It's a big weekend for UCLA basketball players and their families.
As the Bruins' men's team prepares to take on Gonzaga on Thursday night in the Sweet 16, the women's team is looking ahead to a Sweet 16 matchup of its own against undefeated South Carolina on Saturday. The men are considered slight favorites in their matchup, while the women are major underdogs against the Gamecocks.
There's still a chance that both teams could make a Final Four run in 2023. If it happened, it would be the first time since 2017 — and just the 14th time in NCAA Tournament history — that a school has sent teams to both the men's and women's Final Four in the same year. Miami, UConn and Tennessee are the only other programs that still have both their men's and women's teams alive this year.
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It will be a nerve wracking few days for UCLA fans everywhere, but especially so for two parents: Jaime Jaquez Sr. and his wife, Angela Jaquez. Not one, but two of their children will be competing on the court for the Bruins with trips to the Elite 8 on the line.
Most UCLA fans are already familiar with Jaime Jaquez Jr., the senior guard who has played a starring role in his team's success the last few seasons. However, they may not be as familiar with Gabriela Jaquez, Jaime Jr.'s sister who has become a key player on the women's team as a freshman this season.
Here's a look into the athletic family tree of the Jaquez siblings ahead of their big games this weekend:
Jaime Jaquez Jr.'s sister: Gabriela Jaquez
Gabriela Jaquez has begun to build a legacy at UCLA just like her older brother. A 6-0 forward, she averaged 6.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.9 steals per game despite mostly coming off the bench in her freshman season.
This week, she and Jaime Jr. will become the first brother-sister duo ever to play Sweet 16 in the same year for the same school.
"We have some healthy competition, a lot of fun," she told Sports Central LA on Wednesday. "We bicker back and forth sometimes, but right now through March Madness we're just really supporting each other and we'll be cheering each other on."
#JimHill catches up w/ Gabriela Jaquez to chat about her history-making appearance, along with her brother Jaime, in the #SweetSixteen!@gabrielarj11 @jaquez_jr @UCLAAthletics @UCLAWBB @uclatheden #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/bG6064FWE8
— Sports Central LA (@SportsCentralLA) March 22, 2023
At the end of last season, it was unclear whether Jaime Jr. would stay at UCLA for his senior year or leave for the NBA. However, he made the decision to stay, and as a result his college career overlapped with his sister's.
"I was just like, you know, 'Do what's best for you,' and I knew it would all work out in the end,'" Gabriela told CBS. "But when he decided to come back, I was like 'This is going to be fun.'"
MORE: Jaime Jaquez Jr. NBA Mock Draft projection
Jaime Jaquez Jr.'s dad: Jaime Jaquez Sr.
It's no surprise Jaime Jr. and Gabriela are excelling on the hardwood. They come from a family full of excellent basketball players.
Their father, Jaime Sr., played college ball at Concordia University in Irvine, Calif. His father Ezequiel (Jaime Jr. and Gabriela's grandfather) also played college basketball after immigrating to the United States from Mexico as a child. Ezequiel played at Ventura Community College before transferring to Northern Arizona.
Ezequiel and his brother Richard (Jaime Jr. and Gabriela's great-uncle) were both basketball coaches at Rio Mesa High School in Ventura County.
“On my dad’s side, they’re very athletic, super athletic, multiple-sport types of athletes and phenomenal coaches too,” Jaime Sr. told Our Esquina. “Of course, being teachers, too, they can articulate what they need from students and athletes.”
MORE: Odds, prediction, betting trends for UCLA vs. Gonzaga in men's Sweet 16
Jaime Jaquez's mom: Angela Jaquez
Angela Jaquez, Jaime Jr. and Gabriela's mother, was on the Concordia women's basketball team at the same time Jaime Sr. was playing on the men's team. It's where the couple met, making it a true basketball family.
Angela and Jaime Sr. made a promise to their kids years ago that a family member would always be in attendance at their games. That promise is a little harder to keep these days, with two of them constantly traveling around the country to play basketball, but they do their best to make it happen.
“This is so crazy, man,” Jaime Sr. told Our Esquina. “My schedule is literally day to day. We try to do everything we can to support them, but it’s not easy."
If UCLA's men's team defeats Gonzaga on Thursday, it will set up a scheduling conflict on Saturday. Jamie Jr.'s Elite 8 game in Las Vegas would be on the same day as Gabriela's Sweet 16 matchup in Greenville, S.C. But the family already has a plan, with Angela's sister, Carmen, set to be in the building to watch Gabriela and the women's team take on South Carolina.
