Postgame Quotes – UCLA vs. UNC Asheville
UCLA’s POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
UCLA 86, UNC Asheville 53
NCAA Tournament, West Region
Sacramento, Calif. (Golden 1 Center)
March 16, 2023
UCLA head coach Mick Cronin
UCLA student-athletes Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kenneth Nwuba and Amari Bailey
Coach Mick Cronin
on UCLA scoring 86 points to secure the victory
“Well, we had 24 assists tonight, which was probably a season high for us. We got off to a great start obviously. 14-0. I'm going to say we had five assists at least in our first six possessions. But, look, first I want to congratulate Coach Morrell and UNC Asheville. To win 27 games is hard. To make the NCAA Tournament is hard. Their kids are to be commended. Tajion Jones, to become the leading scorer in the history of your school, is a heck of an accomplishment. Drew Pember had an incredible year, Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year.”
“Tonight is not indicative of the season they had. They ran into a buzz saw tonight. We don't take losing well at UCLA. We spell fun W-I-N. We lost our last game. These guys took it personal. You saw how they came out tonight.
“Our defensive intensity and our deflections early in the game I think really rattled them. They could never really get comfortable. We did a great job on their shooters. Jones only made one three, Fletcher maybe one three, Drew Pember only made one. That was our big focus tonight. Our guys really approached the game with a professional attitude, which is something that we try to focus on. It's not about our opponent, it's about us. We got to make sure we maintain the same level of intensity and preparation for our next game.”
Coach Mick Cronin
on if he addressed his team about upsets in games played earlier in the day
“It has no bearing on us. We don't believe in false motivation, so we don't believe that you need your home crowd to win. We don't believe you need two starters to win. We believe that you need toughness and togetherness, playing hard and smart. There's always a way to win.”
on contributions from frontcourt players Kenneth Nwuba and Mac Etienne
“Kenny doesn't surprise me. He's been around. He got off to a great start this year. That injury he had against – was that against Cal? A weird injury against Cal to his hip. You see, he's blocking shots in the Pac-12 Tournament and again tonight. He's got his bounce back in his step. I mean, it doesn't surprise me. But him and Mac are nine for nine. Again, you're playing a mid-major team. Somebody alluded to Arizona [losing to Princeton on Saturday]. You've got to dominate those teams physically. I coached at that level. If you don't get dominated physically, you can win. You can physically dominate those teams, it's hard for them. [We had] 32 to eight points in the paint. These guys were 9 for 9 – Kenneth and Mac. Jaime had his way as well, inside. We end up plus 32 in the paint. That's what you got to do in games like that. If you don't, if your size and athleticism isn't a factor, then it doesn't matter if you're high major or mid-major. You've got to high major them, and we did that tonight physically.”
on UCLA guarding UNC Asheville and how they game planned against Drew Pember
“Look, their point guard is a tough kid. He's not a three-point shooter. We always try to take out the other team's best players. You let the other team's best players come out and get their average or higher, you're in trouble. We did that at USC. We were in trouble. You got to be able to take out the other team's best players.”
UCLA senior forward/center Kenneth Nwuba
on what it felt like to have such a strong performance, especially early in the game
“What does it feel like? Amazing. I mean, just like my message every year. When your name is called, be ready to play. Whether the contribution of yourself to the team, just be able to trust the coaching staff. Just like he said, toughness and togetherness, that's how we win the game. Like a group game – it takes all guys to win, not just one man. I will say it felt great.”
Coach Mick Cronin
on if he felt like his team might be taking this first-round matchup lightly
“It doesn't surprise me because we lost our last game. These guys are trained. We don't take losing lightly. Amari is a freshman. He knows how I am. He's from Chicago. We play to win at UCLA. It's not okay to lose. I don't care who's hurt, who's out, who you're playing, where the game's at, what the refs are doing with the whistle – you got to find a way to win. When we lost Saturday, I wasn't happy, but I knew it was going to help us. There's no question it was going to help us. I know these guys. Like, I know how upset this guy was that we didn't win that game Saturday. He was as upset as I've ever seen him. So that helps.”
on Bruins’ freshman Amari Bailey and how he has progressed this season
“Again, we're in an era of playing against 23- and 24-year-olds. He's been 18, turned 19 less than a month ago. There's a lot of high school kids in California that are older than him that we're recruiting.
I think it's just a lot harder than people realize. I'd let him speak to that. To find a comfort zone. You get two comfort zones you got to find. You're trying to find a comfort zone and adjust your game to college defense, college size, or you can go to the basket all the time in high school. The help, you got to be able to do it with less dribbles. Then you have to find a comfort zone on our team. You're coming in and playing with the Player in of the Year in the Pac-12 and [Tyger] Campbell and Dave [Singleton], a lot of guys that have been around. It's been a process for he and I, of trying to get him to the comfort zone. It didn't help that he missed a month with the foot. I think that's what you're seeing here lately. He's also embraced the defensive end, which doesn't surprise me. Guy is from the south side of Chicago. He's a tough guy.”
