Jaime Jaquez Jr.'s Injury Status Following UCLA Men's Basketball's Victory
While the Bruins punched yet another ticket to the Sweet 16 with a win over the Gaels on Saturday, it may have come at a cost.
Guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. went down with an injury in the second half of No. 4 seed UCLA men's basketball's (27-7, 15-5 Pac-12) victory against No. 5 seed St. Mary's (26-8, 12-3 WCC) in the second round of the NCAA tournament. The Bruins went on a game-sealing run not long after he left the court, but it was yet another in a long line of ankle injuries for Jaquez this season.
A UCLA Athletics spokesperson told All Bruins that Jaquez was day-to-day with a right ankle sprain.
The injury came with seven minutes left, when Jaquez jumped to go for a rebound. Jaquez rolled his ankle on his way back down and he fell towards the baseline in pain before the referees called for a stoppage.
After forwards Kenny Nwuba and Logan Cremonesi helped him up, Jaquez eventually left the court under his own power beside a trainer. A TBS cameraperson followed them down the tunnel, and Jaquez was seen laying back down on the ground for more medical attention.
According to a courtside report from TBS' Andy Katz during the game, the training staff took Jaquez into a nearby bathroom to attend to his injury since the walk to the locker room would have been too long.
Jaquez returned to the bench a few minutes later with his right shoe in hand and a large ice wrap around his right ankle. He did not play for the rest of the game, but the Bruins' win means their season is still alive through at least next weekend.
In the postgame press conference, coach Mick Cronin shared his thoughts on the likelihood of Jaquez suiting up for the upcoming Sweet 16 showdown with No. 8 seed North Carolina.
"Trust me, if he can walk, he'll play," Cronin said.
Jaquez has until Friday to get healed up, with the Bruins' matchup against the Tar Heels penciled in for the second day of Sweet 16 action in Philadelphia.
This is far from the first time this season Jaquez has been tasked with fighting through ankle issues.
Jaquez's injury troubles actually started with a possible concussion in the first half against Colorado on Dec. 1, but he didn't miss any time after sitting out for the remainder of that win. A month later, however, Jaquez sprained his ankle against Long Beach State, and he did not play against Oregon State the next week.
Another ankle injury against Stanford limited him to seven minutes in that contest on Jan. 29, but that one didn't cost him any additional appearances.
Jaquez continued to play with braces on both ankles, even if Cronin limited him to 17 minutes against Washington. There was a three-game stretch in mid-February where Jaquez averaged just 4.3 points per game, but he has since reinvented his game to become more of a post presence and lift UCLA to multiple wins almost singlehandedly.
"Most guys that had what he has would have sat the rest of the season out," Cronin said. "He's had so many sprained ankles, I don't know how much you can sprain it anymore. We'll see."
Even with all the injuries, Jaquez made the All-Pac-12 First Team and All-Pac-12 Defensive Team while also being named a top-five finalist for the Julius Erving Award that goes to the nation's top small forward.
Taking out the four regular season games Jaquez left early or was heavily load managed in, he is averaging 15.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game on the year. UCLA has now won seven out of eight games, and Jaquez is averaging 20.5 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game while shooting 52.8% from the field in those contests.
During the Bruins' Final Four run in 2021, Jaquez averaged 15.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals a night on 49% shooting from 2 and 45% from 3.
Jaquez is putting up similar numbers in the 2022 edition of March Madness, and it remains to be seen if he is able to resume that pace in the next round.
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