Jaime Jáquez Jr. was born to be an athlete and especially to play basketball. In fact, the first word he ever said in his life was “ball”, according to his parents.
But Jáquez is not a conventional basketball player. He is a complete player who can do almost anything on the court and who combines his many skills with a fierce, tenacious and unwavering style. The young Mexican American never gives up. His coach at the UCLA Bruins, where he had an extraordinary college career, described him perfectly.
“Jaime is special because he is a great player. He has that spirit of a Mexican boxer. You’re going to have to kill him…”, said Mick Cronin about Jáquez in a video produced by CBS Sports that was published during the last NCAA basketball tournament. “He has that fighting spirit that any coach dreams of having in his players.”
And this June 22, Jaime Jáquez Jr., 22, can make a bit of history in the NBA Draft, where he is expected to be selected, even in the first round. If that happens, will be the first player of Mexican blood and playing for Mexico to be selected in the initial round of a Draft.
His mentality is correct: feet on the ground for now, but with dreams of big things.
“Take this one day at a time. I think that this has been my mentality throughout my college experience, ”Jáquez Jr. said in a recent interview with La Opinión after one of his countless practices on the way to his imminent arrival at the best basketball on the planet.
“Really just focused on myself, understanding that I’m running my own career without trying to see how other players are training or being projected,” added the Pac-12 Conference Player of the Year and winner of the prestigious Lute Trophy. Olson for National Player of the Year. “Just focused on me and understanding that this is my dream and very excited to keep chasing it”.
All this, while Jaime seeks to continue being a good example for Latino children and youth. The Mexican national team is clear: “They can see a person who looks like them… I don’t take that lightly.”
Jaime Jáquez has raised his bonds and will be in the “Green Room”
Initially, Jaime Jáquez Jr. was listed in some specialized media as a second-round prospect in the 2023 Draft. But his work at the Draft Combine and his visits to various NBA teams to train in front of them caused very good impressions; now, virtually all pundits believe the Irvine-born, Camarillo-raised will go out in the first round.
This week it was reported that the 6-foot, 226-pound man received an invitation to be present in the so-called “Green Room” the night of the Draft at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, an exclusive site where only the best prospects will be found, including the French phenomenon Victor Wembanyama, who will be selected by the Spurs. The Draft will be broadcast in the United States on ABC and ESPN at 5 pm Pacific/8 pm Eastern.
Teams like the Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers, Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Clippers, even the Lakers and even the champion Denver Nuggets, who were finalizing a trade Wednesday to acquire a first-round pick, have been mentioned as possible destinations for Jáquez.
Jáquez said in the interview with La Opinión that he has heard questions from experts and team scouts about his defense and his shot. “And I am very excited to answer those questions,” said Jáquez, who in his last year with UCLA averaged 17.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.5 steals.
“I am a very good defender, I am a very good shooter as well. So when that time comes I’ll be ready, which is why I’m doing my job in the summer. I am very excited and just following the process, ”he noted.
One aspect of his growth as a basketball player that Jaime believes improved the most during 2022-23 at UCLA is his leadership.
“Just as it is important to be a good player on the field, it is equally important to be a leader and a good example off the field,” he said. “So my growth as a leader is one of the things I’m most proud of; getting my teammates with me to go into battle and win games”.
That leadership helped UCLA reach the third round or “Sweet 16” of the NCAA basketball tournament. Two years ago, the Bruins made it all the way to the Final Four, losing both times to Gonzaga’s powerhouse squad.
The NBA illusion since childhood and the commitment to the future
Jáquez is not ready to talk about goals and objectives as a professional, because he wants to get to the NBA first. It’s obvious that UCLA’s short forward won’t be long before he gets a chance to set new goals.
“Upon arriving [a la NBA] I’m going to have to set myself a new set of goals, but for now I’ve worked 22 years to be in this position,” he explained. “So once I’m there I’m going to have to reboot and try to figure out the next goals, whether it’s being Rookie of the Year, or making the NBA All-Team, winning an NBA championship… But for now I’m just focused on getting there.”
Jaime Jáquez Jr. was born with basketball DNA. His grandfather Ezequiel, a Mexican immigrant, excelled as a player in Ventura County and later attended Northern Arizona University. His parents Jaime and Angela were players on the Concordia University team in Irvine. Jaime’s sister, Gabriela, is a UCLA player.
When he was very young, Jaime was captivated by the victories of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal in the Lakers. Although Kobe was his favorite player, Jaime wanted from a very young age to dunk the ball like Shaq did.
“It’s something I always wanted to do, I always wanted to dribble the ball and I was very happy when I made my first dunk,” revealed Jáquez, who eventually shined with the Camarillo High School team. It was in those times when the idea of one day making it to the NBA began to take shape for him and his family. But he clarifies that the illusion existed long ago.
“I saw Kobe and Shaq and I always wanted to be like those two men and be an NBA player,” Jáquez recalled. “That was my dream. Even when we had a career orientation day at school, I told my teachers that I wanted to be a professional basketball player.”
The dream of the man with long hair, the ribbon around his forehead and the goatee is about to come true.
When La Opinión asked Jaime what he is committing to with the public – especially Latinos and Mexicans – and what they can expect, he asked that they be aware of the name Jáquez Jr.
“I’ll be there, I’ll be somewhere. I’m going to be on a team and I just hope I can make everyone proud.”.
Keep reading:
– Victor Wembanyama, the French giant considered perhaps the best prospect in history