Bruins' head coach has helped guide UCLA's team to a 22-4 overall record through 26 games
Fourth-year UCLA head coach Mick Cronin has been named as one of 15 candidates for the 2023 Werner Ladder Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year Award, as announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
Cronin, the Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach, has guided No. 4-ranked UCLA to a 22-4 overall record and a 13-2 Pac-12 record, through 26 games. The Bruins have won five consecutive games, including a 73-64 victory against Stanford on Thursday night.
UCLA won 14 consecutive games midway through the season, marking the program's longest winning streak since a 14-game tally late in the 2007-08 basketball season under former head coach Ben Howland.
The Bruins currently rank No. 7 in the country in fewest points allowed per game (scoring defense, 60.0 ppg) and No. 8 in scoring margin (13.9 ppg). UCLA has gone 14-0 at home this season, extending its nation-leading home winning streak to 22 games. The Bruins have won their last 33 consecutive home games with fans present in the arena (COVID-19 guidelines restricted fans from attending games in Pauley Pavilion in 2020-21 and during three games in 2021-22).
Now in his 20th season as a college basketball head coach, Cronin was named the 2018 Sporting News National Coach of the Year while serving as head coach at his alma mater, the University of Cincinnati.
Candidates who weren't listed on the "watch list" can still make their way onto the list of 10 semifinalists, to be announced on Thursday, March 9. The Werner Ladder Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year award will be narrowed to four finalists on Monday, March 20.
The award's final round will include an opportunity for consumers to participate through the Naismith Awards Fan Vote presented by Jersey Mike's, which accounts for five percent of the total vote and runs from March 21-28. The winner will be announced on Sunday, April 2, at the Naismith Awards Brunch presented by Frost Bank at the Final Four in Houston.
The Bruins (22-4, 13-2 Pac-12) return to action against California (3-23, 2-13 Pac-12) on Saturday, Feb. 18. Game time in Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom is set for 7:30 p.m. (PT). UCLA's game against California will be televised by the Pac-12 Network.
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