UCLA Men's Basketball Coach Mick Cronin Ejects Own Player In Blowout Loss
UCLA Coach Mick Cronin Ejects Own Player ... During Blowout Loss
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UCLA men's basketball coach Mick Cronin was so ticked off watching his team get blown out by the 15th-ranked Michigan State Spartans, he literally kicked one of his players out of the game after picking up a flagrant foul!
It all went down late in the second half of Tuesday's contest, when the Spartans were up, 77-50, over the Bruins ... after Spartans' center Carson Cooper was set to slam down a dunk off a lob pass, when redshirt senior Steven Jamerson fouled him hard.
After the foul, UCLA HC Mick Cronin ejects his own player, Steven Jamerson III. pic.twitter.com/KOFMCDRYjg @CBBonFOX
SJ was eventually assessed a flagrant one foul ... but Cronin was not happy with his player after the penalty. He started grabbing his jersey and instructing a staff member on the bench to take him back to the locker room.
The Spartan fans were loving the scene, waving goodbye as he made his way to the showers.
"I was thoroughly disappointed," Cronin said after the game. "The guy was defenseless in the air. I know Steve was trying to block the shot, but the game's a 25-point game. You don't do that."
Tom Izzo, legendary head coach of Michigan State, was just as confused as everyone else watching the scene unfold.
"I guess he upgraded that to a flagrant two, huh?"
Michigan State HC Tom Izzo shares that's the first time he's seen a coach eject his own player. pic.twitter.com/k7oHOg0XJa @CBBonFOX
"I guess he upgraded that to a flagrant two," Izzo said. "First time I saw a coach do it, but that sounds like Mick, so he'll get that straightened out."
The Bruins will have the chance to get back on track Saturday night on their home court, as they welcome the University of Illinois into town for a Big Ten showdown.
