Postgame Quotes -- UCLA vs. Washington State
POSTGAME QUOTES
UCLA 75, Washington State 65
T-Mobile Arena (Las Vegas, Nev.)
March 10, 2022
Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men’s Head Basketball Coach
opening remarks
“I thought Washington State gave everything they had – made us play. [Tyrell] Roberts had a pretty good game. So did [Andrej] Jakimovski. Kyle [Smith]’s done a great job rebuilding their program so, hopefully, they make the NIT. Obviously, these two guys [Jaime Jaquez Jr., Jules Bernard] both got it going. We were stuck in the mud a little bit and Jules made some big shots, got us going. He got our energy level up, we got out in transition. I thought that changed the game.”
on holding Washington State to 27.6 percent from long range and if that was an emphasis
“Yeah. Always is when you play Washington State. I think they made three late. I wasn’t happy with some of our guys that we put in at the end – [they] didn’t finish the game right. But, in the meat of the game, I think we held them to five made threes.”
on what it’s like to have a player like Jaime Jaquez Jr.
“It’s why you develop players. I know that, in Westwood, we’re used to guys coming in ready-made, at times. Whether it’s Lonzo [Ball] or Kevin [Love] or Baron Davis – all the greats. Even Peyton [Watson] needs development. When he doesn’t play well, I blame myself, not him. It’s my job to develop him. That’s what Jaime’s trying to help him with – because Jaime didn’t finish. He was Peyton as a freshman. Jaime played a lot more because he wasn’t on a great team, but he’s developed. Coaching matters and attitude matters. That’s why we do things the way we do things. We have a formula. Mental state – you need to be coachable. You can’t get better if you’re not coachable … Jaime’s come a long way, but that’s hard work. His toughness, his talent, his great attitude. Just unbelievable attitude…”
on winning battles on the glass and with second-chance points
“Early on, they were beating us on the glass. [Efe] Abogidi – I think his three offensive rebounds were all in the first four minutes. So, it wasn’t looking good, but we always talk about, ‘You need to play harder than them. You need to run harder than them. You need to be more physical than them.’. As the game went on, we were. We started doing that. Even if you look down – second chance points, as you mentioned, but points in the paint we were +18. It’s hard to lose when you get 40 points in the paint and you make 11 free throws. If you can get to 50 on layups and free throws, it’s hard to lose. You’re going to make enough shots. You’re going to get 70 [points]. As you know, our chances when we get 70, pretty good.
junior guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr.
on adapting his game
“I would say just taking my time down there, playing at my speed, not trying to go get sped up or anything like that, just really slow down, and being able to find my teammates as well when the double team comes, and just take my time and be able to rise up and finish.”
on encouraging and mentoring Peyton Watson
“I just went back to Chris Smith. He was my guy. He mentored me when I came in, he was older, he tried to give me all the tips he knew, and that's what I am trying to do for Peyton as well. I just told him, ‘Get off two feet, rise up and score. Don’t worry about the foul, don’t try to draw a foul, just try to score. And they are going to foul you, and you get to shoot two free throws.’ I am just really telling him to be under control, take his time, and play at his speed.”
senior guard Jules Bernard
on if it felt like the energy shifted when Bernard hit a triple at the end of the shot clock in the first half
“I think the energy shifted when Peyton Watson came in. He gave us a lot of great energy. Just on the defensive end and then playing confidently on the offensive end. We started to get deflections and get out in transition. I feel like once we get easy buckets in transition, that’s what gets our juices flowing. So, I think those two things really helped us pick back up our energy in the first half.”
on breaking out of a bit of an individual slump during conference play
“Slumps happen, but I’ve been working diligently and trying to get my rhythm back. Coming in later in the night and shooting and stuff like that. I’m getting open looks. My teammates are drawing double teams and finding me on the perimeter. I’m just trying to play with confidence and help my team win. That’s it.”
on how locked in the defense is at the moment
“We’re getting there. There are still some adjustments we need to make. Sometimes we go through certain lapses or plays where we fall asleep, but for the most part, I feel like we are definitely improving through these last few games on our defensive energy, getting deflections, and playing aggressively on defense.”
