Postgame Quotes – UCLA vs. Gonzaga
UCLA’S POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
Gonzaga 79, UCLA 76
NCAA Tournament, West Region, Sweet 16
Las Vegas, Nevada (T-Mobile Arena)
March 23, 2023
UCLA head coach Mick Cronin
UCLA senior student-athletes Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Tyger Campbell
on the game’s final moments with a 3-point shot from Amari Bailey and then the following 12 seconds to play in regulation
Jaime: “That the game is not over, try to stay pretty level headed. Every game try not to get too high, try not to get too low. He hit a big shot and we lost.”
on UCLA’s offensive drought in the second half and what was happening, if there was a specific reason for why the Bruins’ shots weren’t going in
Tyger: “I'd say we ran some really good sets to go at what we thought we could take advantage of, and we got some really good looks, and we just weren't able is to knock them in. I would say that our drought was due to us taking good shots and us not making them, that's what I would say.”
on Gonzaga’s Drew Timme scoring 36 points and how UCLA tried to neutralize him without Bruins’ freshman Adem Bona on the court
Jaime: “I think we tried our best to stop him. We didn't get it done.”
on how UCLA guarded Julian Strawther with under 12 seconds left in regulation
Jaime: “I was guarding Sallis, I think – I knew he was a driver and I had to play off him and kind of being helped. I think Dylan was guarding Strawther. Like I said, he had a big shot. That was tough.”
on freshman Amari Bailey’s 3-point shot with under 20 seconds to play and what it has been like for a freshman like him to step up in such a big moment
Jaime: “That's who he is. He's a shooter. I've been telling him that. He can really shoot the ball. He's played tremendous for us this entire year. Really stepped it up towards the end when we needed him to. And that just shows who he is. He's a gamer. And big-time player. Big-time players shine in moments like this.”
on the Bruins’ game plan against Drew Timme
Coach Cronin: “Do our best.”
on the Bruins’ scoring drought in the second half against Gonzaga
Coach Cronin: “A lot of open shots that didn't go down. There's no hindsight – wide open shots. And multiple times we got fouled, no call. Dave and Tyger didn't make a basket in the second half. They had good looks and Jaime got murdered on about four layups.”
on the decision to not play Adem Bona
Coach Cronin: “He wasn't able to play. He wasn’t able to play. If I wanted to elaborate, I would elaborate.”
on the importance of Bruins’ senior Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Coach Cronin: “Jaime is one of the best four-year players to ever play at the school with the best tradition and the most great players in the history of college basketball. And since Coach Wooden's retirement, the freshmen became eligible he goes down with the guys who played four years, as good as any of them.”
on defending the 3-point shot that Gonzaga’s Julian Strawther hit to win the game
Coach Cronin: “We should have been tighter on Strawther. We were the whole game. We just weren't on that play. If we were tighter then he couldn't have looped behind. We were sagging off. Dylan was off too far. That's the answer to that, and that was our game plan against him all night because he's made those shots. Xavier had them beat back in November, and he went behind and hit two 30-footers against Xavier.”
on seniors Tyger Campbell, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and David Singleton having played their final game for UCLA and how difficult that is, knowing their careers in college have ended
Coach Cronin: “We addressed why we lost – we got outrebounded by 24. We had a tough whistle and our guards didn't make a shot in the second half. Then I told them how proud I was of them because they didn't flinch. I mean, you lose two of the best players in the Pac-12, the defensive player of the year, the freshman of the year, we still expect to win – and I'm happy because they still expected to win. I'm happy that they still expected to win. And that we're still upset that we lost. I had people say what a game we played against Arizona in the conference finals. Thought you were going to get beat 25 without those two guys. Have you not been watching our program? Do you not know what we're about? Like, that's not what time it is at UCLA.
There's a lot of good teams out there this year but a lot of them got whacked by 20 on multiple nights. Not us, not us. Took a great player, a 32-foot shot, and a great player in Drew Timme, and a really tough whistle to send us home, despite everything we've been through.”
on the leadership of guys like Jaime and Tyger and David, not just this year, but what they have meant to UCLA’s program for the past four and five seasons
Coach Cronin: “Loyalty, which is rare in today's society, which is something that I have great respect for. And when I look at those guys, I respect people – I don’t respect anybody I think that’s as fraud, that does not work hard. I just don’t, and I don’t care if you like me. I have great respect for those three, because when you watch them play you don't think, well, he should be better than that. When you watch Dave Singleton and you see he's limited athletically – you see that he gets everything he can out of his body and his talent. Tyger Campbell, unbelievable career. You can't get any more out of his body and his God-given things that he has that he can't change. He totally maxes it out. And Jaime Jaquez, same thing. Came in to us as a human turnover the first two months. And I just played him because he was as crazy as me. We were losing. He was pissed. I said I can build a program with this guy because he's got heart. Now look at him. It proves that if you work hard, you have a great attitude, you can become a really, really good player. So that's why I respect those guys so much.”
