UCLA Basketball Top 20 Players of All Time: No. 15

Today we’re continuing with the top 20 players in UCLA basketball history, as we have reached the top 15.

Few players in UCLA’s recent history have matched the combination of consistency, individual success, and team success that Jaime Jaquez did in his four seasons as a Bruin.

UCLA Basketball Top 20 Players of All Time: No. 15 Jaime Jaquez Jr.

When ranking the best 20 Bruins of all time, individual success and accolades are the main criteria, with NBA success and overall influence as supplementary resume boosters.

Jaquez’s resume checks all of those boxes, as he has been one of the best players to come through UCLA in recent history.

Jaquez came to UCLA as a 4-star recruit in 2019 and was instantly thrown into the Bruins' main rotation. In his freshman season, he started in 23 of the 31 games he appeared in and averaged 8.9 points and 4.8 rebounds. In his sophomore season, he continued to increase his production, averaging 12.3 points and 6.1 rebounds over 32 starts.

By his junior season, Jaquez had become the team’s primary offensive scorer, averaging 13.9 points and 5.7 rebounds. It wasn’t until his senior season, however, that everything finally came together.

In his senior season in Westwood, Jaquez averaged 17.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game while shooting 48.1% from the field. He was named an AP Second Team All-American and was one of the best players in college basketball.

Jaquez's Awards at UCLA

Throughout his time at UCLA, he earned numerous awards. He was named to the NCAA All-Region Team twice, earned All-Pac-12 Tournament Team honors twice, was named the 2022-23 Pac-12 Player of the Year, made the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team twice, and was a three-time All-Pac-12 selection.

However, his individual success is only one part of the equation. His career with UCLA was a very successful stretch for the Bruins, even if it never resulted in a National Championship.

He was an integral part of the Bruins' 2021 Final Four run and led UCLA to a Pac-12 regular-season championship during his senior season in 2023.

The biggest reason Jaquez ranks this highly is his consistency. Sure, there have been better individual seasons at UCLA. There have also been players who experienced greater success as part of a team.

But few players can point to four consecutive seasons at UCLA where they consistently performed at a very high level. Jaquez currently ranks eighth all-time in points scored for the program, as well as eighth all-time in total minutes played.

Longevity and consistency are rare in college basketball, and Jaquez managed to do it at the highest level during his time as a Bruin.

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