Women’s college basketball saw unprecedented viewership and attention last season and, as the No. 5-ranked team in the country, UCLA is expecting to see little to no drop-off. The Bruins reached the Sweet 16 last season – and now it’s a matter of keeping the team moving in the same upward direction for their first year in the Big Ten Conference.
“If we didn’t win a national championship and a banner didn’t go up and we laid it all out – we played our butts off, we competed like crazy, we got better every week – I could live with that,” head coach Cori Close said.
“If we don’t do all the little things and have a culture of growth and be process-obsessive and trust that the outcomes will take care of themselves, that’ll eat you alive into your 50s and 60s.”
Here are the top questions for the UCLA women’s basketball team ahead of its season opener Monday against Louisville in Paris:
When will Kiki Rice be healthy?
Starting point guard Kiki Rice, who averaged 13.2 points per game and 5.7 rebounds per game last season, was not seen participating in practice Tuesday afternoon. Close said the junior is day to day with a minor injury but did not disclose what the injury was.
Elina Aarnisalo, a native of Helsinki, Finland, was seen taking repetitions at the point guard position Tuesday.
“She has some swag to her,” guard Gabriela Jaquez said of the 5-foot-10 freshman. “Not a lot of people in the states know about Elina, which I kind of love because they’re going to be like, ‘Okayyy.’ She’s a baller.”
How loaded is this junior class?
In addition to Rice and Jaquez, the Bruins also return Londynn Jones and Lauren Betts, who nearly averaged a double-double last season with 14.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.
Jones’ gritty style of play was already on display Tuesday as she crashed through chairs on the sideline while diving for a loose ball. Close said her all-around game has improved as well.
“Londynn was a great player with the ball in her hands and now she’s learning how to affect plays without the ball in her hands,” Close said.
Utah’s Issy Palmer, left, and UCLA’s Londynn Jones reach for a loose ball during the second half on Monday night in Salt Lake City. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
UCLA also adds transfer forwards Janiah Barker (Texas A&M) and Timea Gardiner (Oregon State) to its junior class. The 6-foot-4 Barker was the Aggies’ second-leading scorer (12.2 ppg) and rebounder (7.6 rpg) and the 6-foot-3 Gardiner averaged 10.2 points off the bench prior to the postseason while also shooting 39.5% from 3-point range.
Can they maintain scoring balance?
Betts, a 6-foot-7 center who is difficult to guard in the paint, scores a lot of points for UCLA but is often double-teamed and sometimes even triple-teamed. Having other scoring threats who can take over if Betts is limited will be critical for the Bruins’ offense.
UCLA center Lauren Betts grabs a rebound during the first half of their NCAA Tournament second-round game on Monday night at Pauley Pavilion. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
“When you have a rim protector on one end and a dominant low post player like Lauren on the other, you have to be able to create space in your offense,” Close said. “You have to have people that can attack those other seams off the bounce and create other mismatch options. But if you don’t have balance, you don’t have other people that can recognize where those opportunities exist.”
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Graduate student Angela Ducalić could be an impact player for UCLA after reaching the quarterfinals with the Serbian National Team at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The 6-foor-4 forward averaged 8.7 rebounds per game and 6.5 rebounds per game last season before deciding to return to UCLA for a fifth year of eligibility.
Five players averaged double-digit scoring figures last season and Jones was the Bruins’ best 3-point shooter, making 36.6% of her shots from beyond the arc.