LOS ANGELES - UCLA made headlines after their 23 point loss to Michigan State on Tuesday, but not for the right reasons.
With just a few minutes left in the game and the Bruins already trailing by over 20 points, redshirt senior forward Steven Jamerson II went up to block a dunk attempt by Michigan State senior center Carson Cooper and fouled Cooper in the back. The two players squared up right away, but UCLA head coach Mick Cronin wasn't having any of it.
In a moment that's now gone viral, Cronin summoned Jamerson II to the bench, yelled in his face, tugged on his jersey and sent his own player to the locker room before officials had even made any announcement.
Since then, there has been a lot of discourse around the moment, with many criticizing Cronin for shaming Jamerson II in front of not only his teammates, but television cameras. The Michigan State game was a homecoming for Jamerson II, who once unsuccessfully tried to walk on to the Spartans basketball team.
Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Michigan State's Carson Cooper, right, and UCLA's Steven Jamerson, left, stare each other down after Jamerson's flagrant foul on Cooper during the second half on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.
"I don't think the entire world has seen that in a game," sophomore guard Trent Perry said (via UCLA Athletics). "But, it happened and I'm just glad we're able to move forward."
At UCLA's first media availability since the incident, Cronin took the time to apologize for his outburst and mixed in a little humor about Jamerson II's NIL compensation.
"I apologize to Steve," Cronin said (via UCLA Athletics). "It gives me a chance to tell you guys what a great guy Steve is. He asked me for $10,000 more in NIL because of that, but I told him I'll try to get him another commercial."
Cronin explained that at the time, he thought that Jamerson II had committed a dirty play on the foul and tried to take out Cooper. The idea of doing that while UCLA trailed so much is what led to Cronin's reaction, he said.
After the game when he had access to the game film, Cronin realized that the play wasn't at all what he thought it was and he even said that he thought the flagrant foul that Jamerson II received for it was excessive.
"I thought he tried to wipe the guy out, which to me, that's a bad play. You can't be down 25, you're getting your butt kicked, don't try to take somebody out, hurt somebody on the other team, which is what I thought," Cronin said. "I'm short. I was blocked. I'm on the other end. Their reaction, I thought he tried to crush this kid."
Jamerson II wasn't interviewed during Friday's media availability, but both Perry and senior guard Skyy Clark said that after the game Cronin brought the whole team together and apologized to Jamerson II behind closed doors.
Perry, who is Jamerson II's roommate, applauded his teammate's maturity in the situation while Clark said that Jamerson II was "in his head about it," but moving forward with the rest of the team.
Clark also said that the team had a player's only meeting after the game to help clear the air, and likely will have another one ahead of their next game on Saturday against No. 10 Illinois.
Cronin has never been one to hide his emotions and with UCLA's rather lackluster season, emotions naturally run high. Cronin's off the cuff nature has made him the star of countless soundbites this season alone, which can inform the public on their opinion of him.
He's among a dying breed of old-school coaches and that approach to the game doesn't always mesh with the heightened media presence of the modern era, but Clark, who's in his second season playing at UCLA under Cronin, describes his coach as someone that has consistently stood up for his players and while his communication may be abrasive, it's not malicious.
"I say just listen to the message, and not how it's being conveyed," Clark said. "I say if you do that, then you really hear what he's trying to say instead of how he's trying to say it."