Plateia becomes stage for CBS Sports sit-down with Coach Mick Cronin

UCLA men’s basketball coach Mick Cronin ended his first season with the Bruins by being named the John R. Wooden Pac-12 Coach of the Year. Cronin is the first UCLA head coach to win the award since 2006, when Ben Howland was the recipient, and the sixth UCLA coach to earn this distinction since the award was established 45 years ago.

Cronin’s first season, which was abruptly ended by the COVID-19 pandemic, was punctuated by a remarkable mid-season turnaround. With UCLA tied with Utah and Arizona State for last place in the Pac-12 with a 1-3 conference mark and an 8-9 overall record after a loss to Stanford on Jan. 15, the Bruins won 11 of their next 13 games. UCLA finished second in the league standings.

Just prior to the 2019-2020 season opener, Cronin sat down with CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein for a pre-game interview over lunch at the Luskin Conference Center’s Plateia restaurant and lounge. The segment aired across the nation in March.