For all of Cronin's faults, you have to give him credit for the things he does well. There are two areas where I think he deserves recognition.
Despite the disappointment of the 2023–24 season, he didn't abandon the European recruiting pipeline. In fact, I'd give him even more credit for being willing to adapt and keep trying new approaches rather than stubbornly sticking to one formula.
Hiring an assistant coach with strong international connections was a smart move. If I'm remembering correctly, he previously had someone in a similar role who eventually left for an NBA opportunity, but Cronin recognized the importance of maintaining those international ties and addressed the need again.
Credit to Coach Jovanovic as well. I'm sure he played a significant role in landing this recruit. I'm not sure how many programs have someone with his international background, but in this case, it certainly worked in UCLA's favor.