Former UCLA star Jaime Jaquez is dating Dominique Ruotolo, who is a former track & field athlete at USC Trojans. Of course, with the couple in rival schools, when both teams play each other on the basketball court, all bets are on.
During his appearance on the “Straight to Cam” podcast hosted by Cameron Brink, Jaquez, who is now in the NBA with the Miami Heat, reveals the debate the couple often has when it comes to the rivalry between both schools. Jaquez said even though his girlfriend is from USC, his alma mater, UCLA, is just the best.
“Uh, yeah, it gets very competitive. Um, we, you know, she has her school, USC, and I have my school, UCLA,” Jaquez said (52:51). “I just, I try to, I try to help her understand that as much as you love your school, it’s still not better than UCLA. She tries to, you know, fight it.”
Jaquez also adds that the discussion often leads to talking numbers. In terms of head-to-head record in men’s basketball, UCLA leads with a 151-114 record.
“I bring out the numbers. I bring out, you know, the statistics and all the people who apply versus USC, how it’s a private school, and the public is a nerd,” Jaquez said.
Jaime Jaquez said that he feels proud to be a former member of UCLA while taking a dig at USC, associating it with “nepotism.” He added:
“I’m proud of that, because we’re a public school, so the public funds it, and California funds it, and USC is just a lot, a lot of, what’s the word I’m looking for? What’s the word nepotism?”
Finally, Jaquez said that all things considered, UCLA is the best:
“There’s a lot of that at USC; at least you know UCLA. A lot of those kids there, you know, are first-time college students. You know that’s knowledge and hey, you know, I’ll just leave it at that. You know, you pick and choose. USC is a good school, don’t get me wrong, but you at UCLA, I just think, are just the best.”
How Did Jaime Jaquez Meet Dominique Ruotolo?
During the same podcast, Jaime Jaquez also revealed how he first came across his girlfriend, Dominique Ruotolo, for the first time. He met Ruotolo on draft night in 2023 and said they had a nice time chatting with each other.
Jaquez wanted to go out for a pizza but what followed was a disaster that led to him asking to take him to her home.
“I’m like, ‘You know what, let’s get out of here; let’s go get some pizza or something.'” Jaquez said (49:20). “And she’s like, ‘Okay, let’s go.’ So we get in the Uber, and as soon as I got in, the loud music and the lights stopped, I realized, ‘Oh wow… I can’t go get pizza. I need to go home.’ And she’s like, ‘What do you mean?’ I was like, ‘I am not okay. Please take me home.’ She’s like, ‘Wait, what do you mean? You’re taking me to your hotel? Who are you? I don’t even know you.'” (48:40)
While Ruotolo didn’t take Jaime Jaquez to her home, she helped him to his brother Justin’s place. After reaching there, Jaquez went for the bathroom. He said:
“So she ends up taking me to my hotel. She takes me up to my room; my brother’s asleep and he’s like, ‘What is going on?’ I make a beeline straight to the bathroom… and you guys can put the story together from there. I ended up dying.”
“And she’s like, ‘What the hell?’ Then our boy Justin comes into the room, and he’s like, ‘What is going on? What’s happening?’ He sees me in the bathroom; I’m laying on the floor… It was a good night. I had a great time. But that’s how we met the first time,” he added.
Jaime Jaquez said the next morning he took the number from his brother and apologized to her. From there on, they started dating.
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in football, basketball, and more!
