Former Bruin's Jersey Retired by Alma Mater

UCLA's Jaime Jaquez Jr. was honored for his career at Camarillo High School on Tuesday.

Mar 23, 2023; Las Vegas, NV, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. (24) dunks against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the first half at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Before Jaime Jaquez Jr. became a rookie standout for the NBA's Miami Heat, he was one of the best players in all of college basketball as a UCLA Bruin.

And before that, he was a Camarillo Scorpion.

On Tuesday, Jaquez was honored by his alma mater, as Camarillo High School retired his No. 24 high school jersey.

"I'm really at a loss for words right now," Jaquez said in his speech to the gymnasium-filled crowd. "I grew up not too far from here, and my finest memory of growing up was my dad. He was an assistant coach here at Camarillo High School. And from that moment, I knew this is exactly where I wanted to be. I saw guys like Jacob Alonzo, Jonah Cottrell, guys you guys may not know, but those were the guys I looked up to. I saw them come here and play, and I kind of wanted to follow in their footsteps. I saw how incredibly loud this stadium could get with all the people coming to support and screaming their loud cheers."

Jaquez is Camarillo's all-time leading scorer.

"It was an incredible time looking back on it," he told reporters. "It went by so fast. I had a lot of friends that I got to play with, and we had an incredible time. It felt like we were the Harlem Globetrotters at one point, just all the lobs off the backboard dunks that we used to do. It was just so much fun. So much fun."

Jaquez, of course, went on to play four seasons at UCLA, where he was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year in his final campaign with the program. He would help lead the Bruins to the regular-season conference title that year and was part of their trip to the Final Four in 2021, his sophomore season.

Jaquez would be selected by the Heat with the 18th overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft. He played over 28 minutes per game in his rookie season with Miami, averaging 11.9 points per game, 3.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and a steal in 75 contests, 10 of which he started.

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