UCLA Basketball: The Moment Mick Cronin Knew Jaime Jaquez Would Achieve Greatness

The ex-Bruin has already emerged as one of this year's best NBA rookies.

During remarks to the press today, UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin indicated exactly when he realized former standout swingman Jaime Jaquez Jr., now a starter on the Miami Heat, would become an excellent college player: his very first season in Westwood, per Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times.

"He was our hardest-playing player on our team as a freshman -- very rare, very rare. That's when I knew we could build a program around him and he was going to be a great player," Cronin opined.

Per Bolch, Cronin that, per a friend's study, "he basically told me that you get about 25% of what you’re paying for from employees–very few employees do you get 100% of what you’re paying for. Jaime Jaquez is where he is because he was able to give you 100% every day."

Across 39 contests with Miami this season (15 starts), the 6'6" small forward is averaging 14 points on .513/.353/.837 shooting splits, 3.9 rebounds, 2.7 dimes and 1.1 steals a night.

He enjoyed a decorated Bruins tenure from 2019-23. The 22-year-old Camarillo High School product was named a consensus All-American Second-Teamer in 2023, while also winning that year's Lute Olson and Pac-12 Player of the Year honors. He was twice named an All-Pac-12 First Teamer as a junior and senior, and once an All-Pac-12 Second Teamer in 2021 as a sophomore. Jaquez also made a pair of Pac-12 All-Defensive Teams.