MIAMI (AP) — Jaime Jaquez Jr. started making plans for this several days ago. If UCLA found its way into the championship game of the women's NCAA Tournament, he had to be there, for a couple of reasons.
One, he's a Bruin.
Two, and far more important, his sister Gabriela will be on the floor in Phoenix on Sunday.
The basketball gods seem to be favoring the Jaquez family these days. Jaime Jaquez scored a season-high 32 points for Miami in Saturday's win
over the Washington Wizards. Then he dashed off to Miami International Airport to catch a commercial flight to Phoenix, where UCLA will play South Carolina on Sunday for the national title.
“It’s going to be pretty epic," Jaime Jaquez said on the Heat broadcast. “I’m really happy for my sister and her team. They’re playing so hard as a group of seniors who’ve been there for a very long time, so this is their moment right now and just going to go support."
Gabriela Jaquez is well-known to the Heat after making several visits to Miami to see her brother over the last three years and spending some time on the team's practice court. She had 10 points in UCLA's 51-44 win over Texas in the national semifinals on Friday night, a result that sent her brother's travel plans into overdrive.
UCLA has never won a women's national title in the NCAA era.
“We keep saying the job's not finished,” Gabriela Jaquez said. “Still have one more game to win.”
She ranks third in scoring for the Bruins (13.3 points per game) and has logged the second-most minutes on the team. Sunday will be her 145th game; UCLA has gone 123-21 when she plays, including 36-1 this season.
“Gabs made it very clear that I think she was 8 years old, she wrote on that piece of paper she was going to go to UCLA someday,” UCLA coach Cori Close said Saturday. “She has played with that kind of gratitude and passion for all four years.”
There is an obvious rooting interest for South Carolina in the Heat locker room; WNBA star A'ja Wilson, Heat center Bam Adebayo's longtime girlfriend, is a Gamecocks alum. But Heat coach Erik Spoelstra seems like he'd be just fine with seeing UCLA get the win on Sunday, given his appreciation for Close.
She spent some time with the Heat when the team was in Los Angeles earlier this season.
“She came to our practice and she is so impressive,” Spoelstra said. “You know, we’ve exchanged texts and calls over the years. We have similar coaching circles where we bounce ideas off each other, but she is a tremendous culture builder — things that I think are really impactful. That’s why I've picked her brain over the years.”
The Heat had a scheduled day off Sunday, so Jaime Jaquez just had to find some flights that fit his schedule. He's expected to be with Miami when it plays at Toronto on Tuesday.
“This is her last year, so what better way to go out than playing a national championship game and even better if they won," Jaime Jaquez said. "So, we’re going to show all the love and support. Heat Nation, come behind the Bruins, please. We’re going to need you guys.”
___
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
