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Normally, when a player is ejected during a college basketball game, it comes from the referees and not the head coach.
UCLA center Steven Jamerson II was ejected by head coach Mick Cronin after committing a serious foul with the Bruins down 27 with 4:26 remaining in the second half of their 82-59 loss Tuesday at the Breslin Center.
Michigan State’s Carson Cooper appeared to have an easy escape, but Jamerson hit him from behind and Cooper fell. Cooper stood up and immediately got in Jamerson’s face before the two were separated.
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UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin scolds forward Steven Jamerson (24) after committing a flagrant foul during a college basketball game between the Michigan State Spartans and the UCLA Bruins at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan. February 17, 2026. (Adam Ruff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
When the two players were separated, Cronin was angry and greeted Jamerson on the UCLA bench. The 54-year-old head coach took Jamerson — even pulling the center by the jersey — down to the bench and directed him toward the locker room.
Jamerson, accompanied by UCLA coach Dave Andrews, eventually ran to the locker room. The redshirt senior initially enrolled at Michigan State as a freshman before transferring to the University of San Diego.
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UCLA forward Steven Jamerson leaves the arena after a flagrant foul on Michigan State center Carson Cooper during the second half at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan on February 17, 2026. (Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Michigan State fans waved goodbye to Jamerson as he left the field. Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said he’s never seen a coach eject his own player before.
“I guess (Cronin) took that to double,” Spartans head coach Tom Izzo joked, according to FOX Sports. “It’s the first time I’ve seen a manager do that. But it looks like Mick, so he’ll fix it.”
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UCLA coach Mick Cronin leads his team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in East Lansing, Michigan, February 17, 2026. (Al Goldis/AP Photo)
Before UCLA’s 23-point loss to Michigan State, the Bruins lost by 30 to first-ranked Michigan. They have lost two straight games after winning five of their previous six.
For the Spartans, this blowout victory was necessary, as they had lost three of their last four games.
