POSTGAME QUOTES
UCLA 88, Alabama 78
March 28, 2021
Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men’s Head Basketball Coach
opening remarks
“First of all, I want to congratulate Alabama on their season. To win the SEC Tournament and regular season is a tremendous accomplishment. They got some excellent seniors that play the right way. They play extremely hard. So, congratulations to them. I've been on the other side of this, and it's like driving off a cliff. It's excruciating. So, it should not be -- the excellent season they had should not be dismissed.
“We held them to seven made threes. It was a huge key for us. I told our guys, you know, the deeper you go, you've got to keep us alive with your performance on both ends. We have six guys in double figures -- six. I think somebody asked me -- in fact, my guy -- when I'm done with this, I do radio. The UCLA guy said, well, what about scoring outside of Jaime and Jules? Scoring's not our problem. We've got plenty of guys that can put the ball in the basket. Can we stop Alabama, their speed, their quickness, their three-point shooting, and then keep them off the offensive glass? Second chance points, we were only minus two. So, I thought that was going to be the big key for us.
“I thought game plan-wise -- you can game plan to defend the three, but when that ball comes off the rim and it's in the air and on the floor, you can't let the other team want to win more than you. And our guys did it -- we're not the most athletic team without Chris Smith and Jalen Hill, so our guys just did a great job. Early on, we were down eight, 19-11, and we were already minus five on the glass, and it was headed the wrong way, but the guys toughened up and just did an unbelievable job of battling, for a small team.
“And then Jaylen Clark got us some big offensive rebounds. Not only did we start blocking off better, we started offensive rebounding, which gave us some life, some second chance points, and some second chances to score, some opportunities to get the ball in the basket. So, I'm really -- and I would say, you know, look, we had a lot of guys that had great performances, but David Singleton is just a tremendous kid. He's everything that UCLA is all about as a school, just a great kid, great family, just great character, so happy for him. Just so happy for David. Just an unbelievable game for him.”
on what he said in the huddle headed into overtime
“Not a lot. I just tried to stay calm with the guys, just tell them we've got to continue to execute. I thought our guys had found a rhythm with them defensively and adjusted a little bit to their speed, and they'd kind of gone small, and it was going to be what it was going to be. They would run a pick-and-roll, get the switch, and try to beat us off the dribble.
“Cody Riley really had some big stops, some blocked shots. Obviously, not easy for a guy his size to stay in front of Jahvon Quinerly, but these guys have been resilient all year, man. I don't know if this is a fact, but we've got to be the only team left out here with no seniors. There were many times we could have packed it in, but I told them, they've been putting up with me for two years now trying to beat into them competitive spirit and toughness because, when you combine that with talent, you have a chance to do great things. They've allowed me to do it, and you're seeing the results of it right now.”
on message to the team after falling behind early
“Well, I think we got confused early on a couple of, trying to fight over some screens, and they beat us off the dribble. So, we just simplified everything defensively in how we were going to defend it, and we were just going to have to deal with some mismatches because we were trying to -- it was a strategic adjustment. Then it was also I discussed the rebounding situation. We were already minus five on the glass. They've got so much talent that, if you give them second and third shots, they're going to beat you. So I discussed that, but then there was a strategic thing we did with their screening that just tried to simplify it for our guys, and that way we didn't get confused. I thought that helped us.”
on whether he thought to foul on Alabama’s final possession in regulation
“Absolutely. Here, I'm a foul guy. Our concern that he had a time-out, and I had told -- he saw me -- Coach Oats saw me telling Tyger and the guys to foul. When Dave makes it, we're going to foul at half-court. My biggest concern was that, when we went to foul, they were going to shoot a half-court shot, and we were going to foul a guy shooting a three-point shot. You know, Bill, you cover the NBA, they don't foul for that reason. The pro guys are really crafty. So, we thought with four seconds, you know, we had – if we just make one rotation and choke that side of the floor down, we steal that pass. They don't even get that shot off. That being said, yeah, I am a foul guy, but that's, you know, that was my concern. They knew, and when we went to foul him, he was going to shoot it. So obviously, the kids bailed me out. We played great in overtime.”
on Tyger Campbell’s steal and score in overtime
“Yeah, he did a great job of reading their drive and reading the kickout. The more we adjusted to stay in front of the ball, we were kicking out into the passing lane. I don't remember the last time, Sam, that we had eight steals, but those are big baskets, right? In a game like this, you get two easy points are gold. So those are huge plays by Tyger.”