Gonzaga 79, UCLA 76
NCAA Tournament, West Region, Sweet 16
Las Vegas, Nevada (T-Mobile Arena)
March 23, 2023
UCLA head coach Mick Cronin
UCLA senior student-athletes Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Tyger Campbell
on the game’s final moments with a 3-point shot from Amari Bailey and then the following 12 seconds to play in regulation
Jaime: “That the game is not over, try to stay pretty level headed. Every game try not to get too high, try not to get too low. He hit a big shot and we lost.”
on UCLA’s offensive drought in the second half and what was happening, if there was a specific reason for why the Bruins’ shots weren’t going in
Tyger: “I'd say we ran some really good sets to go at what we thought we could take advantage of, and we got some really good looks, and we just weren't able is to knock them in. I would say that our drought was due to us taking good shots and us not making them, that's what I would say.”
on Gonzaga’s Drew Timme scoring 36 points and how UCLA tried to neutralize him without Bruins’ freshman Adem Bona on the court
Jaime: “I think we tried our best to stop him. We didn't get it done.”
on how UCLA guarded Julian Strawther with under 12 seconds left in regulation
Jaime: “I was guarding Sallis, I think – I knew he was a driver and I had to play off him and kind of being helped. I think Dylan was guarding Strawther. Like I said, he had a big shot. That was tough.”
on freshman Amari Bailey’s 3-point shot with under 20 seconds to play and what it has been like for a freshman like him to step up in such a big moment
Jaime: “That's who he is. He's a shooter. I've been telling him that. He can really shoot the ball. He's played tremendous for us this entire year. Really stepped it up towards the end when we needed him to. And that just shows who he is. He's a gamer. And big-time player. Big-time players shine in moments like this.”
on the Bruins’ game plan against Drew Timme
Coach Cronin: “Do our best.”
on the Bruins’ scoring drought in the second half against Gonzaga
Coach Cronin: “A lot of open shots that didn't go down. There's no hindsight – wide open shots. And multiple times we got fouled, no call. Dave and Tyger didn't make a basket in the second half. They had good looks and Jaime got murdered on about four layups.”
on the decision to not play Adem Bona
Coach Cronin: “He wasn't able to play. He wasn’t able to play. If I wanted to elaborate, I would elaborate.”
on the importance of Bruins’ senior Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Coach Cronin: “Jaime is one of the best four-year players to ever play at the school with the best tradition and the most great players in the history of college basketball. And since Coach Wooden's retirement, the freshmen became eligible he goes down with the guys who played four years, as good as any of them.”
on defending the 3-point shot that Gonzaga’s Julian Strawther hit to win the game
Coach Cronin: “We should have been tighter on Strawther. We were the whole game. We just weren't on that play. If we were tighter then he couldn't have looped behind. We were sagging off. Dylan was off too far. That's the answer to that, and that was our game plan against him all night because he's made those shots. Xavier had them beat back in November, and he went behind and hit two 30-footers against Xavier.”
on seniors Tyger Campbell, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and David Singleton having played their final game for UCLA and how difficult that is, knowing their careers in college have ended
Coach Cronin: “We addressed why we lost – we got outrebounded by 24. We had a tough whistle and our guards didn't make a shot in the second half. Then I told them how proud I was of them because they didn't flinch. I mean, you lose two of the best players in the Pac-12, the defensive player of the year, the freshman of the year, we still expect to win – and I'm happy because they still expected to win. I'm happy that they still expected to win. And that we're still upset that we lost. I had people say what a game we played against Arizona in the conference finals. Thought you were going to get beat 25 without those two guys. Have you not been watching our program? Do you not know what we're about? Like, that's not what time it is at UCLA.
There's a lot of good teams out there this year but a lot of them got whacked by 20 on multiple nights. Not us, not us. Took a great player, a 32-foot shot, and a great player in Drew Timme, and a really tough whistle to send us home, despite everything we've been through.”
on the leadership of guys like Jaime and Tyger and David, not just this year, but what they have meant to UCLA’s program for the past four and five seasons
Coach Cronin: “Loyalty, which is rare in today's society, which is something that I have great respect for. And when I look at those guys, I respect people – I don’t respect anybody I think that’s as fraud, that does not work hard. I just don’t, and I don’t care if you like me. I have great respect for those three, because when you watch them play you don't think, well, he should be better than that. When you watch Dave Singleton and you see he's limited athletically – you see that he gets everything he can out of his body and his talent. Tyger Campbell, unbelievable career. You can't get any more out of his body and his God-given things that he has that he can't change. He totally maxes it out. And Jaime Jaquez, same thing. Came in to us as a human turnover the first two months. And I just played him because he was as crazy as me. We were losing. He was pissed. I said I can build a program with this guy because he's got heart. Now look at him. It proves that if you work hard, you have a great attitude, you can become a really, really good player. So that's why I respect those guys so much.”