Postgame Quotes – UCLA vs. Oregon (Dec. 4, 2022)
POSTGAME QUOTES
UCLA 65, Oregon 56
December 4, 2022
Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men’s Head Basketball Coach
overall statement
“Obviously, you have to find different ways to win. Conference battle against a team with unbelievable size. It’s a long year, you have to overcome. I told Tyger at halftime, you have to just ship it off. We talked a little bit about his decisions, I said to be a great player you have to let it go. We’re not going to win without you. He turned it around in the second half, offensively. Give [Oregon] credit for our first-half offense. I was asking Tyger to do too much. Way better ball movement in the second half, it was very obvious. Made some adjustments as a coaching staff. Jaime had the right statement at halftime to the team, he said we can’t worry about offense. We’re in the game still, we only got 21 because of our defense. We can’t stop defending. I still think that we have a long way to go. Gave up 49% in our gym. We created some turnovers. I just think we have a long way to go. It’s frustrating when we won’t draw a charge. I know it’s a different time. But I don’t want to hear about it’s a different time and then I turn on my phone and I show my team [Houston volleyball player Kate Georgiades’ diving play as part of a long rally won by her team]. It’s the greatest play of the year. If I was in charge of the ESPYs, she wins the ESPY for best play of the year. Not only did she do it, she got up and finished the play. Saturday morning I saw it, we showed it to our team before practice. I got guys won’t take a charge, she’s all out. Pete Rose, all out. It’s the best play I’ve ever seen. I’ve got a good friend of mine, he won a Stanley Cup, Erik Johnson [Colorado Avalanche defenseman]. Yes, I did get a drink out of it. He said the Avs motto was sometimes what’s not best for you is best for the team. Getting run over might not be best for you, but it’s what the team needs. Obviously, it worked for them. Team sports, you have to do things that are not in your best interest. Again, I thought it was a tale of two halves. We shot 51% in the second half. Better ball movement, better shot selection, kept defending. Give Oregon credit, I thought they had tremendous fight in them, which I knew they would because look at their schedule. They’ve played Michigan State, UConn, Villanova, Houston. They’re battle-tested.”
on intensity
“Look, it’s seven minutes to go down the stretch, I went with Kenny a lot defensively. Our big concern was the backboard, we [allowed] five offensive [rebounds] out of 25 misses, because of their size, mainly. We did a good job there. Look, the proof is in the numbers. If you look at the analytics, defensively we’re not in the top-10. We’re like 30th, we could drop. We’ve got a lot of young guys, we have to just keep pounding nails, build something. We have to continue to build our defense out. We’re going to be a work in progress for a long time. I thought Amari had a great second half.”
on halftime message
“I’ve tried everything. Usually, I try and be calm. Then I raise my voice, then I realized I’d like to live. So I try to be calm again. You change it up. It didn’t surprise me, I knew this was coming. They’ve got big, strong athletes. They gave Jaime a little bit of trouble. Look what happens, Dante gets in foul trouble, Jaime gets in foul trouble, Amari got in foul trouble, Adem. That’s conference basketball, you just have to find a way to get a win and get on, try and win and improve. The key is improving. They key is not being happy you won. That is the biggest challenge coaching young people. Consistent winning, repetitive winning is really hard. It’s even harder in the pros.”
on Amari Bailey
“He’s got great talent. You know what he does? Seven for 12, he’s now shooting about 55%. Very rare for a young player to understand shot selection. It shows his basketball IQ. He has an unbelievable basketball IQ. I can’t tell you how many guys, begging guys to understand you’d be a better player if you shoot high percentage shots. Very few guys get it. Very rare as a freshman, very rare. Doesn’t force, rarely forces.”
Senior guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr.
on finding the fight they needed to win the game
“I think we had that fight last year when we played them. I haven’t beaten them since I’ve been here. I knew if we had a close game in the first half, and I got to go back in I was going to try to make some plays and make something happen to win.”
on what it means to beat Oregon
“I think it means a lot it’s great to be able to beat them inside here. We had a great turnout tonight. It’s great for the young guys as well. Just to be able to fix our mistakes in our last game (against Oregon). We’ve had a lot of close games and let it slip away. This one was a close one and we came out on top. So, emphasizing on learning from our mistakes.”
on only having 21 points at halftime, and how much of it was UCLA’s shooting or Oregon’s defense
“I thought we got a lot of great looks. We had a lot of offensive rebounds where we kicked the ball out and sometimes the ball just doesn’t go in and we just have to live with that. But I think it was our defense that kept us in the game. We only gave up 27 and I knew our offense was going to come. I wasn’t worried about it. I just knew that if we kept them down and stopped them from scoring, we were going to win.”
