Pac-12 Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)

4. Jaime Jaquez Jr.

A 6’6 wing from Camarillo, California, Jaquez was a fringe Top 100 prospect back in 2019. He was originally recruited to UCLA by Steve Alford but stuck with the school after Mick Cronin was hired that offseason. Jaquez would spend four seasons with the Bruins and would turn into quite the star both in the Pac-12 and at the national level for this program.

He’d begin to establish himself during his freshman year, but things really came together during Jaquez’s second season on campus. He’d average 12.3 points and 6.1 rebounds and help lead the Bruins all the way to the Final Four as an 11-seed, including a 27-point outing against Michigan State. He’d guide UCLA to the Sweet Sixteen in each of his upperclassmen seasons and would become the program’s most important player as a senior. In that final year, he’d average 17.8 points and 8.2 rebounds, including a 29-point performance in his final game, a Sweet Sixteen loss to Gonzaga.

Jaquez played an important role during UCLA’s breakthrough success in recent years. He was twice First Team All-Pac-12, twice All-Defense in the league, but really peaked as a senior. In this most recent college basketball season, Jaquez was named Pac-12 Player of the Year and a Second Team All-American. His numbers across the board were impressive, finishing among the Pac-12’s leaders in points, rebounds, and steals. He was then taken in the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft by the Miami Heat.