Will key UCLA forward play in Sweet 16 game against UNC? Latest on Jaime Jaquez injury
UCLA guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. had the most watched right ankle in Philadelphia on Thursday. The Bruins took to the floor for practice, and it was the first time Jaquez tried to do more than just shoot since he sprained his ankle in their NCAA Tournament win over St. Mary’s in the second round on Saturday.
Jaquez has started 33 games this season for the Bruins, the only game he sat out was due to a left ankle injury. UCLA coach Mick Cronin previously said, “if he can walk, he’ll play” on Friday in their Sweet 16 matchup against North Carolina.
The Bruins’ practice at the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday was open for the first 15 minutes to the media. It was enough time to watch the team stretch and do light warmup drills.
Jaquez participated in every activity, including running full court in a weave drill. But during that portion of practice, nothing was run at full speed. Jaquez appeared to get through those drills without any problems, but he didn’t do anything with the intensity of a game situation, so only the Bruins will truly know how ready he is to play before Friday’s 9:30 p.m. tipoff.
“We’re going to try to have him do some stuff (Thursday), obviously we have been treating him with kid gloves all week,” Cronin said. “Hopefully he can get some things done. He’s going to want to try to play. The question is, can he be effective.“
The 6-foot-7 junior had been the most effective UCLA scorer over their past eight games. Jaquez, who averages 14.0 points per game, increased his scoring to 20.5 points over that span.
He began to take on a larger role in the offense the moment leading scorer Johnny Juzang missed wins at Oregon State and Washington while dealing with his own ankle injury.
Jaquez has played even when hobbled this season, in every game except the Bruins’ Jan. 15 win over Oregon State.
“It’s something all players have to deal with when you get into this game, especially at this time of year, not everyone is 100 percent,” Jaquez said. “Everyone is battling through something. It’s been frustrating for sure, but I’d rather have injuries like this, something I can battle back from, than something really devastating.”
If Jaquez is unable to be effective in his play, the Bruins are likely to look toward freshman forward Preston Watson or sophomore guard Jaylen Clark to fill in the rotation.