Pac-12 names UCLA's Jaime Jaquez Jr its 2023 Player of the Year, other conference honors

Alex Weberby:Alex Weber•03/07/23

With the regular season done and out of the way for the Pac-12, the conference has named its Player of the Year, All-PAc-12 team and other various awards. To no surprise for Bruins fans, UCLA forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. was named as the league’s top player this season, according to a Pac-12 release.

Jaquez was also named All-Pac-12 first team alongside nine other players, including teammate Tyger Campbell. You can read the following Pac-12 first-team honorees right here:

All-Pac-12 First team

Two each from the top three teams in the conference in Arizona, USC and UCLA. Obviously, Ellis, Tubelis and Jaquez were probably the three foremost contenders in the Player of the Year race and the conference ultimately opted to go with the do-everything guy for the No. 1 seed.

That wasn’t the only award the Bruins brought home, either. Head coach Mick Cronin deservedly won the conference’s Coach of the Year award for winning the league and having UCLA in position to lock down a one-seed in the NCAA Tournament this coming weekend. Additionally, starting center Adem Bona was named the Freshman of the Year, narrowly edging out teammate Amari Bailey.

The league also singled out Jaylen Clark as the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the year for leading the charge on a Bruins defensive unit that rates as one of the top in the nation. Given that honor plus his 13 points and six rebounds per night, it’s hard to see how he was left off of a 10-man All-Pac-12 First Team. But overall, it’s hard for UCLA to have any gripes about a generous awards slate towards their program.

Elsewhere, Arizona’s Oumar Ballo won Pac-12 Most Improved Player and USC’s Reese Dixon-Waters was the league’s Sixth Man of the Year.

With a bow now on the regular season awards, the only title left to dole out is that of Pac-12 Tournament Champion, which will be decided this week. Go ahead and check below for that bracket:

Conference Tournament Schedule

Wednesday, March 8 (TV Talent)
Game 1: Washington vs. Colorado, 12:00 p.m. PT Pac-12 Network (Roxy Bernstein, Don MacLean)
Game 2: Washington State vs. California, 2:30 p.m. PT Pac-12 Network (Roxy Bernstein, Don MacLean)
Game 3: Utah vs. Stanford, 6:00 p.m. PT Pac-12 Network (Ted Robinson, Bill Walton)
Game 4: Arizona State vs. Oregon State, 8:30 p.m. PT Pac-12 Network (Ted Robinson, Bill Walton)

Thurs., March 9
Game 5: UCLA vs. Game 1 winner, 12:00 p.m. PT Pac-12 Network (Roxy Bernstein, Don MacLean)
Game 6: Oregon vs. Game 2 winner, 2:30 p.m. PT Pac-12 Network (Roxy Bernstein, Don MacLean)
Game 7: Arizona vs. Game 3 winner, 6:00 p.m. PT Pac-12 Network (Ted Robinson, Bill Walton)
Game 8: USC vs. Game 4 winner, 8:30 p.m. PT ESPN (Dave Pasch, Bill Walton)

Fri., March 10
Game 9: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 6:00 p.m. PT Pac-12 Network (Ted Robinson, Bill Walton)
Game 10: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 8:30 p.m. PT ESPN (Dave Pasch, Bill Walton)

Sat., March 11
Game 11: Championship, 7:30 p.m. PT ESPN (Dave Pasch, Bill Walton)