on team’s resilience after Johnny Juzang fouled out
“Well, that's the advantage of having guys like Jake Kyman and David Singleton. Tyger and Cody, we're thin at those positions, but we're deep on the wing. Like I said, David Singleton was monstrous today. Jake Kyman hit some big ones in our last win. David's got 15 monster points for us. I thought Cody -- and then we tried to start getting the ball inside to Cody when Johnny fouled out, and he had a couple of big buckets for us as well.”
on how much the team’s confidence has grown since the Pac-12 Tournament
“Well, I would say that the Michigan State win was a big turning point. And I'll just give you – you know, from a psychology standpoint, last year we lost to them in Maui. It was a dogfight. We played great. We were 2 for 15 from three. We couldn't score. But we battled them physically, and it was progress because two years ago they were down – this group of guys, some of the guys were on this team – David, Jules were freshmen. Tyger was sitting out. Cody was playing. Chris Smith was playing. Kenneth Nwuba was on the team. Literally, they got embarrassed against Michigan State, I mean, like down 30 at half or something. It was bad. And the guys, for them to come that far to where they could beat a program like Michigan State, I think it just did wonders for their confidence.”
on whether was a different feel in the huddle tonight versus other games this season
“Oh, for sure. Oregon State or Michigan State, we've been in a lot of them. Obviously, Oregon State was tough because, obviously, Jules was down on himself for the free throw. Michigan State, I think I was extremely fired up because it took everything we had to catch a team like that with a Hall of Fame coach from down. This was tough. When you're in this situation, man, and that happens to you at the buzzer, you've got every reason to fold. Every reason to fold, Mike, as you know. Look, man, we were down 14 in West Lafayette, and it's cold, we're all from southern California. Even me now, I hate the cold weather. My blood is thin, buddy. These guys just refused to give in. You know me. You know how much I've been trying to instill that will in them, where you just refuse to give in. Somebody might beat you, but you never let up, and you never give in. So, I give the kids all the credit, man. Obviously, like I said, they bailed me out, and, shoot, they played as good in overtime as you could possibly play.”
on how it feels to be on the other side and lose these kinds of games
“Again, I've said this, but it is tough being on the other side. March Madness, I'm going to say it, you can't change. I've said this. They had a great year. So many teams have a great year, and we go to this crazy tournament that entertains America, and it's tough. For me -- so somebody said, well, now you've been to an Elite Eight. That's not why I came to UCLA. I've got a lot of friends in the NBA; they make fun of people that have rings that say conference champion. There's only one. Whoever wins the NBA title is the world champion.
“So, for me, we've got to win three more games. I'm happy we're alive. You do this to try to have a chance, and you never know when this chance is going to come along again, as a coach, as a coaching staff. You just never know. So right now, I can't wait to get back and start watching Michigan because I understand how great of a team they have. I'm well aware of how fragile this tournament is, and an opportunity doesn't always knock at your door.”
on what he’s been able to build in such a short time at the helm
“Having worked for Bob Huggins and Rick Pitino, I got tremendous training to get here. So, it's my 18th year. All thanks to Dan Guerrero for giving me this opportunity. I would say this, you got to stay focused on the next game. Sure, I'm proud of where we're at. I would give the players credit. Some people take jobs, and everybody's running for the hills, and everybody stayed. I even had two fifth-year seniors stay. They stayed. Everybody showed up, and we got to work.
“I can share this with you, Pete. I told the guys that, if you'll listen and you'll hang in there, this is not going to be easy, but you'll be able to have pride, and you'll be able to hold up your end of the bargain at UCLA, and you'll have a lot -- you'd better hang your head high. You're going to have pride, and we're going to win games, but it will not be easy because it's hard to win. A lot of great coaches in our business, and there's a reason they always win, because the standard is the standard, and you have to demand so much commitment.
“But I give the kids credit because, look, there's already a thousand people in the transfer portal. So it's easy to cut bait and run. It's hard to dig in and deal with a short Irishman telling you to get in a defensive stance. I'm very thankful that the guys all hung in there and helped me build this.
on if the team was generally building to where it is now
“Yeah, look, I think it does help you to be in dogfights, and it helps you to play against really good teams, Dan. I think that my experience tells me that it's fool's gold when you run up and down and you don't get resistance and it's easy to score. We haven't had one of those games in a long time. Even Abilene Christian, Coach Golding does a great job. We made that look easier than it was.
