Postgame Quotes – UCLA vs. Akron
POSTGAME QUOTES
UCLA 57, Akron 53
Moda Center (Portland, Ore.)
March 17, 2022
Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men’s Head Basketball Coach
opening remarks
“First of all, want to congratulate John and Akron on a great season. I told him after the game they were probably the most well-coached, best defensive team we've played all year. Their point guard was so tough, all their guys were so tough, the smallest guys on our post guys, and we couldn't get the ball inside. It's just a credit to the coaching staff at Akron, their kids, their toughness. We were well aware of how hard this game was going to be.
“We've got a veteran team. It wasn't a battle because we weren't ready; I can tell you that. These guys are veterans. They understood. They trusted the coaching staff and the scouting report. Great win for us. We finally got some shots to go down, made some adjustments, gutted it out. Keys in the second half for us were Jaime had six assists. We only turned it over twice in the second half, which allowed us to get enough shots to where we finally started making some. Also, offensive rebounding in the second half.
“In a game like that, this reminds me of my Big East days. You're going to win a rock fight, you've got to put your hardhat on and you've got to take care of the ball, get some extra possessions. And the offensive rebounding was huge, and we didn't turn it over. We were able to finally get some, hang in there and get some stops and get a few shots to go down. Castaneda played great, and congrats to Akron on their season.”
on Logan Johnson and Saint Mary’s
“That's my guy. I love him dearly and his entire family. After games, he'll text congratulations. Darren [Savino] and I, we love him dearly. Couldn't be happier for the way his career has evolved. Obviously, I talk to Randy extensively. So it was a great fit when Logan decided to leave after we left. I recruited him because he's one of the best athletes that you'll see play college basketball. He's also one of the best people, from a great family. He impacts the game in every possible way. He blocks shots. How many point guards block shots? Anyway, I could talk about him a lot. Great challenge. Randy is a great coach. Obviously, they played great tonight. Logan is the best. Just very happy that it's worked out for him. Obviously, I felt terrible, it was the roughest day of my life professionally when I had to leave them kids. Really, really happy it's worked out the way it has for him.”
on coaching Tyger Campbell pretty hard
“We're city guys from the Midwest. We're on the same wavelength. He's from the Quad Cities. Back there where he's from, there's not a lot of soft guys. My brother beat me up for fun when I grew up. And I just got to a point I made him do it just to make him do it. But anyway, no, in all seriousness, we're on the same page. Tonight, we had to be. We had to make a lot of adjustments. Credit to John [Groce], his team. They took so many things away from us. We were trying to get – we were searching. Tyger and I were searching together trying to figure some things out, and I thought keeping the ball in the middle of the floor in his hands as much as I could was the answer. It worked. And John tried to start trapping him, so we tried to start slipping. But I'm lucky he's with me. He knows I'm half crazy. Trust me, he's well aware.”
on freshman Peyton Watson
“Yeah, I felt like he could be a good matchup defensively. We were trying to get stops, get us some length in the game. He knocked down a big shot. These guys, we spend a lot of time on shooting, and then they come back at night and do it. Peyton had some great minutes. It was really impactful minutes. He didn't get a rebound, but his effort to go get some, he infused energy into our team, which we needed. I think we're going to need it going forward for sure on Saturday because Saint Mary's plays at the same pace, their tempo. We've got to try to do some stuff to make them uncomfortable, so you need your better athletes. So, very happy for him.
“But I would like to add that the biggest shot of the game was Jules' three in the corner. We were down five, I think, and cut it to two, and we were struggling. That was a big-time shot. There was no coaching involved in that. That's just gym time and this guy that's been doing big things for us for three years since I've been here. That was a big, big-time shot.”
senior guard Jules Bernard
on how the team’s past experiences in the tournament helped against Akron on Thursday
“We're a resilient team, and we have a great camaraderie. We know we've been in positions like that before, and we knew the caliber of team we were playing. We got down and they made some tough shots, and then they had an and-one foul to put them up seven or eight. We just gathered together and stayed calm. I think that was the most important thing, and got stops on defense, and obviously, like Coach said, the big thing was offensive boards. I feel like Cody Riley, Jaime Jaquez, everyone who came in gave us 30 minutes. We stuck it out. I feel like that's the mark of a great team is when you're battled and you face a challenge and you come out on top.”
on what the team was thinking trailing in the second half
“I think we didn't panic, and like I said, we've been in those positions before last year in the tournament, also throughout our seasons. So, we know what that feeling is like, and we just try to stay composed as best as possible and know that our effort and toughness would pull us through.”
