Bruins' Cronin Looking For Leadership, on His Team

The UCLA Bruins have a group of experienced and talented ballplayers but have not quite established a concrete leader or solidified a go-to five-man rotation on the offensive end. Head coach Mick Cronin is in search of those things early in the year.

Nov 15, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts against the Lehigh Mountain Hawks in the second half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins (3-1) are gradually improving as the season has progressed and are doing a fine job of fixing their issues from an upset loss in just their second game of the year. Coach Mick Cronin is seeking to find that five-man lineup when looking to score.

To put it plainly, Cronin has not been impressed with the shooting performances from his team yet this year. He was asked if he has found the correct five-man lineup to put on the floor in a big game.

"I'll give you the funny answer: I'd like to have a lineup that makes a lot of shots and doesn't turn the ball over," Cronin said on Tuesday. "I don't know if we have that one quite yet. Defensively, what I sit there and say, 'OK, we're in a close game, what's going to be my defensive lineup?', same thing, 'What's going to be my offensive lineup?' So, I'm confident what the defensive lineup would be. I know again, that could be skewed to you're playing a big team, you're playing a small team, but I'm pretty sure on that. Offensively, I'm not sure. Nobody's really shot the ball great."

With so many new players this year, the Bruins are still learning each other's tendencies and integrating into new roles on a new team. Cronin was asked if there has been one or a few players that have stood out to him as a leader so far. Cronin was very blunt in his response.

"Not enough," Cronin said. "A guy that's played the most for us, Dylan [Andrews], hasn't been playing. We've been starting five transfers the last two games. Now I know Lazar [Stefanovic] played for us last year, but he's not the loudest guy. He talks a lot in practice, but he's not a loud guy with it. So, we don't have a clear-cut leader."

The Bruins have just three more games before they start Big Ten play at home against Washington in early December. They have limited time to gain chemistry and become a unit instead of individual players. They certainly are working in the right direction, but a few vocal leaders are required.

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @UCLAInsideronSI and @tcav30 and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.