“So, I think the Pac-12, obviously, is extremely underrated. We're going to have three teams in the Elite Eight. Unfortunately, we've got two playing against each other right now. You mentioned Stanford. They're a tremendous team, extremely deep team, and that was a road game. So, I think being in a great league and playing those type of games does help you. But, again, I give my players credit because some teams fall apart when the pressure comes, and these guys haven't done it, man. They're good kids, and they've dug in there.”
on whether he had any doubts the players would buy in to his leadership
“Look, when I took the Cincinnati job, we had one scholarship player. So, part of my decision in going to UCLA was we had played them, and I knew the roster. I also knew Jaime Jaquez. I did not know Jake Kyman. Tried to recruit Jaime. So, yes, I knew what the roster was, but they didn't have to stay. And I was honest with them from jump street. I said there is no -- I hear this all the time. Well, he doesn't have his players yet. Yes, I do because I told those guys in the first meeting, you show up at workouts tomorrow -- I addressed that.
“If you show up at workouts tomorrow, you're my player. If you don't want to, I fully understand. We'll find you a new home. But if you show up tomorrow, I don't ever want to hear, if we sign a player, that he's going to play his guy. It's real clear, guys. I'm here to develop you on and off the floor as young men. When we get out there on the floor, we're going to play hard and play to win and represent the four letters. Now, if you show up tomorrow, I don't ever want to hear it again. You are my players. You play for Mick Cronin, period, end of story. So I tried to eliminate that from jump street.”
“And all that stuff about West Coast teams not playing – it's so bad. It's so wrong. Tad Boyle, Sean Miller, Wayne Tinkle. Look at Andy Enfield and Dana. Look at the coaches in our league, man. It's a battle royal. We have great coaching in the Pac-12. Great coaching. I didn't mention Jerod Haase. I haven't beat him yet. Our league is so much better than people know. Everybody's sleeping when we play.”
junior guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr.
on team’s mindset headed into overtime
“We knew that we had nothing to worry about it. This is March. It happens all the time. That's something we're used to going into these games and overtime games, so that's just something we did.”
on how the team is playing now versus the end of the regular season
“I think just our mental preparation and our defense. Our defense was kind of lacking in those four games that we lost, so when we got into March, we knew that was something we had to change. That's what we're doing right now, and that's why we're winning games.”
on postgame celebration
“Yeah, we know it was Coach's first Elite Eight, so we're really excited and happy for him. This is our whole team's first time going to the Elite Eight, but we're not finished yet. We're not finished. We've got a lot more work to do.”
on vibe of the team has tournament has progressed
“Just sticking together as a team, believing in each other every single day, knowing what we're here for. We're in a hotel for a reason. We're staying focused as much as we can, and we're just paying attention to one game at a time.”
on if there’s a feeling of invincibility with the team at the moment
“I don't want to say invincibility. Everyone is beatable. Everyone has good nights and bad nights. We're definitely a confident team. We definitely believe in ourselves, even when no one else was or did. So we just believe in each other every single day and knew, if we got this opportunity, we're going to take full advantage.”
on Coach Cronin’s message to him when he took over as Head Coach
“Yeah. So when he came to UCLA, he basically preached the entire time that, no matter what was going to happen, we were going to be a tough team, and we were going to be a defensive team. So that was kind of his whole attitude coming into UCLA is that, no matter what happens, we're going to be the toughest team to go out there and play.”
on his three-pointer in overtime to extend UCLA’s lead to seven
“Yeah, those are definitely shots I practiced at the park, just imagining being in March Madness, getting the go-ahead bucket like that. But, yeah, my mentality, I saw the shot clock winding down, and I knew we needed a big shot. So I just took the shot.”
on importance of getting out to a lead in the first half
“It was very important to try to set the tone for the rest of the game, knowing that we were going to be upping them on defense and getting as many stops as we could. Then when you have good defense, that usually transitions to good offense.”
on David Singleton’s performance
“It meant everything. Dave works so hard every day in practice. We know what he's capable of, and when his name was called today, he showed everybody what he's all about, and that's a big-time player.”
