The Pac-12 Conference announced Monday that former Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Mick Cronin won John R. Wooden Coach of the Year honors in his first season as the head coach of the UCLA Bruins.
The 48-year-old Cronin, a former La Salle High School standout, was UC's head coach from 2006 to 2019 and was a Bearcats' assistant from 1996 to 2001.
After a slow start that included non-conference losses to Hofstra and Cal State Fullerton, Cronin's Bruins won seven consecutive games in February to finish the regular season 19-12 overall, and 12-6 in the conference.