Postgame Quotes - UCLA vs. Sacramento State (Nov. 7, 2022)
POSTGAME QUOTES
UCLA 76, Sacramento State 50
November 7, 2022
Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men’s Head Basketball Coach
opening remarks
“I thought Sacramento State did a great job. Preparation, they did as well as they could do. Obviously they didn’t make any shots so it’s hard for them to stay in the game. They competed really hard, [David Patrick] is a great coach. They made us play, which is what we need. They made us compete, they made us make adjustments, they made us work to get away from them. That’s what we want out of a game like this, so congratulations to them, I hope they have a good year. Jaylen Clark had 16 deflections. He has to stop dribbling off his foot, but other than that. He had seven steals, but there were five turnovers. For us, he has to be an elite defensive player. We have a team where he has to fill that role. I thought when he stepped it up defensively, the game changed.”
on if he’s happy with the team’s effort
“Comfortable teams shoot a high percentage. I haven’t been an assistant for 20 years, but I worked for two of the best coaches ever. Both of them did it in different ways, that’s why they’re in the Hall of Fame. But they both said the same thing, and we let Sac State get comfortable and run their offense too much early. Again, for us, until Dylan and Amari and Abramo can make an impact defensively, right now it’s got to be Jaylen. He’s the guy that can take things away and wreak havoc for us. We’re never going to play well defensively unless he’s all over the place. He can do things that other guys can’t.”
on Mac Etienne
“We knew he was going to be a nervous wreck, but we needed him tonight. He’s really practicing his way back into form. He had seven rebounds, four blocks, so I’m happy with that. I knew he was going to be a nervous wreck when they left him open, and he’s by far the best shooter of our bigger guys. First game in a year and a half. It’s good to get him out there though, and start to build his conditioning.”
on balancing playing veterans and younger players
“It’s really simple. We have talented young guys, but if we’re going to be a great team, Tyger and Jaime have to be All-American status guys. Nobody in this era has won it with all freshmen. I can name you the starters on Duke’s last title team and Kentucky’s last title team, and both those teams had veteran starters. Veteran guys have to carry you, especially early in the year.”
on integrating newcomers Amari Bailey and Dylan Andrews
“It’s a process, for both of them. They’re both super talented guys, just feeling their way out. They’ve never played in a game against a team that did what Sacramento State did defensively, the European style of cutting the court in half. That was new for them to see. It’s hard to simulate it in practice. To be honest, I have to learn them and what they’re good at, and how I can get Amari in spots where he’s comfortable offensively. Dylan is really learning how to play point guard, calling out the offense, and making reads. I have to help him with that. With Amari, I’m still figuring out the best places to put him where he can put effective. That part of it is my job. It’s a learning process as you get guys in the game. There are certain guys who are more comfortable taking certain shots in certain spots on the floor.”
on Jaime Jaquez Jr.
“I thought Jaime had a good game, but that’s far from his best. He’s 100%. Running faster and jumping higher and all that. He can’t give you 30 every night. Tonight was one of those nights, where he’s 6-for-14. If I was picking at it, he didn’t have any offensive rebounds. He’s become such an elite scorer that I’ve got to coach him better to make sure he goes for rebounds when other guys are shooting, because we need that from him.”
on Jaquez Jr.’s resilience
“Even when he was hurt, he’d never let you know. He’s a throwback. He’s like guys in the 80s, like Kevin McHale in the playoffs playing with a broken foot. Very, very few players this day and age would have played on with bone spurs in their ankle with a pro career in front of them. He’s not in here tonight, but I’m sure he’d tell you, run faster, jump higher. He was playing on two bad wheels last year.”
Junior guard Jaylen Clark
on his seven steals and defensive impact
“That’s where I get my enjoyment. You can ask them. It’s like that in practice too for the most part. I just like going up and taking people out of the game and it creates easy offense for me. I try to be an in-the-flow type player, so it just gets me going. My defense is my offense.”
on his second half scoring
“Like I was saying, I don’t really keep track of points. I know I (made) an impact in the first half. It felt like I was playing really well. I was getting my teammates involved. I was rebounding, (getting) assists, getting out on the break (and) finding people like Dave that are knock-down shooters. In the second half, I just felt like I had opportunities to go and score the ball. … I was pretty happy with how I performed.”
on how much second nature playing strong defense is under head coach Mick Cronin
“Very second nature. Y’all have ever been to our practices, but it’s like that. He says he wants perfection in practice. … Practice is sometimes harder than the games.”
on if has a goal for deflections
“Sixteen was actually the goal for tonight. Our assistant Nate (Georgeton) comes up to me every day with a number. So, for Concordia, it was 10 and then I had like 14. It looked too easy, so I needed 16 tonight. … You know how people track shots? I don’t care about that. I’ve been tracking how many times I get scored on and how many times I missed an opportunity to go steal the ball.”
on his next defensive milestone goal
“Tyus Edney – his record was 11 (steals). I put it on Twitter. I think people thought I was joking around, but I was dead serious.”