Junior guard Jaylen Clark
on how he’s feeling after his illness
“I’m feeling better. I literally went to practice one day and then came back, and I was just at my house and I start getting chills and I went into the shower and had chills (and a) fever. They just called it the flu. I didn’t play against Bellarmine, and I didn’t play much at Stanford so I knew I had to come out here and have a good one.”
on finding the intensity they needed in the second half
“Really, I just think it came from I don’t know how many times Oregon has beat us in a row. It’s been a long time, so it just came down to the fact that are we going to let another year go by and not beat these guys. The last time they beat us here, we didn’t have fans here. There was no more excuses. It was just that we don’t want to lose these guys and we don’t want to have to deal with what’s coming after if we lose to these guys. We don’t play again until next Saturday, so do whatever you got to do to get this dub and worry about how we feel after.”
on Jaime Jaquez Jr. leaving the first half early due to foul trouble
“We all never worry. People are going to have off nights. This isn’t the first time someone hasn’t had the highest scoring night, so I don’t know. He only had 10 points, but the just had 27 back-to-back the before this and we still get a win. With this team, we have so many people who can score the ball at an effective rate. We don’t force feed one person.”
Freshman Amari Bailey
on his dunk and block sequence late in the second half
“Tyger hit into Jaime and I just kept running my lane. And (Jaime) made a great play and I was able to get rewarded. And then I got beat down the lane and (inaudible).”
on hearing the crowd after those two plays
“I haven’t felt Pauley erupt like that, so it was pretty cool.
on how much of an adjustment it’s been from high school
“There have been plenty of adjustments whether (Jaylen) may think that or not. A lot of adjustments I’ve changed in my game.”
Oregon Head Coach Dana Altman
overall statement
“You just can’t get out-rebounded and they had 15 more shots than we did, which means they had more possessions. We also turned it over too much. (N’Faly) Dante also got into foul trouble which hurt us. If we’re going to win some games with a big line-up, you can’t lose the rebound game. I just thought that the momentum of the game changed at the start of the second half when they got two offensive rebounds and two kick-out threes.”
on how they were short-handed
“We just have to handle the ball a lot better. We also have to help out Brennan (Rigsby) with the ball-handling.”
on their overall record
“I’m disappointed. There’s no moral victories, but I can say in the last four games, we’ve competed. We just haven’t had some of the shots go down. (N’Faly) Dante just needs to have a better game. I thought we had an advantage there.”
on where they go from here
“We just have to have a good week of practice. We have finals coming up and guys will be scrambling around.”
On the tradition of the rivalry and playing in Pauley Pavilion…
“We really enjoy the rivalry we have. We respect the tradition and coming here is always a tough place to play. We like to play here and Mick is a great coach. I’ve known Mick for a very long time, more than I’d like to admit.”
UCLA 65, Oregon 56
December 4, 2022
Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men’s Head Basketball Coach
overall statement
“Obviously, you have to find different ways to win. Conference battle against a team with unbelievable size. It’s a long year, you have to overcome. I told Tyger at halftime, you have to just ship it off. We talked a little bit about his decisions, I said to be a great player you have to let it go. We’re not going to win without you. He turned it around in the second half, offensively. Give [Oregon] credit for our first-half offense. I was asking Tyger to do too much. Way better ball movement in the second half, it was very obvious. Made some adjustments as a coaching staff. Jaime had the right statement at halftime to the team, he said we can’t worry about offense. We’re in the game still, we only got 21 because of our defense. We can’t stop defending. I still think that we have a long way to go. Gave up 49% in our gym. We created some turnovers. I just think we have a long way to go. It’s frustrating when we won’t draw a charge. I know it’s a different time. But I don’t want to hear about it’s a different time and then I turn on my phone and I show my team [Houston volleyball player Kate Georgiades’ diving play as part of a long rally won by her team]. It’s the greatest play of the year. If I was in charge of the ESPYs, she wins the ESPY for best play of the year. Not only did she do it, she got up and finished the play. Saturday morning I saw it, we showed it to our team before practice. I got guys won’t take a charge, she’s all out. Pete Rose, all out. It’s the best play I’ve ever seen. I’ve got a good friend of mine, he won a Stanley Cup, Erik Johnson [Colorado Avalanche defenseman]. Yes, I did get a drink out of it. He said the Avs motto was sometimes what’s not best for you is best for the team. Getting run over might not be best for you, but it’s what the team needs. Obviously, it worked for them. Team sports, you have to do things that are not in your best interest. Again, I thought it was a tale of two halves. We shot 51% in the second half. Better ball movement, better shot selection, kept defending. Give Oregon credit, I thought they had tremendous fight in them, which I knew they would because look at their schedule. They’ve played Michigan State, UConn, Villanova, Houston. They’re battle-tested.”
on intensity
“Look, it’s seven minutes to go down the stretch, I went with Kenny a lot defensively. Our big concern was the backboard, we [allowed] five offensive [rebounds] out of 25 misses, because of their size, mainly. We did a good job there. Look, the proof is in the numbers. If you look at the analytics, defensively we’re not in the top-10. We’re like 30th, we could drop. We’ve got a lot of young guys, we have to just keep pounding nails, build something. We have to continue to build our defense out. We’re going to be a work in progress for a long time. I thought Amari had a great second half.”
