UCLA Basketball: Why Mick Cronin Removed Freshman Early During Arizona Game

Was it an overreaction?

UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin revealed why freshman wing Jan Vide was removed from the Blue and Gold's Saturday come-from-ahead 77-71 loss against the Arizona Wildcats following a scant five minutes of output, despite submitting one of his strongest starts yet this year.

"I thought he did a good job," Cronin allowed.

Per Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times, Cronin was convinced there was a risk Vide had injured his foot after planting awkwardly during a layup.

In just five minutes of action, he scored six points on 2-of-3 field goal shooting (1-of-1 shooting from beyond the arc) and 1-of-1 free throw shooting, while pulling down two boards.

The 6'6" Slovenian guard is averaging 2.3 points on .40/1.000/.800 shooting splits across 13 contests this season. Vide has been a relatively part-time contributor during his first collegiate stint, averaging 1.8 points on .333/1.000/1.000 shooting splits and 0.6 rebounds across six minutes per.

Vide is one of seven (!) new true freshman additions to this Bruins club. The young contributors have struggling mightily to mesh in 2023-24, which has led to a disappointing 8-11 record on the year and has UCLA in danger of missing a Big Dance return, one season removed from a Sweet Sixteen berth in 2023 with a far more veteran-laden roster.