Mick Cronin, Logan Johnson Set to Reunite in UCLA-St. Mary's NCAA Tournament Matchup

After being part of the same Cincinnati team three years ago, the coach and the guard will be suiting up for the Bruins and Gaels on Saturday.

Advancing to the Second Round in March Madness is an accomplishment not every player and coach gets to check off by the time their career is over.

But for the Bruins’ coach and an opposing Gaels player, Saturday’s matchup carries some extra emotional weight as well.

Following 13 years coaching at Cincinnati, Mick Cronin packed his bags and headed west for a new challenge, replacing Steve Alford as UCLA men’s basketball’s man in charge and taking over a program that had been stumbling out of the national eye. Just two years later, the 50-year-old coach revitalized the Bruins’ image and brought the blue and gold to the Final Four in 2021 – their first since 2008.

But on the other side of Cronin’s job change, it left guard Logan Johnson without a coach just a year after he joined the Bearcats. Without the man who recruited him to Cincinnati in the first place, Johnson would eventually transfer out of the program.

Johnson wound up coming west as well, but instead of going to Westwood, he moved to Moraga, California. In his third year as a Gael, Johnson led No. 5 seed Saint Mary’s to an 82-53 win over No. 12 seed Indiana in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Thursday, scoring a team-high 20 points and setting up a Round of 32 duel with his former coach.

“(We) text after games, he'll text congratulations,” Cronin said when asked about Johnson. (Assistant coach) Darren Savino and I, we love him dearly. I couldn't be more happy for the way his career has evolved.”

Signing as part of Cronin’s 2018 recruiting class at Cincinnati, the 6-foot-2 playmaker was a prized commit for the Bearcats, listed as a three-star prospect ranked No. 192 in the country, according to 247Sports.

Johnson played in 32 games, primarily as a reserve, in his solo campaign with Cronin and the Bearcats. His 2.0 points per game in 2018 were a far cry from the 13.3 and 11.8 points he averaged with the Gaels in the 2020 and 2021 seasons, respectively, but the Bruins’ coach said he recruited Johnson for much more than his scoring.

“(We) recruited him because he's one of the best athletes that you'll see play college basketball,” Cronin said. “He's also one of the best people from a great family. He impacts the game in every possible way. He blocks shots. How many point guards block shots?”

The way Cronin speaks about his former player might remind Bruin fans of the way he describes current UCLA guard Jaylen Clark. The high-intensity defense and hustle that the Bruins’ de facto sixth man plays with is similar to how Johnson plays with the Gaels.

On Saturday, Clark and Johnson will likely be paired against one another, with Cronin and Saint Mary’s coach Randy Bennett using their X-factors against each other to limit large runs.

After UCLA’s 57-53 first round victory over Akron on Thursday, Cronin smiled, chuckled and reminisced about how Johnson had developed since they both moved from Ohio to California.

Johnson was similarly reminiscent Thursday night, but he seemed to be looking more forward than back with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line.

“It would be a cool experience,” Johnson said postgame. “But I've been at St. Mary's for three years now, so everything's different. I've enjoyed the whole process of getting better offensively, helping my offensive game grow (and) of course carrying on my foundation (on) defense.”

Cronin’s own “foundation of defense” has helped build a new culture at UCLA, but Saturday, the congruent styles will meet, and either the Bruins or Gaels will see their March Madness journey come to a close.

UCLA and St. Mary's will tip off at 4:10 p.m. at the Moda Center, and the winner will play the winner of Baylor-North Carolina next week.

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