Combining for 50 points in the Bruins’ exhibition win over the Eagles, most of the talk still centered around the defense.
UCLA men’s basketball guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. and guard Tyger Campbell spoke with the media following the Bruins’ 93-63 exhibition win over Concordia on Wednesday. The pair talked about their coach’s displeasure in their defensive performance, why they couldn’t contain the Eagles on the perimeter, their thoughts on the younger players, their combined big scoring nights and Jaquez’s personal stakes both on Wednesday and coming up on Monday.
Coach wasn’t too happy with the defense tonight, what did he tell you guys?
Jaime Jaquez Jr.: Um, I guess I’ll start because I think a lot of it was on my part, being a leader, I wasn’t as focused as I needed to be coming into this game, I was coming in a little lazy off the ball letting No. 3 get hot and that was just an emphasis that we had and I put that one on myself, so.
They were making a lot of 3s, were there breakdowns or just them letting it fly?
Tyger Campbell: You know, when you’re playing against a team bigger than us—we’re bigger than them, they’re going to play inside out, get it in the paint and kick it out, so coming into the game we knew that was kind of going to be their game plan but they just got hot and then we tried to run them off the line toward the end.
Good sign that you won by 30 and coach still wasn’t happy?
JJJ: I think that attests to what we were trying to do as a team. We don’t take any game for granted and every game is a learning experience and if he wasn’t on us, then I would say our chances of winning a national championship would be low, but we have a great coach and that’s what makes him so great is he doesn’t take any plays off, any night off. We’re going against a Division II team with a lot of great players and he’s still on us like it’s a Pac-12 game, so we really appreciate him for trying to bring the best out of all of us.
Do you take this seriously as an exhibition? Will you look at film for the regular season?
TC: Yeah, I’d say we take it very seriously. Like you said, coach was not too happy, so that goes all the way down the line—if coach isn’t happy, we’re not happy and we’ve just got to get there.
What did you see from the younger guys?
JJJ: It’s a learning experience for them as well as us. Coming into this program, Tyger and I have been with a lot of guys our age and kind of built this thing together and now we’ve got eight new freshmen that we’ve got to teach and that’s something we’re not used to because everyone coming in was already adjusted and knew how we played and you didn’t really need that teaching as much, but now as seniors with a lot of young guys, we’re getting adjusted to having to be more vocal on the court and off the court and try to get our younger guys in the right positions where they need to be. So yeah.
Adem have five blocks, how nice to see him get involved defensively when you didn’t have your best defensive game?
TC: I think it just goes to show Adem’s motor. Him getting those blocks, a lot of times that’s us getting beat, so we have to clean those things up but that guy’s a monster so when he’s down there he protects the rim, so we love him for that.
More athletic than past teams you’ve played on, throwing lobs and running the fast break?
JJJ: I feel more athletic, I got a lot of dunks. Shout out to Tyger for throwing that up there, I don’t know if it counted but I felt pretty good, yeah.
Jaime, this was your parents’ alma mater – was that special for you? Did they talk to you about it?
JJJ: Yeah, it was very special, both my mom and dad played there, my mom’s in the Hall of Fame at Concordia, so to go out there and beat their alma mater is pretty cool and just to have that experience, you know what I’m saying? Just to see their son go to UCLA and see their son be able to play against their former college is a special moment and I’m sure they enjoyed it.
Gabriela plays her game before yours on Monday, will you get to see any of that?
JJJ: I don’t know what the schedule’s looking like but I hope to be there early for her game and try to see her put on that uniform.
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