LOS ANGELES — UCLA women’s basketball coach Cori Close has two simple rules every player must follow to avoid being kicked out of practice: be a lifestyle learner and be an intentional giver.
The two rules were in effect on the first day of practice, Thursday, which was part lecture, part experiment and an aptitude test to see just how much her players, both old and new, already know.
UCLA women’s basketball enters the 2026-27 season as the defending champion for the first time since Ann Meyers guided the Bruins to the AIAW title in 1978. Close was only 7 years old at the time of the last title, while UCLA was generations away from seeing what the program would grow into.
Close is tasked with finding a winning formula after graduating the greatest women’s team assembled in Westwood headed by All-American and National Player of the Year Lauren Betts (Washington Mystics) along with All-Americans Kiki Rice (Toronto Tempo) and Gabriela Jaquez (Chicago Sky), plus Angela Dugalic (Washington Mystics) and Gianna Kneepkens (Connecticut Sun) who were all selected in the first round of the WNBA draft.
UCLA will be incorporating five transfers, including KK Bransford (Notre Dame), Addy Brown (Iowa State), Bonnie Deas (Arkansas), Donovyn Hunter (TCU) and Elina Aarnisalo (North Carolina). UCLA added two freshmen guards in Somto Okafor from Barcelona, Spain, and Lina Jerkovic of Slovenia.
“You’re responsible to be a good learner,” Close said. “I’m responsible to be a good teacher and they are responsible to being good learners. And I challenged them after practice. If you don’t know something, make sure you’re putting in the extra work to learn it as quickly as we can.”
Aarnisalo played at UCLA during her freshman year before her transfer to UNC where she averaged 10.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 2.9 APG and shot 47.3% last season.
She’ll look to prove herself as a point guard and uphold a UCLA offense that ranked second in the nation in field goal percentage at 50.9% and averaged the second most assists with 21.9 per game.
“It’s just about focusing on the little things, whether that’s talking and giving high fives,” Aarnisalo said. “Helping each other out and talking to the coaches. (Doing) all the little things that don’t involve scoring on the basketball court.”
And that’s where UCLA is starting before worrying about roles: reestablishing culture.
Our focus is the 98%,” Close said. “Ninety-eight percent of the game is played without the ball. Can you become a better screener? Can you learn someone else’s tendencies? Can you talk more on defense? Can you become a better rebounder? How many ways can we learn each other and be better 98% players? If we do that, we are on our way.”
Close also understands the challenge her newer players face in learning her offense.
“We are putting in way more than what we should be trying to put in,” Close said. “Everyone is on mental overload and not everything is looking incredibly pretty. The biggest challenge is for everyone to not have it figured out right now.”
UCLA sophomore forward Sienna Betts has taken on the role as one of the team’s leaders after watching her older sister’s historic year unfold last season. There are similarities and differences to their game with Sienna as a left-hander, being most apparent.
Betts can score from midrange and has a fadeaway jumper leaning off her back right foot.
She is now the experienced veteran teaching her new teammates the ins and outs of UCLA’s system while incorporating a returning nucleus that includes sophomore guard Lena Bilic, junior Amanda Muse and graduate senior forward Timea Gardner.
UCLA didn’t have any players enter the transfer portal after last season.
“These girls are obviously really talented, coming from talented programs and I think it takes a second to adjust to coach Cori’s rhythm, how she runs practice and her offense,” Betts said. “I think they’re doing a great job of integrating in. They’re all just great human beings off the court and on the court. I’m excited for this group.”
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