Mick Cronin, UCLA Have Advantage With Their Depth

UCLA has "a good problem to have," according to Coach Mick Cronin.

Nov 4, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin yells at his player during the second half against the Rider Broncs at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

UCLA men's basketball has a very deep roster this year.

Between all the new-comers and returners who are coming into their own, Coach Mick Cronin has a plethora of options to choose from.

And he's going to use that to his advantage throughout this 2024-25 season.

"I don't really care about our opponent as much as I care about us," Cronin told reporters on Thursday. "We're going to play multiple lineups all year. It's not going to change. Whether it's who we're playing at the guard position or who we're playing on the front line. So, it's going to be in-game, you're going to see different lineups at times. Right now, Will [William Kyle III] and Aday [Mara] are progressing players, but they're not better than Eric [Dailey Jr.] and Tyler [Bilodeau]. So, I'm starting the best two players right now. Now, Will is pretty good, Aday is pretty good. So they're on their heels. And, obviously, the thing with Eric Daily is he can play a whole lot of places, but then you're going to take Kobe [Johnson] out of lineup? So, it's a good problem to have. I view us right now is we have at least eight starters, so I can pick and choose who I'm going to start, but during the game, they're all goinng to play.

"So, really, all that stuff's like the least of my worries. Last year, I was trying to figure out who to play other than Dylan [Andrews], Adem [Bona] and and Lazar [Stefanovic], at times. So now, it's if you can have all those guys playing well, then you could if you need to play big ... could be Friday, because I think they [New Mexico] rebound the ball really well. They got two fifth-year seniors on the front line, old guys. So, to be able to play big and not drop off offensively is an advantage. To be able to play small and not drop off on the backboard -- that's what you're looking for. Be able to make adjustments that you need to make and not not have deficiencies, when you do it."

We'll see what lineups Cronin sends out on Friday when the Bruins take on New Mexico.

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