Men’s basketball sees increased energy and effort to begin conference play
Freshman guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 10 total points and hauled in eight total rebounds across his first six appearances with UCLA men’s basketball. In the Bruins’ nine games since, Jaquez is averaging 11.4 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. (Axel Lopez/Daily Bruin senior staff)
By Sam Connon
Jan. 8, 2020 4:38 p.m.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. is no stranger to tough love.
“I was coached by my dad – he was always super blunt and straightforward with me, so that’s something I’m used to,” said the freshman guard/forward prior to Wednesday’s practice. “I know a lot of other guys have had coaches like that in the past. You just can’t take it personally.”
UCLA men’s basketball (8-7, 1-1 Pac-12) was 7-6 entering conference play last week, the same record it owned when it fired former coach Steve Alford in December 2018. Coach Mick Cronin made the decision to strip the players of the “UCLA” on their practice jerseys after the team’s loss to Cal State Fullerton, and the Bruins followed that up with a road split to open their Pac-12 slate.
Cronin said that his team is back to practicing with the four letters on their chests, but that there is still work to be done in terms of leveling out consistency and effort.
“If you’re going to play here, you’re going to play winning basketball,” Cronin said. “There’s effort, and there’s winning effort – big difference, (it’s) a lot harder to get winning effort.”
Cronin said that effort paid off in UCLA’s tight win over Washington, and that it was still present in its overtime loss to Washington State two days later. But even though the Bruins finished the road trip with a loss, he said the players have managed to stay even-keeled after returning to Westwood.
“They’re not like fans and coaches, where you win a game and it’s, ‘Oh, we’re never going to lose again, we figured it out,’ or you lose a game and the world’s ending,” Cronin said. “They’re worried about the girlfriend, if she’s going to talk to them if they lost or leave him for a football player.”
One of the players who rose in the Bruins’ rotation last weekend was freshman guard/forward Jake Kyman, who led the Bruins with 21 points against the Huskies on Thursday.
Kyman said he feels a tangible difference in the team’s culture since its loss to the Titans, with the Bruins coming together over the past week to change their energy and effort across the board.
“During the beginning, everyone was working hard, but we weren’t really working together,” Kyman said. “I think everyone’s really bought into the fact of togetherness, and we have to do this together as a team.”
Kyman may be UCLA’s leading 3-point shooter this season, but last year, it was sophomore guard David Singleton who boasted that distinction. However, Singleton was more than just a 3-point specialist, said junior guard Chris Smith.
“(Singleton) does three things well: plays defense, takes care of the ball and shoots,” Smith said. “In practice, he’s always the one going hard, he’s letting guys know what they’re messing up, letting guys know what they need to do.”
Kyman and Singleton are both shooting 40% or better from long range on the season, but the latter is the one who typically runs with Cronin’s defensive lineup.
The two sharpshooters will be back on the court again when UCLA hosts USC on Saturday at 7 p.m. with a chance to go back above .500 in conference play.
