As UCLA advanced to the Sweet 16 on Saturday night with a win over Northwestern, guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. moved up in the Bruins’ record books. The senior guard scored 24 points to move into 12th place on the school’s all-time scoring list, passing the great Bill Walton.
To congratulate Jaquez, Walton recorded a video expressing his admiration for the guard, showering Jaquez with praise for being a star at UCLA. As usual, Walton utilized his wit, wisdom and colorful vocabulary in celebrating the current Bruins standout.
“I am so incredibly happy and proud of all of your incredible achievements, Jaime,” Walton said. “You’re a shining star, a beacon of hope for a better tomorrow, and a timeless Bruin legend. Jaime, you’ve brought so much pride and joy into our lives and the lives of everyone who resides in the universe of goodness.”
The full video is about 100 seconds of Walton brilliantly gushing over Jaquez’s time at UCLA. The guard has played for the Bruins for the past four seasons, includes a Final Four appearance in 2021 and three appearances on the All-Pac 12 team.
“Thanks, for putting smiles of pride, hope, optimism, and joy on the faces of the world,” Walton said. “Good luck Jaime, good everything forever, good Jaime Jaquez forever. Wow, you’re fantastic, spectacular and wonderful, Jaime Jaquez. Yeah, empty the thesaurus of all good things, and we’ll leave it at that. Shine on, play on, Jaime Jaquez on.”
Jaquez is now 11 points behind Charles O’Bannon for No. 11 on the Bruins’ career scoring list, and he could possibly rise as high as No. 7 if UCLA advances deep into this year’s NCAA tournament.
