NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - UNC ASHEVILLE VS UCLA

March 16, 2023

Mick Cronin

Jaime Jaquez

Kenneth Nwuba

Amari Bailey

Golden 1 Center

UCLA Bruins

Media Conference

UCLA 86, UNC - Asheville 53

THE MODERATOR: Good evening. We welcome the student-athletes and head coach for UCLA. We have Jaime Jaquez, Coach Cronin, Kenneth Nwuba, and Amari Bailey.

Mick, you mentioned yesterday you get in these situations, and it's so important to score points.

MICK CRONIN: Yes.

THE MODERATOR: You scored points tonight to the tune of 86.

MICK CRONIN: Well, we had 24 assists tonight, which was probably a season high for us. We got off to a great start obviously. 14-0. I'm going to say we had five assists at least in our first six possessions.

But, look, first I want to congratulate Coach Morrell and UNC - Asheville. To win 27 games is hard. To make the NCAA tournament is hard. Their kids are to be commended. Tajion Jones, to become the leading scorer in the history of your school, is a heck of an accomplishment. Drew Pember had an incredible year, Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year.

Tonight is not indicative of the season they had. They ran into a buzz saw tonight. We don't take losing well at UCLA. We spell fun W-I-N. We lost our last game. These guys took it personal. You saw how they came out tonight.

Our defensive intensity and our deflections early in the game I think really rattled them. They could never really get comfortable. We did a great job on their shooters. Jones only made one three, Fletcher maybe one three, Drew Pember only made one. That was our big focus tonight.

Our guys really approached the game with a professional attitude, which is something that we try to focus on. It's not about our opponent, it's about us. We got to make sure we maintain the same level of intensity and preparation for our next game.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Mick, did you really need to say anything to your players about what happened with Princeton, Furman --

MICK CRONIN: It has no bearing on us. We don't believe in false motivation, so we don't believe that you need your home crowd to win. We don't believe you need two starters to win. We believe that you need toughness and togetherness, playing hard and smart. There's always a way to win, so...

Q. Talk a little bit about, with Adem Bona out, the contributions from your other two post players.

MICK CRONIN: Kenny doesn't surprise me. He's been around. He got off to a great start this year. That injury he had against -- was that Cal? A weird injury against Cal to his hip. You see he's blocking shots in the Pac-12 tournament and again tonight. He's got his bounce back in his step. I mean, it doesn't surprise me. But him and Mac are nine for nine.

Again, you're playing a mid-major team. Somebody alluded to Arizona. You've got to dominate those teams physically. I coached at that level. If you don't get dominated physically, you can win. You can physically dominate those teams, it's hard for them.

32 to 8 points in the paint. These guys were 9 for 9. Kenneth and Mac. Jaime had his way as well inside. We end up plus 32 in the paint. That's what you got to do in games like that. If you don't, if your size and athleticism isn't a factor, then it doesn't matter if you're high major or mid-major. You've got to high major them, and we did that tonight physically.

Q. Pember, you could trap him in the high post...

MICK CRONIN: Look, their point guard is a tough kid. He's not a three-point shooter. We always try to take out the other team's best players. You let the other team's best players come out and get their average or higher, you're in trouble.

We did that at USC. We were in trouble. You got to be able to take out the other team's best players.

Q. Kenny, you had a career high four and a half minutes into the game. What did that feel like out there to be contributing at that level that early in the game?

KENNETH NWUBA: What does it feel like? Amazing (smiling). I mean, just like my message every year. When your name is called, be ready to play. Whether the contribution of yourself to the team, just be able to trust the coaching staff. Just like he said, toughness and togetherness, that's how we win the game. Like a group game; it takes all guys to win, not just one man.

I will say it felt great.

Q. Mick, given these are still college kids, there's a tendency human beings can take things lightly. Did you know you were going to get this out of your team?

MICK CRONIN: It doesn't surprise me because we lost our last game. These guys are trained. We don't take losing lightly. Amari is a freshman. He knows how I am. He's from Chicago. We play to win at UCLA. It's not okay to lose.

I don't care who's hurt, who's out, who you're playing, where the game's at, what the refs are doing with the whistle; you got to find a way to win.

