Big Ten Newcomers Are Shaking Things Up - And UCLA's Mick Cronin Knows the Grind
LOS ANGELES - When Mick Cronin took over at UCLA seven years ago, he was stepping into the glare of a storied program with expectations as high as the Pauley Pavilion rafters. Now, he’s watching a new crop of coaches try to do the same - and he knows exactly what they’re up against.
One of those coaches is Indiana’s Darian DeVries, who, like Cronin once did, made the jump from mid-major success to the pressure cooker of a Power Five job. DeVries had a strong run at Drake, guiding the Bulldogs to three NCAA Tournament appearances in six seasons, followed by a brief stop at West Virginia. Now he’s in Bloomington, navigating the long shadow of Bob Knight and the intense expectations that come with leading the Hoosiers.
But if you’re expecting Cronin to offer a long list of do’s and don’ts, think again.
“He doesn’t need my advice,” Cronin said Friday. “He’s a hell of a coach. It’s just that the players are better.”
And DeVries has wasted no time proving he’s up for the challenge. Despite inheriting a completely clean slate - zero returning scholarship players - he’s got Indiana at 14-7 overall, 5-5 in the Big Ten, and already 1-0 against in-state rival Purdue, ranked No. 12 at the time. That’s a quick turnaround by any standard, and it speaks to how quickly he’s implemented his style and vision.
Another fresh face in Westwood is Bruins football coach Bob Chesney, who’s also making a major leap - this time from James Madison to UCLA. Like DeVries, Chesney is rebuilding from the ground up. And like DeVries, he’s doing it fast.
Cronin, who’s only traded texts with Chesney so far, had a simple message for him too.
“Get players, man.”
That’s exactly what Chesney’s done - over 40 transfers in under a month, including 10 from his 2025 JMU squad that went 12-2 and reached the College Football Playoff. He’s not just bringing bodies - he’s bringing a foundation.
“If I come [to UCLA] and run the exact JMU program, I don’t know if it’s fully successful,” Chesney said in December. “There’s things and elements about it that we need to run, but at the same point in time, there’s a lot of other things that we have to adapt to fit our new moment in time that we are and who we want to become.”
That’s the reality for every coach making this kind of jump. It’s not plug-and-play.
You can’t just copy and paste what worked at a smaller school and expect it to hold up in the Big Ten. The competition is fiercer, the athletes are bigger and faster, and the margin for error is razor-thin.
Still, continuity matters. Chesney has his core - players who know his system, trust his leadership, and can help bridge the gap.
That’s a luxury Cronin didn’t have when he came to UCLA. He inherited a roster that included Jules Bernard, David Singleton, and Chris Smith, plus incoming freshman Jaime Jaquez Jr., who had already signed his letter of intent.
That kind of head start isn’t available to most new coaches today.
DeVries brought his son, Tucker - a standout at Drake - and point guard Conor Enright with him to Indiana. But beyond that, he had to build from scratch. And he’s done it with a clear identity: fast, aggressive, and opportunistic.
“I think it’s critical in how we want to play,” DeVries said last March. “In the ideal world on a missed shot, turnovers, we would like to score in those first 12 seconds. We feel like the best way to score is on a broken floor before the defense is set.”
That’s a stark contrast to the methodical, defense-first style we’re seeing at Iowa under Ben McCollum - another former Drake coach who brought six players with him and essentially rebranded the Hawkeyes into a Big Ten version of the 31-4 Bulldogs squad from 2024-25.
“We continue to trust our guys from Drake,” McCollum said during his introductory press conference. “We took people that we thought could really help build and sustain a culture so that we can continue success into the future.”
Niko Medved at Minnesota and Buzz Williams at Maryland are in similar boats - all first-year Big Ten coaches reshaping their rosters, importing familiar faces, and trying to make their mark in a league that’s no longer just about bruising post play and grinding half-court sets.
“The Big Ten is such a hard playing league,” Cronin said. And now, it’s also a more diverse one - stylistically, strategically, and culturally.
For Cronin and the Bruins, that means game-planning for a wider array of challenges. Saturday’s matchup with Indiana is a perfect example.
DeVries’ squad doesn’t look like your typical Hoosiers team. They’re letting it fly early in the shot clock, spacing the floor, and making you pay for even the slightest defensive lapse.
“They’re a great shooting team,” Cronin said. “They have three of the best shooters in the country, not [just] the Big Ten.
… They’re smart. They pass the ball, put you in a lot of tough situations to defend their shooters.”
It’s a different brand of Indiana basketball - and that’s the point. These aren’t just new coaches; they’re ushering in new philosophies, new rosters, and new energy into a conference that’s evolving quickly.
For Cronin, the job is familiar. The expectations?
Those have changed. Today’s Big Ten doesn’t give you time to settle in.
You’re expected to win - and win your way - right now.
“It takes time to build a team into who you want them to be,” Cronin said. “It’s taken [the Hoosiers] a while to become what [DeVries] wants them to become, and he’s done a great job there. They’re a vastly improved team from the beginning of the season.”
Indiana (14-7, 5-5 Big Ten) at UCLA (15-6, 7-3)
This one’s more than just a non-conference clash. It’s a snapshot of where college sports are heading - and how quickly the game is changing.