In Reply to: UCLA Basketball: Could a (Gasp) Zone be the Answer This Season? posted by mh on August 20, 2025 at 11:40:57
That’s a terrible suggestion. To be clear, a good zone can be an effective defense in certain situations, but it’s not typically what championship teams are built on,outside of Boeheim, who recruited specifically for that system with those long, 6’6” wingspans. We don’t have that type of personnel. Zones are also notoriously difficult to rebound out of, and we’re already going to have rebounding concerns.
More importantly, let’s not forget what makes Cronin such a strong coach: his defensive philosophy. His success is built on an aggressive, in-your-face style that emphasizes bumping, deflections, and relentless pressure. If you move away from that identity, you’re stripping away a core part of his coaching success in favor of something he hasn’t proven to excel at, at least not at UCLA.
That said, having a zone in your back pocket is smart. Cronin has used it effectively in spurts, countering a timeout, dealing with foul trouble, or throwing off an opponent’s rhythm. I love when he mixes it in strategically. But making zone our primary defense would be a major mistake, and I seriously doubt Cronin is considering it.
As the author noted, Cronin managed to make last year’s defense competitive, and I believe he can do the same again. Will we be better defensively than last year? Probably not. But at the very least, he can revert to last year’s assignments, since aside from Kobe’s loss, we essentially return the same pieces. Maybe someone like Freeny can pick up some of that slack, maybe not.
My bigger hope is that our offense takes a real step forward this year, offsetting some of the defensive limitations. I try to stay positive but realistic, and the truth is this team has a ceiling. While we made big moves to improve the offense, we didn’t do much to address our defensive issues down low or to replace Kobe’s departure.