on halftime message
“I’ve tried everything. Usually, I try and be calm. Then I raise my voice, then I realized I’d like to live. So I try to be calm again. You change it up. It didn’t surprise me, I knew this was coming. They’ve got big, strong athletes. They gave Jaime a little bit of trouble. Look what happens, Dante gets in foul trouble, Jaime gets in foul trouble, Amari got in foul trouble, Adem. That’s conference basketball, you just have to find a way to get a win and get on, try and win and improve. The key is improving. They key is not being happy you won. That is the biggest challenge coaching young people. Consistent winning, repetitive winning is really hard. It’s even harder in the pros.”
on Amari Bailey
“He’s got great talent. You know what he does? Seven for 12, he’s now shooting about 55%. Very rare for a young player to understand shot selection. It shows his basketball IQ. He has an unbelievable basketball IQ. I can’t tell you how many guys, begging guys to understand you’d be a better player if you shoot high percentage shots. Very few guys get it. Very rare as a freshman, very rare. Doesn’t force, rarely forces.”
Senior guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr.
on finding the fight they needed to win the game
“I think we had that fight last year when we played them. I haven’t beaten them since I’ve been here. I knew if we had a close game in the first half, and I got to go back in I was going to try to make some plays and make something happen to win.”
on what it means to beat Oregon
“I think it means a lot it’s great to be able to beat them inside here. We had a great turnout tonight. It’s great for the young guys as well. Just to be able to fix our mistakes in our last game (against Oregon). We’ve had a lot of close games and let it slip away. This one was a close one and we came out on top. So, emphasizing on learning from our mistakes.”
on only having 21 points at halftime, and how much of it was UCLA’s shooting or Oregon’s defense
“I thought we got a lot of great looks. We had a lot of offensive rebounds where we kicked the ball out and sometimes the ball just doesn’t go in and we just have to live with that. But I think it was our defense that kept us in the game. We only gave up 27 and I knew our offense was going to come. I wasn’t worried about it. I just knew that if we kept them down and stopped them from scoring, we were going to win.”
Junior guard Jaylen Clark
on how he’s feeling after his illness
“I’m feeling better. I literally went to practice one day and then came back, and I was just at my house and I start getting chills and I went into the shower and had chills (and a) fever. They just called it the flu. I didn’t play against Bellarmine, and I didn’t play much at Stanford so I knew I had to come out here and have a good one.”
on finding the intensity they needed in the second half
“Really, I just think it came from I don’t know how many times Oregon has beat us in a row. It’s been a long time, so it just came down to the fact that are we going to let another year go by and not beat these guys. The last time they beat us here, we didn’t have fans here. There was no more excuses. It was just that we don’t want to lose these guys and we don’t want to have to deal with what’s coming after if we lose to these guys. We don’t play again until next Saturday, so do whatever you got to do to get this dub and worry about how we feel after.”
on Jaime Jaquez Jr. leaving the first half early due to foul trouble
“We all never worry. People are going to have off nights. This isn’t the first time someone hasn’t had the highest scoring night, so I don’t know. He only had 10 points, but the just had 27 back-to-back the before this and we still get a win. With this team, we have so many people who can score the ball at an effective rate. We don’t force feed one person.”
Freshman Amari Bailey
on his dunk and block sequence late in the second half
“Tyger hit into Jaime and I just kept running my lane. And (Jaime) made a great play and I was able to get rewarded. And then I got beat down the lane and (inaudible).”
on hearing the crowd after those two plays
“I haven’t felt Pauley erupt like that, so it was pretty cool.
on how much of an adjustment it’s been from high school
“There have been plenty of adjustments whether (Jaylen) may think that or not. A lot of adjustments I’ve changed in my game.”
Oregon Head Coach Dana Altman
overall statement
“You just can’t get out-rebounded and they had 15 more shots than we did, which means they had more possessions. We also turned it over too much. (N’Faly) Dante also got into foul trouble which hurt us. If we’re going to win some games with a big line-up, you can’t lose the rebound game. I just thought that the momentum of the game changed at the start of the second half when they got two offensive rebounds and two kick-out threes.”
on how they were short-handed
“We just have to handle the ball a lot better. We also have to help out Brennan (Rigsby) with the ball-handling.”
on their overall record
“I’m disappointed. There’s no moral victories, but I can say in the last four games, we’ve competed. We just haven’t had some of the shots go down. (N’Faly) Dante just needs to have a better game. I thought we had an advantage there.”
on where they go from here
“We just have to have a good week of practice. We have finals coming up and guys will be scrambling around.”
On the tradition of the rivalry and playing in Pauley Pavilion…
“We really enjoy the rivalry we have. We respect the tradition and coming here is always a tough place to play. We like to play here and Mick is a great coach. I’ve known Mick for a very long time, more than I’d like to admit.”