on if anyone is designated to slap the advance on the bracket this year
“Russell Stong. Part of our team right there. After the game, he rubbed it on and took a big windup and smacked the board. Russ is our designated guy for that.”
junior guard Tyger Campbell
on scoring eight straight points late in the second half
“My teammates just kept finding me, and I just was wanting to make a play. I knew down the stretch, Coach made some adjustments, and I just wanted to execute on them, and the shots went in.”
on his long 3-pointer to beat the shot clock
“You know, it was a broken play. We didn't really have a shot. I was up at the top. Jaime could have shot it, but he found me behind him, tossed it to me, and I looked up at the shot clock and I knew I had to let it go. And when I shot it, it felt good, and it just went in. It was a great shot.”
on why Coach Cronin’s style works for him
“Well, I know Coach. He coaches me hard for a reason. He wants me to be great. He knows that everything that he says I take in, and I take what he says – he might say it in a certain way, but I get the meat out of it, if that makes sense. I get pretty much the message. Coach knows I have the highest respect for him, and it's just how it is.”
on not showing much emotion after hitting big shots tonight
“Just making sure we win. I don't really fall into those selfish things or getting hyped or anything. I'm not saying it's a bad thing to get hyped after you made a shot. We didn't do anything yet. I made a shot, and there was still time on the clock. I didn't really get excited until I got back to the locker room, saw everybody excited and just knowing that we won and we left this gym with a win tonight.”
junior guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr.
on seeing Kentucky get upset ahead of the Bruins’ tip-off on Thursday
“That's March for you right there. It happens every year – teams get upset. And we were watching that game thinking to ourselves, ‘That can't be us tonight’. All props to Akron. They played great, played a great game, great team. But we just knew we didn't want to be the ones getting upset tonight, and we're looking forward to bigger things.”
on finding Tyger Campbell for a corner three late in the game
“Man, I don't even really know. I just know I got the ball, I think it was a kick-out for the rebound. I saw it, get back to me, I saw some guy coming, and I heard ‘Corner’, and then I looked and just threw it to him. I saw him wide open, and I knew this guy has got heart and he's going to make a big shot when we need him to. And I just saw him wide open, and I knew I've got to get him that shot.”
UCLA 57, Akron 53
Moda Center (Portland, Ore.)
March 17, 2022
Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men’s Head Basketball Coach
opening remarks
“First of all, want to congratulate John and Akron on a great season. I told him after the game they were probably the most well-coached, best defensive team we've played all year. Their point guard was so tough, all their guys were so tough, the smallest guys on our post guys, and we couldn't get the ball inside. It's just a credit to the coaching staff at Akron, their kids, their toughness. We were well aware of how hard this game was going to be.
“We've got a veteran team. It wasn't a battle because we weren't ready; I can tell you that. These guys are veterans. They understood. They trusted the coaching staff and the scouting report. Great win for us. We finally got some shots to go down, made some adjustments, gutted it out. Keys in the second half for us were Jaime had six assists. We only turned it over twice in the second half, which allowed us to get enough shots to where we finally started making some. Also, offensive rebounding in the second half.
“In a game like that, this reminds me of my Big East days. You're going to win a rock fight, you've got to put your hardhat on and you've got to take care of the ball, get some extra possessions. And the offensive rebounding was huge, and we didn't turn it over. We were able to finally get some, hang in there and get some stops and get a few shots to go down. Castaneda played great, and congrats to Akron on their season.”
on Logan Johnson and Saint Mary’s
“That's my guy. I love him dearly and his entire family. After games, he'll text congratulations. Darren [Savino] and I, we love him dearly. Couldn't be happier for the way his career has evolved. Obviously, I talk to Randy extensively. So it was a great fit when Logan decided to leave after we left. I recruited him because he's one of the best athletes that you'll see play college basketball. He's also one of the best people, from a great family. He impacts the game in every possible way. He blocks shots. How many point guards block shots? Anyway, I could talk about him a lot. Great challenge. Randy is a great coach. Obviously, they played great tonight. Logan is the best. Just very happy that it's worked out for him. Obviously, I felt terrible, it was the roughest day of my life professionally when I had to leave them kids. Really, really happy it's worked out the way it has for him.”