UCLA 75, Washington State 65
T-Mobile Arena (Las Vegas, Nev.)
March 10, 2022
Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men’s Head Basketball Coach
opening remarks
“I thought Washington State gave everything they had – made us play. [Tyrell] Roberts had a pretty good game. So did [Andrej] Jakimovski. Kyle [Smith]’s done a great job rebuilding their program so, hopefully, they make the NIT. Obviously, these two guys [Jaime Jaquez Jr., Jules Bernard] both got it going. We were stuck in the mud a little bit and Jules made some big shots, got us going. He got our energy level up, we got out in transition. I thought that changed the game.”
on holding Washington State to 27.6 percent from long range and if that was an emphasis
“Yeah. Always is when you play Washington State. I think they made three late. I wasn’t happy with some of our guys that we put in at the end – [they] didn’t finish the game right. But, in the meat of the game, I think we held them to five made threes.”
on what it’s like to have a player like Jaime Jaquez Jr.
“It’s why you develop players. I know that, in Westwood, we’re used to guys coming in ready-made, at times. Whether it’s Lonzo [Ball] or Kevin [Love] or Baron Davis – all the greats. Even Peyton [Watson] needs development. When he doesn’t play well, I blame myself, not him. It’s my job to develop him. That’s what Jaime’s trying to help him with – because Jaime didn’t finish. He was Peyton as a freshman. Jaime played a lot more because he wasn’t on a great team, but he’s developed. Coaching matters and attitude matters. That’s why we do things the way we do things. We have a formula. Mental state – you need to be coachable. You can’t get better if you’re not coachable … Jaime’s come a long way, but that’s hard work. His toughness, his talent, his great attitude. Just unbelievable attitude…”
on winning battles on the glass and with second-chance points
“Early on, they were beating us on the glass. [Efe] Abogidi – I think his three offensive rebounds were all in the first four minutes. So, it wasn’t looking good, but we always talk about, ‘You need to play harder than them. You need to run harder than them. You need to be more physical than them.’. As the game went on, we were. We started doing that. Even if you look down – second chance points, as you mentioned, but points in the paint we were +18. It’s hard to lose when you get 40 points in the paint and you make 11 free throws. If you can get to 50 on layups and free throws, it’s hard to lose. You’re going to make enough shots. You’re going to get 70 [points]. As you know, our chances when we get 70, pretty good.
junior guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr.
on adapting his game
“I would say just taking my time down there, playing at my speed, not trying to go get sped up or anything like that, just really slow down, and being able to find my teammates as well when the double team comes, and just take my time and be able to rise up and finish.”
on encouraging and mentoring Peyton Watson
“I just went back to Chris Smith. He was my guy. He mentored me when I came in, he was older, he tried to give me all the tips he knew, and that's what I am trying to do for Peyton as well. I just told him, ‘Get off two feet, rise up and score. Don’t worry about the foul, don’t try to draw a foul, just try to score. And they are going to foul you, and you get to shoot two free throws.’ I am just really telling him to be under control, take his time, and play at his speed.”
senior guard Jules Bernard
on if it felt like the energy shifted when Bernard hit a triple at the end of the shot clock in the first half
“I think the energy shifted when Peyton Watson came in. He gave us a lot of great energy. Just on the defensive end and then playing confidently on the offensive end. We started to get deflections and get out in transition. I feel like once we get easy buckets in transition, that’s what gets our juices flowing. So, I think those two things really helped us pick back up our energy in the first half.”
on breaking out of a bit of an individual slump during conference play
“Slumps happen, but I’ve been working diligently and trying to get my rhythm back. Coming in later in the night and shooting and stuff like that. I’m getting open looks. My teammates are drawing double teams and finding me on the perimeter. I’m just trying to play with confidence and help my team win. That’s it.”
on how locked in the defense is at the moment
“We’re getting there. There are still some adjustments we need to make. Sometimes we go through certain lapses or plays where we fall asleep, but for the most part, I feel like we are definitely improving through these last few games on our defensive energy, getting deflections, and playing aggressively on defense.”