Miami Heat Wing Jaime Jaquez Jr. Invested in Younger Sister’s NCAA Tournament Success
The Miami Heat will be done with their Sunday night contest against the Charlotte Hornets for Jaime Jaquez Jr. to shower, wrap up any post-game responsibilities and get to a television.
His alma mater, UCLA, featuring little sister Garbriela Jaquez, will look to advance to the Sweet 16 at 10 p.m. ET in a game you can watch on ESPN. The Bruins (31-2), the top seed in Spokane Regional 1, will host No. 8 seed Richmond at Los Angeles’ Pauley Pavilion in what will double as their final home game of the season.
Jaquez clearly had the game and his sibling on his mind on Sunday morning, posting a photo of the two of them representing UCLA in their respective uniforms. Jaquez Jr. played for the Bruins from 2019-23 and reached the Final Four in ‘21. He was twice named First Team All-Pac-12 and was the conference Player of the Year in ‘23.
Gabby Jaquez is in her third season in the program and has averaged 9.9 points and 5.3 rebounds as a full-time starter. She was named co-MVP of the 2022 McDonald’s All-American game with current teammate Kiki Rice, UCLA’s point guard. The Bruins are led by 6-foot-7 star center Lauren Betts, one of the nation’s best players.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. has always been a vocal supporters of both his siblings, sister Gabby and youngest brother Marcos, who plays football as a lineman at Ventura College, and he’s a die-hard supporter of Bruins athletics.
In 2023, he and his sister became the first brother/sister due in NCAA Tournament history to reach the Sweet 16 in the same season. Gabby Jaquez also plays for UCLA’s softball team and reached the College World Series last year. She played for Mexico’s National Team at the most recent FIBA Tournament.
Expect to hear more about UCLA’s women’s team over the next few weeks since they’re 16.5-point favorite to advance past Richmond and are +470 at Caesars to cut down the nets in Tampa, where the Final Four will be played in early April. Only UConn (+230) and defending champion South Carolina (+230) are heavier favorites.
The Bruins dropped both regular-season meetings against cross-town rival USC, led by star guard Juju Watkins. UCLA defeated the Trojans 72-67 in the Big Ten Tournament final, avenging its only two losses on the season. It beat then-No. 1 South Carolina 77-62 in November and would play UConn in the Elite Eight if both teams handle business according to seeding.
UCLA defeated Southern U. of Baton Rouge 84-46 in its NCAA Tournament opener behind a balanced effort that saw eight players score nine or more points. Jaquez made all three of her field-goal attempts, two of them from 3-point range, and finished with 10 points, five rebounds and three assists.
Tony Mejia is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at tnyce1414@gmail.com