on team’s mindset headed into the final play in regulation and team’s mindset headed into overtime
“So, when they came down, our main focus was to try to double the ball handler. As we doubled, they kind of got a guy open and hit the shot. But it's not a position we haven't been in before. We knew, if they got a shot off and made it, we're going to be all right. We have another five minutes to try to win this game. So we didn't really think much of it. In the huddle, we just said sticking together, and we've been there before. So, it's nothing really new for us.”
on Alabama’s missed free throws
“A lot of times, close games like that come down to free throws. If they miss, our main focus is just to try to get the rebound and take advantage of their misses and go down on the offensive end and try to get a bucket.”
on whether team’s toughness is an extension of Coach Cronin’s mentality
“I think that's a huge part of who he is. He affects us all in that way. He brings the best out in all of us. So, when we go out there and play, he's yelling and screaming with us. He's been through everything with us. So, him being a coach, I couldn't ask for a better coach in college basketball.”
on how it feels to advance to the Elite 8 and what team needs to do to improve
“It feels amazing to advance to the Elite Eight, but like I said, we've still got a lot of work to do. What we can improve on every day, just our defense, talking more on switches because sometimes we get confused, and making sure our rebounding is on point. So that's what I say we need to work on.”
on why the team wasn’t worried headed into overtime
“Well, you don't win every single game in overtime, but we know we've been in that position before, and we knew we get another five minutes to try to win this game. So we knew we had to be the toughest team out there, and that's going to be the reason we won the game, is being the toughest team. Like I said, we've been in those positions before. You don't win every single game, but it's a position we're very comfortable with.”
on how he explains the team’s NCAA Tournament run
“All I can say is we never stopped believing in ourselves. We went into practice, there were some tough practices there where it was probably easier to just get down and try to wrap it in and call it a season, but we stuck together. We stuck it out, and we came together. That's the biggest reason why we're winning these games, just how close we are as a team, coming together and believing in one another.”
on Jules Bernard’s performance
“Oh, it was huge. When a guy makes a play like that, we're all super happy for him because we know that it helps the team. When he hit that shot, everyone's going over there to pick him up and give him a pat on the back and tell him, That was a great shot. Then his ability to hit the free throws at the end of the game is huge. So shout out to Jules. He had a hell of a game today.”
UCLA 88, Alabama 78
March 28, 2021
Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men’s Head Basketball Coach
opening remarks
“First of all, I want to congratulate Alabama on their season. To win the SEC Tournament and regular season is a tremendous accomplishment. They got some excellent seniors that play the right way. They play extremely hard. So, congratulations to them. I've been on the other side of this, and it's like driving off a cliff. It's excruciating. So, it should not be -- the excellent season they had should not be dismissed.
“We held them to seven made threes. It was a huge key for us. I told our guys, you know, the deeper you go, you've got to keep us alive with your performance on both ends. We have six guys in double figures -- six. I think somebody asked me -- in fact, my guy -- when I'm done with this, I do radio. The UCLA guy said, well, what about scoring outside of Jaime and Jules? Scoring's not our problem. We've got plenty of guys that can put the ball in the basket. Can we stop Alabama, their speed, their quickness, their three-point shooting, and then keep them off the offensive glass? Second chance points, we were only minus two. So, I thought that was going to be the big key for us.
“I thought game plan-wise -- you can game plan to defend the three, but when that ball comes off the rim and it's in the air and on the floor, you can't let the other team want to win more than you. And our guys did it -- we're not the most athletic team without Chris Smith and Jalen Hill, so our guys just did a great job. Early on, we were down eight, 19-11, and we were already minus five on the glass, and it was headed the wrong way, but the guys toughened up and just did an unbelievable job of battling, for a small team.
“And then Jaylen Clark got us some big offensive rebounds. Not only did we start blocking off better, we started offensive rebounding, which gave us some life, some second chance points, and some second chances to score, some opportunities to get the ball in the basket. So, I'm really -- and I would say, you know, look, we had a lot of guys that had great performances, but David Singleton is just a tremendous kid. He's everything that UCLA is all about as a school, just a great kid, great family, just great character, so happy for him. Just so happy for David. Just an unbelievable game for him.”
on what he said in the huddle headed into overtime
“Not a lot. I just tried to stay calm with the guys, just tell them we've got to continue to execute. I thought our guys had found a rhythm with them defensively and adjusted a little bit to their speed, and they'd kind of gone small, and it was going to be what it was going to be. They would run a pick-and-roll, get the switch, and try to beat us off the dribble.