UCLA freshman Amari Bailey
on having played on this court while in high school and then returning here with UCLA
“It was just a surreal feeling. It felt like a full-circle moment. I haven't been here in four years, playing for a state championship my freshman year in high school, to then step into my first college March Madness game. I mean, I just had chills running through my body. I just wanted to stay focused and stay present in the moment.”
UCLA senior guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr.
on totaling five steals and keeping up the defensive intensity despite losing Jaylen Clark to injury
“I think we're playing a lot for Jaylen this tournament. I know entering into this game, they had a really good guy in [Drew] Pember. My entire thought process going into the game was doing whatever I could to stop him from getting going. I took a page out of J-Rock’s book, trying to get steals, trying to be active with my hands, try to do it for him.”
on using last Saturday’s loss to Arizona (Pac-12 Tournament) as motivation going into this tournament
“I mean, I try not to dwell on it, because if we lose now, my entire season's done. I don't think it's very hard to get me going or any of the rest of the guys, for that matter. I know this is Kenny's last year, too. We try to get the young guys to understand this, understand that this is a one-and-out tournament and we don't want this to end.”
UCLA senior forward/center Kenneth Nwuba
on using last Saturday’s loss to Arizona as motivation and how to reset, moving forward
“To add a little bit to that – the one thing about life is, when you lose something, use that as a motivation because you're not going to win every time. You lose some, you win some. When the next game comes, you use that as a motivation to look at your mistakes and try to correct yourself, not try to lose again.”
Coach Mick Cronin
on the status of freshman Adem Bona, who did not play on Thursday night
“I think Adem could have played tonight. He didn't get enough practice for me. We don't practice live a lot right now. But just even with our 5-0 stuff, I want to see him – there's things I want to see him do comfortably. But I knew what was going to happen. As soon as he warmed up, he comes running in the locker room, ‘I'm playing, I'm playing.’ Easy, big fella. That's just who he is. They got Oscar Robertson stuff up here [banners in the gym], Cincinnati Royals. You guys have no idea, Amari.”
“I'm from Cincinnati. I'm focused on the Cincinnati Royals. I don't know if you know that. I see Jack Twyman and Oscar Robertson, guys I was fortunate enough to meet and get to know. Sometimes you get a lot of pleasures in this job, a lot of perks with the job. Many times. Many times. Had cigars with him, yeah – lives in Cincinnati. They know who Oscar Robertson is. I don't know about Kenny. Him and Adem were watching a soccer game. They were watching soccer on their phone today.”
UCLA 86, UNC Asheville 53
NCAA Tournament, West Region
Sacramento, Calif. (Golden 1 Center)
March 16, 2023
UCLA head coach Mick Cronin
UCLA student-athletes Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kenneth Nwuba and Amari Bailey
Coach Mick Cronin
on UCLA scoring 86 points to secure the victory
“Well, we had 24 assists tonight, which was probably a season high for us. We got off to a great start obviously. 14-0. I'm going to say we had five assists at least in our first six possessions. But, look, first I want to congratulate Coach Morrell and UNC Asheville. To win 27 games is hard. To make the NCAA Tournament is hard. Their kids are to be commended. Tajion Jones, to become the leading scorer in the history of your school, is a heck of an accomplishment. Drew Pember had an incredible year, Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year.”
“Tonight is not indicative of the season they had. They ran into a buzz saw tonight. We don't take losing well at UCLA. We spell fun W-I-N. We lost our last game. These guys took it personal. You saw how they came out tonight.
“Our defensive intensity and our deflections early in the game I think really rattled them. They could never really get comfortable. We did a great job on their shooters. Jones only made one three, Fletcher maybe one three, Drew Pember only made one. That was our big focus tonight. Our guys really approached the game with a professional attitude, which is something that we try to focus on. It's not about our opponent, it's about us. We got to make sure we maintain the same level of intensity and preparation for our next game.”
Coach Mick Cronin
on if he addressed his team about upsets in games played earlier in the day
“It has no bearing on us. We don't believe in false motivation, so we don't believe that you need your home crowd to win. We don't believe you need two starters to win. We believe that you need toughness and togetherness, playing hard and smart. There's always a way to win.”
on contributions from frontcourt players Kenneth Nwuba and Mac Etienne
“Kenny doesn't surprise me. He's been around. He got off to a great start this year. That injury he had against – was that against Cal? A weird injury against Cal to his hip. You see, he's blocking shots in the Pac-12 Tournament and again tonight. He's got his bounce back in his step. I mean, it doesn't surprise me. But him and Mac are nine for nine. Again, you're playing a mid-major team. Somebody alluded to Arizona [losing to Princeton on Saturday]. You've got to dominate those teams physically. I coached at that level. If you don't get dominated physically, you can win. You can physically dominate those teams, it's hard for them. [We had] 32 to eight points in the paint. These guys were 9 for 9 – Kenneth and Mac. Jaime had his way as well, inside. We end up plus 32 in the paint. That's what you got to do in games like that. If you don't, if your size and athleticism isn't a factor, then it doesn't matter if you're high major or mid-major. You've got to high major them, and we did that tonight physically.”
on UCLA guarding UNC Asheville and how they game planned against Drew Pember
“Look, their point guard is a tough kid. He's not a three-point shooter. We always try to take out the other team's best players. You let the other team's best players come out and get their average or higher, you're in trouble. We did that at USC. We were in trouble. You got to be able to take out the other team's best players.”
