Jaime Jaquez Jr. Remains Day-to-Day, Participates in Practice For UCLA Men's Basketball

After spraining his ankle in the second half against St. Mary's, Jaquez's status is still up in the air as the Bruins' Sweet 16 game versus North Carolina approaches.

PHILADELPHIA — With the Bruins making their first public appearance in the City of Brotherly Love, there was one question on everyone's mind.

"What's the status of Jaime Jaquez Jr.?"

The No. 4 seed UCLA men's basketball guard/forward sprained his right ankle last weekend against No. 5 seed St. Mary's in the Round of 32, and he was immediately labeled by the team as day-to-day after the victory. According to both Jaquez and coach Mick Cronin, that label remains 24 hours out from the Bruins' matchup against No. 8 seed North Carolina in the Sweet 16 on Friday night.

Cronin said Jaquez has not been participating in practice as of late, but that the junior would be going for a test run of sorts on Thursday.

"We're going to try to have him do some stuff today," Cronin said. "Obviously (we) have been treating him with kid gloves all week. Hopefully, he can get some things done."

Jaquez was a full participant in the opening 15 minutes of practice Thursday, which was open to watch for the media. During that stretch, Jaquez stretched and warmed up alongside his teammates before taking part in full-court offense drills.

The first rep ended in Jaquez taking off for a left-handed layup from the block, and he swished a straightaway 3-pointer on his way back down the court.

First five-man group for UCLA is Jaime Jaquez, Peyton Watson, Tyger Campbell, Kenny Nwuba and David Singleton. pic.twitter.com/4dFHzkhcjL

— Sam Connon (@SamConnon) March 24, 2022

Jaquez was still sporting the two ankle braces he's worn since the midpoint of the Pac-12 season, but he did not appear to be limited. Cronin said that even if Jaquez isn't 100%, he expects him to make a push to play Friday.

"Jaime is going to try, guys, I can tell you," Cronin said. "Unless something goes bad today, I would think he's going to try. The question is can he be effective?"

Jaquez himself said he wasn't sure if he was going to be take the court against the Tar Heels in the regional semifinals Friday, however.

Coming from a third-year player who has appeared in 96 out of a possible 97 games in his collegiate career, that kind of situation is somewhat foreign to Jaquez, even with his health struggles this season. Regardless, Jaquez said his mindset and routine heading into Friday are no different than usual.

"I'm just looking at the game, watching the film, going to practice, doing the same old same old," Jaquez said. "I'm not really worried about the outcome of tomorrow. I'm just locking in and doing everything as I should, preparation, going to sleep at the right time, doing all the things that I would do if I was 100%. So nothing really changes for me."

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, and 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.

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 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 while it appears likely he'll get back on the floor Friday, his health could dictate whether or not he keeps up that team-leading pace.

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