“Cody Riley really had some big stops, some blocked shots. Obviously, not easy for a guy his size to stay in front of Jahvon Quinerly, but these guys have been resilient all year, man. I don't know if this is a fact, but we've got to be the only team left out here with no seniors. There were many times we could have packed it in, but I told them, they've been putting up with me for two years now trying to beat into them competitive spirit and toughness because, when you combine that with talent, you have a chance to do great things. They've allowed me to do it, and you're seeing the results of it right now.”
on message to the team after falling behind early
“Well, I think we got confused early on a couple of, trying to fight over some screens, and they beat us off the dribble. So, we just simplified everything defensively in how we were going to defend it, and we were just going to have to deal with some mismatches because we were trying to -- it was a strategic adjustment. Then it was also I discussed the rebounding situation. We were already minus five on the glass. They've got so much talent that, if you give them second and third shots, they're going to beat you. So I discussed that, but then there was a strategic thing we did with their screening that just tried to simplify it for our guys, and that way we didn't get confused. I thought that helped us.”
on whether he thought to foul on Alabama’s final possession in regulation
“Absolutely. Here, I'm a foul guy. Our concern that he had a time-out, and I had told -- he saw me -- Coach Oats saw me telling Tyger and the guys to foul. When Dave makes it, we're going to foul at half-court. My biggest concern was that, when we went to foul, they were going to shoot a half-court shot, and we were going to foul a guy shooting a three-point shot. You know, Bill, you cover the NBA, they don't foul for that reason. The pro guys are really crafty. So, we thought with four seconds, you know, we had – if we just make one rotation and choke that side of the floor down, we steal that pass. They don't even get that shot off. That being said, yeah, I am a foul guy, but that's, you know, that was my concern. They knew, and when we went to foul him, he was going to shoot it. So obviously, the kids bailed me out. We played great in overtime.”
on Tyger Campbell’s steal and score in overtime
“Yeah, he did a great job of reading their drive and reading the kickout. The more we adjusted to stay in front of the ball, we were kicking out into the passing lane. I don't remember the last time, Sam, that we had eight steals, but those are big baskets, right? In a game like this, you get two easy points are gold. So those are huge plays by Tyger.”
on team’s resilience after Johnny Juzang fouled out
“Well, that's the advantage of having guys like Jake Kyman and David Singleton. Tyger and Cody, we're thin at those positions, but we're deep on the wing. Like I said, David Singleton was monstrous today. Jake Kyman hit some big ones in our last win. David's got 15 monster points for us. I thought Cody -- and then we tried to start getting the ball inside to Cody when Johnny fouled out, and he had a couple of big buckets for us as well.”
on how much the team’s confidence has grown since the Pac-12 Tournament
“Well, I would say that the Michigan State win was a big turning point. And I'll just give you – you know, from a psychology standpoint, last year we lost to them in Maui. It was a dogfight. We played great. We were 2 for 15 from three. We couldn't score. But we battled them physically, and it was progress because two years ago they were down – this group of guys, some of the guys were on this team – David, Jules were freshmen. Tyger was sitting out. Cody was playing. Chris Smith was playing. Kenneth Nwuba was on the team. Literally, they got embarrassed against Michigan State, I mean, like down 30 at half or something. It was bad. And the guys, for them to come that far to where they could beat a program like Michigan State, I think it just did wonders for their confidence.”
on whether was a different feel in the huddle tonight versus other games this season
“Oh, for sure. Oregon State or Michigan State, we've been in a lot of them. Obviously, Oregon State was tough because, obviously, Jules was down on himself for the free throw. Michigan State, I think I was extremely fired up because it took everything we had to catch a team like that with a Hall of Fame coach from down. This was tough. When you're in this situation, man, and that happens to you at the buzzer, you've got every reason to fold. Every reason to fold, Mike, as you know. Look, man, we were down 14 in West Lafayette, and it's cold, we're all from southern California. Even me now, I hate the cold weather. My blood is thin, buddy. These guys just refused to give in. You know me. You know how much I've been trying to instill that will in them, where you just refuse to give in. Somebody might beat you, but you never let up, and you never give in. So, I give the kids all the credit, man. Obviously, like I said, they bailed me out, and, shoot, they played as good in overtime as you could possibly play.”
on how it feels to be on the other side and lose these kinds of games
“Again, I've said this, but it is tough being on the other side. March Madness, I'm going to say it, you can't change. I've said this. They had a great year. So many teams have a great year, and we go to this crazy tournament that entertains America, and it's tough. For me -- so somebody said, well, now you've been to an Elite Eight. That's not why I came to UCLA. I've got a lot of friends in the NBA; they make fun of people that have rings that say conference champion. There's only one. Whoever wins the NBA title is the world champion.
