POSTGAME QUOTES
UCLA 62, Oregon State 47
Corvallis, Ore. (Gill Coliseum)
February 9, 2023
Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men’s Head Basketball Coach
on his team’s defense
“I thought we played pretty decent on that end, but (Oregon State) had a good strategy. They take their time on offense a lot. They play deliberate to try and shorten the game. But I would have to see our points per possession, which was still probably pretty good. We tried to play a lot of people tonight. Look, we always try and focus on things we try to control. We got sloppy with the ball at the end of the game, but I’m going to focus on the positives.”
on the play of Amari Bailey and Jaylen Clark
“We got to get to a point where we can win games when Tyger (Campbell) and Jaime (Jaquez Jr.) don’t score a lot. And it’s a long road for us because back when we scrimmaged San Diego State I think they had 58 between them. We needed to get to this point where our two leading scorers are Amari and Jaylen, or whoever else, but tonight it was Amari and Jaylen. It can’t just be Tyger and Jaime and pray for rain on the offensive end. So that was my biggest positive for sure tonight.”
on Amari Bailey’s ability to score in different ways
“He’s doing more with less. The trick on that is less dribbles and being more efficient. Young players they play in showcases and they play in high school games where you can dribble the ball a lot of times and get away with it. At this level you can’t do that. I still want him to get to the foul line more. I still have a lot of work to do with him. But he’s still only 18. His birthday is coming up. He’s playing in a super senior era against a lot of 22 to 24 year olds, which shows you how talented he is. My job is to help him figure all that out and how to use it. But we got him in a lot of good positions tonight. One thing about him is he can finish at the rim over big people, which is a big plus.”
on Jaylen Clark’s improved shooting
“We have shown him a lot of film and worked with him every day after practice. Jaylen Clark is so intelligent that when you show him things and talk to him about things, he understands. His aptitude is great, he just has to make the changes. He’s worked really hard in getting his head up so he can see his target. When he’s driving. I’m more worried about his finishing eight feet and in. He was quick shooting the ball before he even saw his target and nobody is going to shoot the ball well that way. But that’s our job to coach him through it.”
on the key to winning Saturday at Oregon
“Well, I think the big key was we were able to rest some guys today. We kept shoot around short. It’s this time of where we practice way less with more mental preparation. We were able to keep shoot around shorter today and keep guys minutes down today.”
UCLA freshman guard Amari Bailey
on getting a lot of high percentage shots tonight
“Getting downhill is a big part of my game. Just creating for myself and others. I love seeing my teammates eat more than me. It just so happened to be my name.”
on getting some baskets in transition after defensive stops
“It felt great. I was just looking for instant offense with it starting on defense. When we were able to get collective group stops and push in transition, you get to see more glimpses of my game.”
UCLA junior guard Jaylen Clark
on UCLA’s defensive play
“It was good. I mean, until the final four minutes they were in the 30s. I thought we were going to hold them under 40 points which I feel like is pretty crazy in a college game. This one is over and done and now we are looking forward to going back down to Eugene.”
on breaking out of his scoring slump
“At the end of the day it’s just a game. There are going to be highs and lows. I’ve had the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. My season has been all over. I’ve just been looking back to how fun this is. Whether it’s from drilling the three against USC to that final dunk against Kentucky, I’ve enjoyed my season this year and that’s the thing I’m happiest about.
on trying to beat Oregon in Eugene for the first time in his career
“That’s the biggest goal. That’s why we came out here. Winning at home, that’s easy. You have your fans. Your fans are going to get you 10 points and pump you up. I don’t know what their score is against USC hopefully they beat USC so we can catch them slipping. But if they lose, they are going to come breathing fire. I think they are like the first four out (of the NCAA Tournament) so these are must-win games if they want to have a postseason.”
UCLA 62, Oregon State 47
Corvallis, Ore. (Gill Coliseum)
February 9, 2023
Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men’s Head Basketball Coach
on his team’s defense
“I thought we played pretty decent on that end, but (Oregon State) had a good strategy. They take their time on offense a lot. They play deliberate to try and shorten the game. But I would have to see our points per possession, which was still probably pretty good. We tried to play a lot of people tonight. Look, we always try and focus on things we try to control. We got sloppy with the ball at the end of the game, but I’m going to focus on the positives.”
on the play of Amari Bailey and Jaylen Clark
“We got to get to a point where we can win games when Tyger (Campbell) and Jaime (Jaquez Jr.) don’t score a lot. And it’s a long road for us because back when we scrimmaged San Diego State I think they had 58 between them. We needed to get to this point where our two leading scorers are Amari and Jaylen, or whoever else, but tonight it was Amari and Jaylen. It can’t just be Tyger and Jaime and pray for rain on the offensive end. So that was my biggest positive for sure tonight.”
on Amari Bailey’s ability to score in different ways
“He’s doing more with less. The trick on that is less dribbles and being more efficient. Young players they play in showcases and they play in high school games where you can dribble the ball a lot of times and get away with it. At this level you can’t do that. I still want him to get to the foul line more. I still have a lot of work to do with him. But he’s still only 18. His birthday is coming up. He’s playing in a super senior era against a lot of 22 to 24 year olds, which shows you how talented he is. My job is to help him figure all that out and how to use it. But we got him in a lot of good positions tonight. One thing about him is he can finish at the rim over big people, which is a big plus.”
on Jaylen Clark’s improved shooting
“We have shown him a lot of film and worked with him every day after practice. Jaylen Clark is so intelligent that when you show him things and talk to him about things, he understands. His aptitude is great, he just has to make the changes. He’s worked really hard in getting his head up so he can see his target. When he’s driving. I’m more worried about his finishing eight feet and in. He was quick shooting the ball before he even saw his target and nobody is going to shoot the ball well that way. But that’s our job to coach him through it.”
on the key to winning Saturday at Oregon
“Well, I think the big key was we were able to rest some guys today. We kept shoot around short. It’s this time of where we practice way less with more mental preparation. We were able to keep shoot around shorter today and keep guys minutes down today.”
UCLA freshman guard Amari Bailey
on getting a lot of high percentage shots tonight
“Getting downhill is a big part of my game. Just creating for myself and others. I love seeing my teammates eat more than me. It just so happened to be my name.”
on getting some baskets in transition after defensive stops
“It felt great. I was just looking for instant offense with it starting on defense. When we were able to get collective group stops and push in transition, you get to see more glimpses of my game.”
UCLA junior guard Jaylen Clark
on UCLA’s defensive play
“It was good. I mean, until the final four minutes they were in the 30s. I thought we were going to hold them under 40 points which I feel like is pretty crazy in a college game. This one is over and done and now we are looking forward to going back down to Eugene.”
on breaking out of his scoring slump
“At the end of the day it’s just a game. There are going to be highs and lows. I’ve had the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. My season has been all over. I’ve just been looking back to how fun this is. Whether it’s from drilling the three against USC to that final dunk against Kentucky, I’ve enjoyed my season this year and that’s the thing I’m happiest about.
on trying to beat Oregon in Eugene for the first time in his career
“That’s the biggest goal. That’s why we came out here. Winning at home, that’s easy. You have your fans. Your fans are going to get you 10 points and pump you up. I don’t know what their score is against USC hopefully they beat USC so we can catch them slipping. But if they lose, they are going to come breathing fire. I think they are like the first four out (of the NCAA Tournament) so these are must-win games if they want to have a postseason.”