In Reply to: What will Cronin do? posted by ej on January 29, 2025 at 09:47:01
I have a feeling he’ll stick with his original lineup.
At this point, the best we can hope for is that he puts Mara in earlier out of genuine desire, not just necessity. A lot of us have been sharing the same thoughts for a while now. We can only guess why he’s hesitating to make the change, but to me, it’s been clear since the start that Mara deserves more playing time.
If you look at the last two games, it’s pretty obvious he’s not fond of the defense when Mara is on the floor. The fact that he's pulled him during key defensive moments late in games speaks volumes. We have to keep in mind that he's a defense-first coach. With that in mind, he wants to start what he feels is his best defensive lineup.
What worries me is that there are other defensive systems in college basketball that would suit Mara’s strengths better. For example, the way Iowa State plays defense seems like it would be a great fit for him.
As for Aday, I truly believe he has the potential to be a beast. I just hope it happens here at UCLA.