“So, for me, we've got to win three more games. I'm happy we're alive. You do this to try to have a chance, and you never know when this chance is going to come along again, as a coach, as a coaching staff. You just never know. So right now, I can't wait to get back and start watching Michigan because I understand how great of a team they have. I'm well aware of how fragile this tournament is, and an opportunity doesn't always knock at your door.”
on what he’s been able to build in such a short time at the helm
“Having worked for Bob Huggins and Rick Pitino, I got tremendous training to get here. So, it's my 18th year. All thanks to Dan Guerrero for giving me this opportunity. I would say this, you got to stay focused on the next game. Sure, I'm proud of where we're at. I would give the players credit. Some people take jobs, and everybody's running for the hills, and everybody stayed. I even had two fifth-year seniors stay. They stayed. Everybody showed up, and we got to work.
“I can share this with you, Pete. I told the guys that, if you'll listen and you'll hang in there, this is not going to be easy, but you'll be able to have pride, and you'll be able to hold up your end of the bargain at UCLA, and you'll have a lot -- you'd better hang your head high. You're going to have pride, and we're going to win games, but it will not be easy because it's hard to win. A lot of great coaches in our business, and there's a reason they always win, because the standard is the standard, and you have to demand so much commitment.
“But I give the kids credit because, look, there's already a thousand people in the transfer portal. So it's easy to cut bait and run. It's hard to dig in and deal with a short Irishman telling you to get in a defensive stance. I'm very thankful that the guys all hung in there and helped me build this.
on if the team was generally building to where it is now
“Yeah, look, I think it does help you to be in dogfights, and it helps you to play against really good teams, Dan. I think that my experience tells me that it's fool's gold when you run up and down and you don't get resistance and it's easy to score. We haven't had one of those games in a long time. Even Abilene Christian, Coach Golding does a great job. We made that look easier than it was.
“So, I think the Pac-12, obviously, is extremely underrated. We're going to have three teams in the Elite Eight. Unfortunately, we've got two playing against each other right now. You mentioned Stanford. They're a tremendous team, extremely deep team, and that was a road game. So, I think being in a great league and playing those type of games does help you. But, again, I give my players credit because some teams fall apart when the pressure comes, and these guys haven't done it, man. They're good kids, and they've dug in there.”
on whether he had any doubts the players would buy in to his leadership
“Look, when I took the Cincinnati job, we had one scholarship player. So, part of my decision in going to UCLA was we had played them, and I knew the roster. I also knew Jaime Jaquez. I did not know Jake Kyman. Tried to recruit Jaime. So, yes, I knew what the roster was, but they didn't have to stay. And I was honest with them from jump street. I said there is no -- I hear this all the time. Well, he doesn't have his players yet. Yes, I do because I told those guys in the first meeting, you show up at workouts tomorrow -- I addressed that.
“If you show up at workouts tomorrow, you're my player. If you don't want to, I fully understand. We'll find you a new home. But if you show up tomorrow, I don't ever want to hear, if we sign a player, that he's going to play his guy. It's real clear, guys. I'm here to develop you on and off the floor as young men. When we get out there on the floor, we're going to play hard and play to win and represent the four letters. Now, if you show up tomorrow, I don't ever want to hear it again. You are my players. You play for Mick Cronin, period, end of story. So I tried to eliminate that from jump street.”
