LA Times · Mar 16, 2021
Every day is training day for UCLA’s defense under Mick Cronin
UCLA’s Jaime Jaquez Jr., left, and Tyger Campbell, middle, battle Oregon State’s Gianni Hunt for the ball in a Pac-12 tournament quarterfinal Thursday. The Bruins lost 83-79 in overtime.Mick Cronin likes to recite random movie lines in practice to make a point and lighten the mood. Most of the quotes go over the heads of players some three decades younger than the UCLA coach, except for senior guard Chris Smith, who has gotten some of the references from having watched older films with his father while growing up.
When it comes to forging the sturdy defense he wants, Cronin uses a line from “Man on Fire,” a 2004 thriller about a U.S. Marine-turned-bodyguard starring Denzel Washington.