Letters to Sports: Mick Cronin isn’t John Wooden but he’s still a great coach

Mick Cronin is the youngest active coach to reach 500 victories. In his short time as UCLA’s head basketball coach, he has guided the team to one Final Four and two Sweet 16 appearances.

This season’s team currently has 20 wins and is in the top five in the competitive Big 10 Conference standings.

But that’s not enough for Bill Plaschke, who feels Cronin is too tough on his players when he calls them out in public. He’s tough on them because (a) this is and has always been his style, and (b) it gets results. A little over 50 years ago, a UCLA coach calmly told his star, two-time All-American center that if he didn’t get his hair cut and shave his beard that the team would miss him that season. News of this happening today would send Plaschke off on a tirade, I’m sure. But the player heeded his coach’s words, got the haircut and shave, and the coach and player — John Wooden and Bill Walton — went on to enjoy a great season and, more importantly, a fantastic, lifelong relationship.

Mick Cronin is not John Wooden. Nobody expects him to be. But he’s a great coach, a proven winner, teacher, and leader. Shouldn’t that be enough?

Steve Kaye
Oro Valley, Ariz.

I appreciate Bill Plaschke, but his recent Cronin piece just missed. Coach Cronin isn’t here to win a popularity contest — he’s here to win basketball games and build men of character. And guess what? He does both. Sure, he’s fiery. Sure, he’s tough. But last I checked, John Wooden’s pyramid didn’t include “make everyone feel warm and fuzzy.”

Cronin’s track record speaks for itself — he’s built winners at Murray State, Cincinnati and, now, UCLA using the same relentless, defense-first style. His players don’t just leave as better athletes and basketball players; they leave as tougher, more disciplined young men ready for life beyond the court.

David Manheim
Los Angeles

LeBron James’ advice to Luka Doncic to the effect of “don’t worry about fitting in with us” and “you be you” should only go so far. Luka’s new green shoes (which he debuted against the Mavericks) are anathema to the purple and gold and should not be worn as long as Luka is in a Lakers uniform, which hopefully will be long enough for the Lakers to overtake the Celtics for most NBA titles.

Ken Feldman
Tarzana

Lakers fans who hoped that LeBron James would retire should rethink their position. Luka Doncic has brought with him the fountain of youth. LeBron seems motivated to prove that while Luka might be the future, LeBron is presently still top dog.

Richard Raffalow
Valley Glen

LeBron James and Luka Doncic are playing quite well together now, and the Lakers are becoming a championship contender. Just awhile ago, this kind of talk didn’t exist, but such fruition will not come true since good old Bill Plaschke has predicted that it’s time for the Lakers’ 18th title run.

Wayne Muramatsu
Cerritos

Now that the Rams have signed Matthew Stafford, they must add Cooper Kupp as last season was an aberration. As a fantasy football junkie I’m betting he catches 80 or more passes in 2025. One hopes it’s for the Rams.

Fred Wallin
Westlake Village

Like the banned Flying Wedge from a century ago, the “Tush Push” is not a legitimate football play and should be banned. The runner is not moving solely under his own power and the swarm of players makes it difficult if not impossible for the officials to know where the ball is. Keep the Tush Push in rugby where it belongs, the player needs to earn that last yard!

Mike Gamboa
Buena Park

My goodness! I did not expect to find a masterpiece on the back ‘front’ sports page of today’s L.A. Times. But that is what I found in Bill Dwyre’s exquisitely written and researched article on the destruction of the Tommy Hawkins home in the Palisades fire.

Combining Hawkins’ life with wife Layla’s fiery tragedy is powerful beyond words — certainly mine. Letting us share these emotions is truly journalism at its finest. I can only imagine Dwyre finishing writing, looking over his shoulder and seeing Jim Murray giving him a thumbs-up!

Ralph Martinez
Arcadia

Eric Sondheimer nailed it when he pointed out the joys of old-time, public-school prep basketball. I cannot state in strong enough terms how much I despise state finals and championships being won by private schools with their many unfair advantages. In a better world, public schools would compete only with other public schools for championships. Private schools would only compete among themselves. Clearly mine is a minority opinion. Congratulations to Mira Costa and Los Alamitos!

James W. Brown
Santa Ana

To hear of Mike DiGiovanna’s retirement/buyout is a huge loss for L.A. sports fans. Thanks Mike for your always-brilliant and balanced reporting. You shall be missed by this reader.

Jim Fredrick
Manhattan Beach

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