“And all that stuff about West Coast teams not playing – it's so bad. It's so wrong. Tad Boyle, Sean Miller, Wayne Tinkle. Look at Andy Enfield and Dana. Look at the coaches in our league, man. It's a battle royal. We have great coaching in the Pac-12. Great coaching. I didn't mention Jerod Haase. I haven't beat him yet. Our league is so much better than people know. Everybody's sleeping when we play.”
junior guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr.
on team’s mindset headed into overtime
“We knew that we had nothing to worry about it. This is March. It happens all the time. That's something we're used to going into these games and overtime games, so that's just something we did.”
on how the team is playing now versus the end of the regular season
“I think just our mental preparation and our defense. Our defense was kind of lacking in those four games that we lost, so when we got into March, we knew that was something we had to change. That's what we're doing right now, and that's why we're winning games.”
on postgame celebration
“Yeah, we know it was Coach's first Elite Eight, so we're really excited and happy for him. This is our whole team's first time going to the Elite Eight, but we're not finished yet. We're not finished. We've got a lot more work to do.”
on vibe of the team has tournament has progressed
“Just sticking together as a team, believing in each other every single day, knowing what we're here for. We're in a hotel for a reason. We're staying focused as much as we can, and we're just paying attention to one game at a time.”
on if there’s a feeling of invincibility with the team at the moment
“I don't want to say invincibility. Everyone is beatable. Everyone has good nights and bad nights. We're definitely a confident team. We definitely believe in ourselves, even when no one else was or did. So we just believe in each other every single day and knew, if we got this opportunity, we're going to take full advantage.”
on Coach Cronin’s message to him when he took over as Head Coach
“Yeah. So when he came to UCLA, he basically preached the entire time that, no matter what was going to happen, we were going to be a tough team, and we were going to be a defensive team. So that was kind of his whole attitude coming into UCLA is that, no matter what happens, we're going to be the toughest team to go out there and play.”
on his three-pointer in overtime to extend UCLA’s lead to seven
“Yeah, those are definitely shots I practiced at the park, just imagining being in March Madness, getting the go-ahead bucket like that. But, yeah, my mentality, I saw the shot clock winding down, and I knew we needed a big shot. So I just took the shot.”
on importance of getting out to a lead in the first half
“It was very important to try to set the tone for the rest of the game, knowing that we were going to be upping them on defense and getting as many stops as we could. Then when you have good defense, that usually transitions to good offense.”
on David Singleton’s performance
“It meant everything. Dave works so hard every day in practice. We know what he's capable of, and when his name was called today, he showed everybody what he's all about, and that's a big-time player.”
on team’s mindset headed into the final play in regulation and team’s mindset headed into overtime
“So, when they came down, our main focus was to try to double the ball handler. As we doubled, they kind of got a guy open and hit the shot. But it's not a position we haven't been in before. We knew, if they got a shot off and made it, we're going to be all right. We have another five minutes to try to win this game. So we didn't really think much of it. In the huddle, we just said sticking together, and we've been there before. So, it's nothing really new for us.”
on Alabama’s missed free throws
“A lot of times, close games like that come down to free throws. If they miss, our main focus is just to try to get the rebound and take advantage of their misses and go down on the offensive end and try to get a bucket.”
on whether team’s toughness is an extension of Coach Cronin’s mentality
“I think that's a huge part of who he is. He affects us all in that way. He brings the best out in all of us. So, when we go out there and play, he's yelling and screaming with us. He's been through everything with us. So, him being a coach, I couldn't ask for a better coach in college basketball.”
on how it feels to advance to the Elite 8 and what team needs to do to improve
“It feels amazing to advance to the Elite Eight, but like I said, we've still got a lot of work to do. What we can improve on every day, just our defense, talking more on switches because sometimes we get confused, and making sure our rebounding is on point. So that's what I say we need to work on.”
on why the team wasn’t worried headed into overtime
“Well, you don't win every single game in overtime, but we know we've been in that position before, and we knew we get another five minutes to try to win this game. So we knew we had to be the toughest team out there, and that's going to be the reason we won the game, is being the toughest team. Like I said, we've been in those positions before. You don't win every single game, but it's a position we're very comfortable with.”
on how he explains the team’s NCAA Tournament run
“All I can say is we never stopped believing in ourselves. We went into practice, there were some tough practices there where it was probably easier to just get down and try to wrap it in and call it a season, but we stuck together. We stuck it out, and we came together. That's the biggest reason why we're winning these games, just how close we are as a team, coming together and believing in one another.”
on Jules Bernard’s performance
“Oh, it was huge. When a guy makes a play like that, we're all super happy for him because we know that it helps the team. When he hit that shot, everyone's going over there to pick him up and give him a pat on the back and tell him, That was a great shot. Then his ability to hit the free throws at the end of the game is huge. So shout out to Jules. He had a hell of a game today.”