UCLA men’s basketball head coach Mick Cronin apologized to freshman guard Eric Freeny for his lack of playtime against Minnesota, according to California Post Senior College Sports Reporter Ben Bolch.
Cronin and the Bruins had defeated No. 9 Nebraska in a 72-52 blowout at the Pauley Pavilion on Tuesday with Freeny playing 18 minutes for four-points, five rebounds and three steals. That would be a 17 minute difference in playing time off the bench for Freeny in their loss against Minnesota on Saturday, but Cronin said it was a coaching reason.
“In coaching, you can’t talk about stuff and not be about it,” Cronin said, according to Bolch. “You’ve got to be about it – you play defense or you come out. If you’re not about it, nobody’s going to believe you.”
Cronin has not been shy of disciplining his players when he feels like it is deserved, hence the ejection of senior forward Steven Jamerson II against Michigan State. However, disciplining is part of coaching and Cronin appeared to have gotten the best out of the young guard based off of his defensive play against Nebraska.
Freeny’s defensive effort, along with the rest of the Bruins team, has now set them up for a prime opportunity to end the season strong with their final game coming against crosstown rival USC Trojans on Saturday.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Mick Cronin hinted at defense being reason for Eric Freeny’s minutes
Reporting by Ryan Lorenz, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
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