Did C.J. Stroud score 40 points vs. Jaime Jaquez Jr.? High school basketball coach of NFL QB has the receipts

Stephen Noh

•
Did C.J. Stroud score 40 points vs. Jaime Jaquez Jr.? High school basketball coach of NFL QB has the receipts image

A story about C.J. Stroud's prowess on the basketball court went viral on Thursday after the Texans rookie quarterback claimed to have scored 40 points in a high school game against Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. 

Stroud recounted the game while appearing on The Edge with Micah Parsons.

"Do you know who the star player on the Miami Heat is right now other than Jimmy Butler? Jaime Jaquez. Played at UCLA. That game I scored 40 points was on him.

"That's Jaime Jaquez right there, the center. Stop playin' with me, bro."

Stroud made some bold claims about that game, including scoring 40 points, hitting the game-winning 3 and having the crowd rush the court. 

Here's what's true about that anecdote, and what might be a bit embellished. 

MORE: Revisiting C.J. Stroud's basketball career

Did C.J. Stroud score 40 points against Jaime Jaquez in high school? 

Stroud did play varsity basketball for Rancho Cucamonga High School as a junior, and he was a good player. Bill Burke, who has been the head coach at the school for the past 24 years, remembers Stroud's basketball skills well. 

"He was on fire that game," Burke told Sporting News. 

Burke still has the score sheet from that game in his records. It turns out that Stroud may have exaggerated his point total: Burke's sheet has Stroud with 28 points. 

Stroud was the team's second-leading scorer on the season, per Burke, and had real basketball talent.

"If he had just played basketball, he was a DI basketball kid." 

Stroud's first love was basketball, but he and Burke both knew that football was where he was headed. Stroud stayed away from the hardwood during his senior year to focus on pursuing his dream of becoming a quarterback in the NFL. 

Jaquez was a great high school player, coming out of Camarillo High School and leading them to a 25-4 record as a senior. He averaged 31.7 points, 11.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.1 steals per game that year. Beating him and his team would've been no small feat. 

Jaquez later played four years at UCLA and was taken with the 18th pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, turning into one of the best rookies in his class. 

Did C.J. Stroud hit the game-winning 3 to beat Jaime Jaquez's team?

This one is true — Stroud did hit a deep 3 to win the game, leading to the crowd rushing the court. There's video evidence at the end of the following clip. 

Warning: The video contains NSFW language.

Stroud will have a chance to show off his hoops skills again during NBA All-Star Weekend. He will be participating in the Celebrity Game, taking place on Friday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. ET. He won't have a chance to go up against Jaquez, but he will get to show off his skills against other celebrities and athletes, including Parsons. 

Stroud still swings by Rancho Cucamonga to play pickup games, per Burke. He should be in good shape for the game. 

Stephen Noh

Stephen Noh Photo

Stephen Noh started writing about the NBA as one of the first members of The Athletic in 2016. He covered the Chicago Bulls, both through big outlets and independent newsletters, for six years before joining The Sporting News in 2022. Stephen is also an avid poker player and wrote for PokerNews while covering the World Series of Poker from 2006-2008.