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Usually, when a player is ejected in a college basketball game, it comes from the referees, not the head coach.
UCLA center Steven Jamerson II was ejected by his head coach, Mick Cronin, after committing a hard foul with the Bruins down 27 with 4:26 left in the second half of their 82-59 loss on Tuesday at the Breslin Center.
Michigan State’s Carson Cooper looked to have an easy breakaway layup, but Jamerson beat him from behind and Cooper went down. 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 admonishes forward Steven Jamerson (24) after he made 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. 17 February 2026. (Adam Ruff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
When the two players were separated, Cronin was angry and eulogized Jamerson over the UCLA bench. The 54-year-old head coach led Jamerson – pulling the middle of the shirt himself – down to the bench and pointed him to the dressing room.
Jamerson, accompanied by UCLA coach Dave Andrews, eventually jogged out to the locker room. The redshirt senior originally 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 in the second half at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan, on Feb. 17, 2026. (Nick King/Lansing State Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
The Michigan State fans waved goodbye to Jamerson as he left the field. Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said he had never seen a coach push his own player out before.
“I think (Cronin) upgraded it to a flagrant two,” Spartans head coach Tom Izzo joked, according to FOX Sports. “It’s the first time I’ve seen a trainer do that. But it sounds like Mick, so he’ll get it fixed.”
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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, on Feb. 17, 2026. (Al Goldis/AP Photo)
Prior to UCLA’s 23-point loss to Michigan State, the Bruins lost to top-ranked Michigan by 30. They have lost two straight after winning five of their previous six.
For the Spartans, the blowout win was a necessary one as they had lost three of their last four games.
