,type=downsize)
Jaime and Gabriela Jaquez are the first brother and sister duo to make it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. Commonly known as March Madness, this tournament is a favorite amongst many, highlighting the talent of young players from various colleges all over the country.
Jaime and Gabriela both play for their respective basketball teams at UCLA and come from a Mexican-American family. In an interview with NBC news the siblings and their family spoke about how special and rare this moment is, and how proud they are of each other’s work. “It has been tremendous. I am so proud of her and her hard work,” said Jaime of her sister. While he’s a senior in college and this is his last tournment, Gabriela is a freshman, with her college basketball career just starting.
The Jaquez family have made basketball a rite of passage, with three generations being involved with it, starting with their grandfather, Zeke, who emigrated from Mexico. “I’m excited and subdued," said Zeke, who’s a retired a basketball coach and teacher. "I like to watch the game very quiet. I think about it as if I was in Jaimito’s shoes, ‘Ay Jaimito, you could’ve made that shot,” or think about the opportunity or tough spot the coach is in."
“I have a tremendous sense of pride and excitement. They are living what I wanted to do when I was at school,” he said.
Jaime has had an incredible tournament. He was selected as this year’s Pac-12 player of the year and has also surpassed Bill Walton, a UCLA Hall of Famer, on the men’s basketball all-time scoring list.
“As a freshman you never know what to expect. If as a freshman you had told me that I would win the Pac-12 championship and that I’d win the Pac-12 player of the year, I don’t know if I’d believe you. It’s just been such a crazy ride so far, I am so grateful to be a part of this,” he said in a press event.