5th year guard David Singleton
on trying to be the best sixth man in the country
“I’m trying to be that player. I know my role on this team. I know what it takes to win. We need to have not only our starting five bringing energy but definitely the bench. So, I’m excited for this role. I’m looking forward to it. I’m just taking it one day at a time while also maintaining my leadership role because of young guys that look up to me.”
on how much second nature playing strong defense is under head coach Mick Cronin
“We had our Final Four year with Johnny (Juzang) and Jules (Bernard) and we still have those same guys from that team, so we know what it takes to win and have that championship mentality. We know the hustle plays, the rebounds, the defense, the rolls that we do. Even Kenny had a role in that run. We have to remind the freshmen and teach them what it takes to have that championship and Final Four mentality. … In practice, we get after it. We make each other better. We try to beat each other. There’s no mercy. But at the end of the day, I remind each and every one of them, that’s your brother. Go block their shot, go beat it off the backboard, but if he falls, go help him up. We’re trying to build a culture in this program.”
Redshirt senior forward/center Kenneth Nwuba
on when he found out he was starting and how it changed his mindset
“I guess three days ago. I just took the game same as always and be ready to play when my name was called. It doesn’t do anything. Stay focused and do whatever is asked of me to help the team win.”
Sacramento State head coach David Patrick
on the game being even until UCLA’s 20-point run
“We game-planned to start pretty well. UCLA turned up the heat a little bit on us defensively. We didn’t make the shots that we typically are used to making. Mick [Cronin] did a great job throwing that big kid in the post there. We usually can score there. When he was missing, they were getting back in transition layups. When you’re playing UCLA, you have to secure the ball better.”
on struggling from three-point range
“We’ve got some guys that can shoot. There’s a pressure to make shots, especially on the road. Austin Patterson, Zach Chappell, and Hunter Marks make threes in scrimmages. Their first road game against a Top 10 opponent, that pressure is hard to produce in practice and without fans. We can get shots. I told them I can draw them anything to get them shots, but you’ve got to make them.”
on winning the rebounding battle
“Rebounding is a staple of our program. In terms of rebounding, we want to win every night. We won that part; we just need to make the shots.”
on going against Jaime Jaquez, Tyger Campbell and Jaylen Clark
“Our whole scout was to try to stop Tyger and Jaquez, and then Clark comes out and doesn’t miss a shot. When I was the head coach at Riverside, I watched Jaylen a lot at Etiwanda [High School] and have seen him improve. I told the guys he knows who he is – he’s an NBA defender and owns it.
UCLA 76, Sacramento State 50
November 7, 2022
Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men’s Head Basketball Coach
opening remarks
“I thought Sacramento State did a great job. Preparation, they did as well as they could do. Obviously they didn’t make any shots so it’s hard for them to stay in the game. They competed really hard, [David Patrick] is a great coach. They made us play, which is what we need. They made us compete, they made us make adjustments, they made us work to get away from them. That’s what we want out of a game like this, so congratulations to them, I hope they have a good year. Jaylen Clark had 16 deflections. He has to stop dribbling off his foot, but other than that. He had seven steals, but there were five turnovers. For us, he has to be an elite defensive player. We have a team where he has to fill that role. I thought when he stepped it up defensively, the game changed.”
on if he’s happy with the team’s effort
“Comfortable teams shoot a high percentage. I haven’t been an assistant for 20 years, but I worked for two of the best coaches ever. Both of them did it in different ways, that’s why they’re in the Hall of Fame. But they both said the same thing, and we let Sac State get comfortable and run their offense too much early. Again, for us, until Dylan and Amari and Abramo can make an impact defensively, right now it’s got to be Jaylen. He’s the guy that can take things away and wreak havoc for us. We’re never going to play well defensively unless he’s all over the place. He can do things that other guys can’t.”
on Mac Etienne
“We knew he was going to be a nervous wreck, but we needed him tonight. He’s really practicing his way back into form. He had seven rebounds, four blocks, so I’m happy with that. I knew he was going to be a nervous wreck when they left him open, and he’s by far the best shooter of our bigger guys. First game in a year and a half. It’s good to get him out there though, and start to build his conditioning.”
on balancing playing veterans and younger players
“It’s really simple. We have talented young guys, but if we’re going to be a great team, Tyger and Jaime have to be All-American status guys. Nobody in this era has won it with all freshmen. I can name you the starters on Duke’s last title team and Kentucky’s last title team, and both those teams had veteran starters. Veteran guys have to carry you, especially early in the year.”
on integrating newcomers Amari Bailey and Dylan Andrews
“It’s a process, for both of them. They’re both super talented guys, just feeling their way out. They’ve never played in a game against a team that did what Sacramento State did defensively, the European style of cutting the court in half. That was new for them to see. It’s hard to simulate it in practice. To be honest, I have to learn them and what they’re good at, and how I can get Amari in spots where he’s comfortable offensively. Dylan is really learning how to play point guard, calling out the offense, and making reads. I have to help him with that. With Amari, I’m still figuring out the best places to put him where he can put effective. That part of it is my job. It’s a learning process as you get guys in the game. There are certain guys who are more comfortable taking certain shots in certain spots on the floor.”
on Jaime Jaquez Jr.