When we lost Saturday, I wasn't happy, but I knew it was going to help us. There's no question it was going to help us. I know these guys. Like, I know how upset this guy was that we didn't win that game Saturday. He was as upset as I've ever seen him. So that helps.

Q. Coach, Amari Bailey, through his year, can you talk about his ability to morph into what the team needs.

MICK CRONIN: Again, we're in an era of playing against 23- and 24-year-olds. He's been 18, turned 19 less than a month ago. There's a lot of high school kids in California that are older than him that we're recruiting.

I think it's just a lot harder than people realize. I'd let him speak to that. To find a comfort zone. You get two comfort zones you got to find. You're trying to find a comfort zone and adjust your game to college defense, college size, or you can go to the basket all the time in high school.

The help, you got to be able to do it with less dribbles. Then you have to find a comfort zone on our team. You're coming in and playing with the Player in of the Year in the Pac-12 in Campbell and Dave, a lot of guys that have been around. It's been a process for he and I of trying to get him to the comfort zone.

It didn't help that he missed a month with the foot. I think that's what you're seeing here lately. He's also embraced the defensive end, which doesn't surprise me. Guy is from the south side of Chicago. He's a tough guy.

Q. Amari, I don't know if you lost on this floor. Talk a little bit coming here and playing again.

AMARI BAILEY: It was just a surreal feeling. It felt like a full-circle moment. I haven't been here in four years, playing for a state championship my freshman year in high school, to then step into my first college March Madness game. I mean, I just had chills running through my body. I just wanted to stay focused and stay present in the moment.

Q. Jaime, you had five steals in the first half. Amari, you had three. Can you speak about how you've been able to keep up the intensity without Jaylen.

JAIME JAQUEZ: I think we're playing a lot for Jaylen this tournament. I know entering into this game, they had a really good guy in Pember. My entire thought process going into the game was doing whatever I could to stop him from getting going.

I took a page out of JROCK's book, trying to get steals, trying to be active with my hands, try to do it for him.

Q. How do you use being upset as fuel to motivate you when something goes bad like Saturday? How do you channel that into a positive?

JAIME JAQUEZ: I mean, I try not to dwell on it 'cause if we lose now, my entire season's done. I don't think it's very hard to get me going or any of the rest of the guys, for that matter. I know this is Kenny's last year, too. We try to get the young guys to understand this, understand that this is a one-and-out tournament and we don't want this to end.

KENNETH NWUBA: To add a little bit to that. The one thing about life is, when you lose something, use that as a motivation because you're not going to win every time. You lose some, you win some. When the next game comes, you use that as a motivation to look at your mistakes and try to correct yourself, not try to lose again.

MICK CRONIN: How about that answer? St. Patrick's Day on the East Coast. Jaylen Clark, we miss you, buddy. You guys done?

I tried to get us out of here (smiling).

Q. Even though he didn't play tonight, didn't need him, do you expect Adem to be ready for Saturday?

MICK CRONIN: I think Adem could have played tonight. He didn't get enough practice for me. We don't practice live a lot right now. But just even with our 5-0 stuff, I want to see him -- there's things I want to see him do comfortably.

But I knew what was going to happen. As soon as he warmed up, he comes running in the locker room, I'm playing, I'm playing.

Easy, big fella.

That's just who he is.

They got Oscar Robertson stuff up here, Cincinnati Royals. You guys have no idea, Amari.

AMARI BAILEY: Nope.

MICK CRONIN: I'm from Cincinnati. I'm focused on the Cincinnati Royals. I don't know if you know that. I see Jack Twyman and Oscar Robertson, guys I was fortunate enough to meet and get to know. Sometimes you get a lot of pleasures in this job, a lot of perks with the job. Many times. Many times. Had cigars with him, yeah. Lives in Cincinnati.

They know who Oscar Robertson is. I don't know about Kenny. Him and Adem were watching a soccer game. They were watching soccer on their phone today.

KENNETH NWUBA: What you expect? That's the sports we play in Nigeria.

MICK CRONIN: A big tournament?

KENNETH NWUBA: Yes.

MICK CRONIN: They were watching soccer.

All right, guys. Thank you.