From Wooden to Cronin: The UCLA Success Story That Recruits Never See

Walk into Pauley Pavilion, and you’re hit with the weight of history—11 national championship banners, most from an era when John Wooden’s program was untouchable. But look closer, and something’s missing: proof that UCLA still matters today.

Arizona - with zero Final Fours since 2001 - keeps beating UCLA for big-time recruits (see: Koa Peat) because they aggressively market their postseason success: Seven Sweet 16s and three Elite 8s since 2009. Meanwhile, UCLA's 2021 Final Four banner might as well be in storage next to 2006.

Duke doesn’t just hang their 1960s banners—they flaunt their modern Elite Eight count (9 since 2000). UConn’s dynasty is framed around titles in 1999, 2004, and 2011, then two more in 2023 and 2024. UCLA? The 2000s are reduced to footnotes—even though the Bruins have had 4 Final Fours since 2006 (more than Kansas in that span) and deep runs under Lavin, Howland, Alford, and Cronin.

The Fix?

Rebrand the banners. Hang the 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2021 S16/FF runs just as prominently as the Wooden era.

UCLA isn’t a museum—it’s a program that’s still elite. It’s time Pauley reflected that.