Women’s college basketball received unprecedented viewership and attention last season, and as the No. 5 team in the country, UCLA expects little to no regression. The Bruins reached the Sweet 16 last season – and now it’s a matter of keeping the team on the same upward trajectory for their first year in the Big Ten Conference.
“If we didn’t win a national championship and there wasn’t a banner going up and we were going all out – we were going to do our best, we were going to compete like crazy, we were getting better every week – I could live with that,” he says. said coach Cori Close.
“If we don’t do all the little things, have a culture of growth, be process-obsessed and trust the outcomes to take care of themselves, it will eat you into your 50s and 60s.”
Here are the top questions for the UCLA women’s basketball team ahead of Monday’s season opener against Louisville in Paris:
When is Kiki Rice healthy?
Starting point guard Kiki Rice, who averaged 13.2 points per game and 5.7 rebounds per game last season, was not present at practice Tuesday afternoon. Close said the junior has been dealing with a minor injury on a day-to-day basis, but did not reveal what the injury was.
Elina Aarnisalo, a native of Helsinki, Finland, saw reps at the point guard position on Tuesday.
“She has some swag,” guard Gabriela Jaquez said of the 6-foot-4 freshman. “Not many people in the United States know about Elina, which I love, because they’ll say, ‘Okay.’ She is a ballet dancer.”
How loaded is this junior class?
In addition to Rice and Jaquez, the Bruins also return Londynn Jones and Lauren Betts, who nearly scored a double-double last season with 14.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.
Jones’ rugged playing style was on display Tuesday when she crashed through chairs on the sideline while diving for a loose ball. Close said her all-around game has also improved.
“Londynn was a great player with the ball in her hands and now she is learning how to impact the game 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 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 the junior class. The 6-foot-1 Barker was the Aggies’ second-leading scorer (12.2 ppg) and rebounder (7.6 rpg) and the 6-foot-1 Gardiner averaged 10.2 points off the bench prior to the postseason, while also shooting 39.5% from 3-point range.
Can they maintain the score balance?
Betts, a 6-foot-1 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 when Betts is limited will be critical to the Bruins offense.
UCLA center Lauren Betts grabs a rebound during the first half of their NCAA Tournament second-round match Monday night at Pauley Pavilion. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
“When you have a rim protector on one side 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 who can attack those other seams of the rebound and create other mismatch options. But if you don’t have balance, you don’t have other people who can recognize where those opportunities lie.”
Graduate student Angela Ducalić could be an impact player for UCLA after reaching the quarterfinals with the Serbian national team at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. The 6-for-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.
Last season, five players averaged double figures and Jones was the Bruins’ best three-point shooter, hitting 36.6% of her shots from beyond the arc.