UCLA senior forward/center Kenneth Nwuba
on what it felt like to have such a strong performance, especially early in the game
“What does it feel like? Amazing. I mean, just like my message every year. When your name is called, be ready to play. Whether the contribution of yourself to the team, just be able to trust the coaching staff. Just like he said, toughness and togetherness, that's how we win the game. Like a group game – it takes all guys to win, not just one man. I will say it felt great.”
Coach Mick Cronin
on if he felt like his team might be taking this first-round matchup lightly
“It doesn't surprise me because we lost our last game. These guys are trained. We don't take losing lightly. Amari is a freshman. He knows how I am. He's from Chicago. We play to win at UCLA. It's not okay to lose. I don't care who's hurt, who's out, who you're playing, where the game's at, what the refs are doing with the whistle – you got to find a way to win. When we lost Saturday, I wasn't happy, but I knew it was going to help us. There's no question it was going to help us. I know these guys. Like, I know how upset this guy was that we didn't win that game Saturday. He was as upset as I've ever seen him. So that helps.”
on Bruins’ freshman Amari Bailey and how he has progressed this season
“Again, we're in an era of playing against 23- and 24-year-olds. He's been 18, turned 19 less than a month ago. There's a lot of high school kids in California that are older than him that we're recruiting.
I think it's just a lot harder than people realize. I'd let him speak to that. To find a comfort zone. You get two comfort zones you got to find. You're trying to find a comfort zone and adjust your game to college defense, college size, or you can go to the basket all the time in high school. The help, you got to be able to do it with less dribbles. Then you have to find a comfort zone on our team. You're coming in and playing with the Player in of the Year in the Pac-12 and [Tyger] Campbell and Dave [Singleton], a lot of guys that have been around. It's been a process for he and I, of trying to get him to the comfort zone. It didn't help that he missed a month with the foot. I think that's what you're seeing here lately. He's also embraced the defensive end, which doesn't surprise me. Guy is from the south side of Chicago. He's a tough guy.”
UCLA freshman Amari Bailey
on having played on this court while in high school and then returning here with UCLA
“It was just a surreal feeling. It felt like a full-circle moment. I haven't been here in four years, playing for a state championship my freshman year in high school, to then step into my first college March Madness game. I mean, I just had chills running through my body. I just wanted to stay focused and stay present in the moment.”
UCLA senior guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr.
on totaling five steals and keeping up the defensive intensity despite losing Jaylen Clark to injury
“I think we're playing a lot for Jaylen this tournament. I know entering into this game, they had a really good guy in [Drew] Pember. My entire thought process going into the game was doing whatever I could to stop him from getting going. I took a page out of J-Rock’s book, trying to get steals, trying to be active with my hands, try to do it for him.”
on using last Saturday’s loss to Arizona (Pac-12 Tournament) as motivation going into this tournament
“I mean, I try not to dwell on it, because if we lose now, my entire season's done. I don't think it's very hard to get me going or any of the rest of the guys, for that matter. I know this is Kenny's last year, too. We try to get the young guys to understand this, understand that this is a one-and-out tournament and we don't want this to end.”
UCLA senior forward/center Kenneth Nwuba
on using last Saturday’s loss to Arizona as motivation and how to reset, moving forward
“To add a little bit to that – the one thing about life is, when you lose something, use that as a motivation because you're not going to win every time. You lose some, you win some. When the next game comes, you use that as a motivation to look at your mistakes and try to correct yourself, not try to lose again.”
Coach Mick Cronin
on the status of freshman Adem Bona, who did not play on Thursday night
“I think Adem could have played tonight. He didn't get enough practice for me. We don't practice live a lot right now. But just even with our 5-0 stuff, I want to see him – there's things I want to see him do comfortably. But I knew what was going to happen. As soon as he warmed up, he comes running in the locker room, ‘I'm playing, I'm playing.’ Easy, big fella. That's just who he is. They got Oscar Robertson stuff up here [banners in the gym], Cincinnati Royals. You guys have no idea, Amari.”
“I'm from Cincinnati. I'm focused on the Cincinnati Royals. I don't know if you know that. I see Jack Twyman and Oscar Robertson, guys I was fortunate enough to meet and get to know. Sometimes you get a lot of pleasures in this job, a lot of perks with the job. Many times. Many times. Had cigars with him, yeah – lives in Cincinnati. They know who Oscar Robertson is. I don't know about Kenny. Him and Adem were watching a soccer game. They were watching soccer on their phone today.”