“I thought Jaime had a good game, but that’s far from his best. He’s 100%. Running faster and jumping higher and all that. He can’t give you 30 every night. Tonight was one of those nights, where he’s 6-for-14. If I was picking at it, he didn’t have any offensive rebounds. He’s become such an elite scorer that I’ve got to coach him better to make sure he goes for rebounds when other guys are shooting, because we need that from him.”
on Jaquez Jr.’s resilience
“Even when he was hurt, he’d never let you know. He’s a throwback. He’s like guys in the 80s, like Kevin McHale in the playoffs playing with a broken foot. Very, very few players this day and age would have played on with bone spurs in their ankle with a pro career in front of them. He’s not in here tonight, but I’m sure he’d tell you, run faster, jump higher. He was playing on two bad wheels last year.”
Junior guard Jaylen Clark
on his seven steals and defensive impact
“That’s where I get my enjoyment. You can ask them. It’s like that in practice too for the most part. I just like going up and taking people out of the game and it creates easy offense for me. I try to be an in-the-flow type player, so it just gets me going. My defense is my offense.”
on his second half scoring
“Like I was saying, I don’t really keep track of points. I know I (made) an impact in the first half. It felt like I was playing really well. I was getting my teammates involved. I was rebounding, (getting) assists, getting out on the break (and) finding people like Dave that are knock-down shooters. In the second half, I just felt like I had opportunities to go and score the ball. … I was pretty happy with how I performed.”
on how much second nature playing strong defense is under head coach Mick Cronin
“Very second nature. Y’all have ever been to our practices, but it’s like that. He says he wants perfection in practice. … Practice is sometimes harder than the games.”
on if has a goal for deflections
“Sixteen was actually the goal for tonight. Our assistant Nate (Georgeton) comes up to me every day with a number. So, for Concordia, it was 10 and then I had like 14. It looked too easy, so I needed 16 tonight. … You know how people track shots? I don’t care about that. I’ve been tracking how many times I get scored on and how many times I missed an opportunity to go steal the ball.”
on his next defensive milestone goal
“Tyus Edney – his record was 11 (steals). I put it on Twitter. I think people thought I was joking around, but I was dead serious.”
5th year guard David Singleton
on trying to be the best sixth man in the country
“I’m trying to be that player. I know my role on this team. I know what it takes to win. We need to have not only our starting five bringing energy but definitely the bench. So, I’m excited for this role. I’m looking forward to it. I’m just taking it one day at a time while also maintaining my leadership role because of young guys that look up to me.”
on how much second nature playing strong defense is under head coach Mick Cronin
“We had our Final Four year with Johnny (Juzang) and Jules (Bernard) and we still have those same guys from that team, so we know what it takes to win and have that championship mentality. We know the hustle plays, the rebounds, the defense, the rolls that we do. Even Kenny had a role in that run. We have to remind the freshmen and teach them what it takes to have that championship and Final Four mentality. … In practice, we get after it. We make each other better. We try to beat each other. There’s no mercy. But at the end of the day, I remind each and every one of them, that’s your brother. Go block their shot, go beat it off the backboard, but if he falls, go help him up. We’re trying to build a culture in this program.”
Redshirt senior forward/center Kenneth Nwuba
on when he found out he was starting and how it changed his mindset
“I guess three days ago. I just took the game same as always and be ready to play when my name was called. It doesn’t do anything. Stay focused and do whatever is asked of me to help the team win.”
Sacramento State head coach David Patrick
on the game being even until UCLA’s 20-point run
“We game-planned to start pretty well. UCLA turned up the heat a little bit on us defensively. We didn’t make the shots that we typically are used to making. Mick [Cronin] did a great job throwing that big kid in the post there. We usually can score there. When he was missing, they were getting back in transition layups. When you’re playing UCLA, you have to secure the ball better.”
on struggling from three-point range
“We’ve got some guys that can shoot. There’s a pressure to make shots, especially on the road. Austin Patterson, Zach Chappell, and Hunter Marks make threes in scrimmages. Their first road game against a Top 10 opponent, that pressure is hard to produce in practice and without fans. We can get shots. I told them I can draw them anything to get them shots, but you’ve got to make them.”
on winning the rebounding battle
“Rebounding is a staple of our program. In terms of rebounding, we want to win every night. We won that part; we just need to make the shots.”
on going against Jaime Jaquez, Tyger Campbell and Jaylen Clark
“Our whole scout was to try to stop Tyger and Jaquez, and then Clark comes out and doesn’t miss a shot. When I was the head coach at Riverside, I watched Jaylen a lot at Etiwanda [High School] and have seen him improve. I told the guys he knows who he is – he’s an NBA defender and owns it.