on coaching Tyger Campbell pretty hard
“We're city guys from the Midwest. We're on the same wavelength. He's from the Quad Cities. Back there where he's from, there's not a lot of soft guys. My brother beat me up for fun when I grew up. And I just got to a point I made him do it just to make him do it. But anyway, no, in all seriousness, we're on the same page. Tonight, we had to be. We had to make a lot of adjustments. Credit to John [Groce], his team. They took so many things away from us. We were trying to get – we were searching. Tyger and I were searching together trying to figure some things out, and I thought keeping the ball in the middle of the floor in his hands as much as I could was the answer. It worked. And John tried to start trapping him, so we tried to start slipping. But I'm lucky he's with me. He knows I'm half crazy. Trust me, he's well aware.”
on freshman Peyton Watson
“Yeah, I felt like he could be a good matchup defensively. We were trying to get stops, get us some length in the game. He knocked down a big shot. These guys, we spend a lot of time on shooting, and then they come back at night and do it. Peyton had some great minutes. It was really impactful minutes. He didn't get a rebound, but his effort to go get some, he infused energy into our team, which we needed. I think we're going to need it going forward for sure on Saturday because Saint Mary's plays at the same pace, their tempo. We've got to try to do some stuff to make them uncomfortable, so you need your better athletes. So, very happy for him.
“But I would like to add that the biggest shot of the game was Jules' three in the corner. We were down five, I think, and cut it to two, and we were struggling. That was a big-time shot. There was no coaching involved in that. That's just gym time and this guy that's been doing big things for us for three years since I've been here. That was a big, big-time shot.”
senior guard Jules Bernard
on how the team’s past experiences in the tournament helped against Akron on Thursday
“We're a resilient team, and we have a great camaraderie. We know we've been in positions like that before, and we knew the caliber of team we were playing. We got down and they made some tough shots, and then they had an and-one foul to put them up seven or eight. We just gathered together and stayed calm. I think that was the most important thing, and got stops on defense, and obviously, like Coach said, the big thing was offensive boards. I feel like Cody Riley, Jaime Jaquez, everyone who came in gave us 30 minutes. We stuck it out. I feel like that's the mark of a great team is when you're battled and you face a challenge and you come out on top.”
on what the team was thinking trailing in the second half
“I think we didn't panic, and like I said, we've been in those positions before last year in the tournament, also throughout our seasons. So, we know what that feeling is like, and we just try to stay composed as best as possible and know that our effort and toughness would pull us through.”
on if anyone is designated to slap the advance on the bracket this year
“Russell Stong. Part of our team right there. After the game, he rubbed it on and took a big windup and smacked the board. Russ is our designated guy for that.”
junior guard Tyger Campbell
on scoring eight straight points late in the second half
“My teammates just kept finding me, and I just was wanting to make a play. I knew down the stretch, Coach made some adjustments, and I just wanted to execute on them, and the shots went in.”
on his long 3-pointer to beat the shot clock
“You know, it was a broken play. We didn't really have a shot. I was up at the top. Jaime could have shot it, but he found me behind him, tossed it to me, and I looked up at the shot clock and I knew I had to let it go. And when I shot it, it felt good, and it just went in. It was a great shot.”
on why Coach Cronin’s style works for him
“Well, I know Coach. He coaches me hard for a reason. He wants me to be great. He knows that everything that he says I take in, and I take what he says – he might say it in a certain way, but I get the meat out of it, if that makes sense. I get pretty much the message. Coach knows I have the highest respect for him, and it's just how it is.”
on not showing much emotion after hitting big shots tonight
“Just making sure we win. I don't really fall into those selfish things or getting hyped or anything. I'm not saying it's a bad thing to get hyped after you made a shot. We didn't do anything yet. I made a shot, and there was still time on the clock. I didn't really get excited until I got back to the locker room, saw everybody excited and just knowing that we won and we left this gym with a win tonight.”
junior guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr.
on seeing Kentucky get upset ahead of the Bruins’ tip-off on Thursday
“That's March for you right there. It happens every year – teams get upset. And we were watching that game thinking to ourselves, ‘That can't be us tonight’. All props to Akron. They played great, played a great game, great team. But we just knew we didn't want to be the ones getting upset tonight, and we're looking forward to bigger things.”
on finding Tyger Campbell for a corner three late in the game
“Man, I don't even really know. I just know I got the ball, I think it was a kick-out for the rebound. I saw it, get back to me, I saw some guy coming, and I heard ‘Corner’, and then I looked and just threw it to him. I saw him wide open, and I knew this guy has got heart and he's going to make a big shot when we need him to. And I just saw him wide open, and I knew I've got to get him that shot.”