experiences and learning from mentors.
39:22 – Coach Bob Huggins’ distinctive coaching enhances players’ rebounding skills.
41:47 – Alabama’s 1987 Sweet 16 loss to Providence.
47:31 – Grew up and coached in Cincinnati for 18 years.
49:05 – Mick left Cincinnati for a better opportunity to be head coach at UCLA.
51:42 – UCLA’s move to the Big Ten and the opportunities and challenges that come with it.
54:52 – “People don’t realize how busy you are during the sports season.”