{"id":402052,"date":"2026-07-17T09:21:05","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T09:21:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/402052\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T09:21:05","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T09:21:05","slug":"ucla-womens-basketball-embracing-tougher-standards-in-repeat-bid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/402052\/","title":{"rendered":"UCLA women’s basketball embracing tougher standards in repeat bid"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The UCLA<\/a> women\u2019s basketball team won its first NCAA championship<\/a> in April. Now, it\u2019s vying to stay on top.<\/p>\n

Based on Thursday\u2019s practice, after which UCLA spoke with the media for the first time since its dominant title run, it\u2019s clear that the Bruins intend to remain on top, even with a target on their back and a revamped roster.<\/p>\n

Success leaves clues<\/p>\n

One would think a defending champion pursuing a repeat would, well, just try to run it back.<\/p>\n

But not Cori Close<\/a>\u2019s bunch.<\/p>\n

Entering her 16th season as coach, Close is emphatic about the importance of process over outcome \u2014 or journey over destination \u2014 and leaning into the beauty of the grind.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe get to walk out and live out what we learn from the championship run,\u201d Close said. \u201cBut we\u2019re also not trying to repeat a championship outcome. We\u2019re trying to repeat a championship process. And success leaves clues. There are things that we want to make sure we carry over from what we learn.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut this is a new art project. This is a new identity. This is a new chance. The standards don\u2019t change, but the way we go about it is going to be unique to this team, and that\u2019s really fun to explore.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 98% \"UCLA <\/p>\n

UCLA coach Cori Close speaks during a news conference on April 4.<\/p>\n

(Ronaldo Bola\u00f1os \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Part of the \u201cchampionship process\u201d Bruins fans can expect to hear about is the \u201c98%.\u201d<\/p>\n

Close repeated it. Players repeated it. It\u2019s a mentality Close wants the Bruins to keep in mind throughout the season.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I mean by that is 98% of the game is played without the ball,\u201d Close explained. \u201cCan you become a better screener? Can you learn someone else\u2019s tendencies? Can you talk more on defense? Can you become a better rebounder? How many ways can we learn from each other and be better \u201898%\u2019 players? And if we do that, we\u2019ll be on our way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Possessing the ball \u2014 the 2% \u2014 does matter. But players who can thrive without the ball will establish a team that, in Close\u2019s eyes, can be difficult to beat.<\/p>\n

Sienna Betts\u2019 role \"UCLA <\/p>\n

UCLA forward Sienna Betts, left, speaks to her older sister, UCLA center Lauren Betts, before a game in December.<\/p>\n

(Caroline Brehman \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

Sienna Betts<\/a>, the younger sister of departed UCLA star Lauren Betts<\/a>, is set to have a key role as a returning sophomore on a team with many new players.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be different,\u201d Sienna said, referencing the Bruins losing six players to the WNBA. \u201cBut I mean, I\u2019m excited. And it\u2019s not the first time I\u2019ve been in a position like this; I mean, not at this level, obviously. So, I\u2019m just excited to be in this new role. And I have coaches who are here to help me.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just planning on doing whatever Coach Cori needs from me, whatever the team needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 6-foot-4 forward is primed to be the Bruins\u2019 anchor in the paint. She demonstrated her leadership during Thursday\u2019s practice as well as some bully ball inside.<\/p>\n

Betts, who is left-handed, mentioned her focus on right-handed shooting this offseason in preparing for increased touches. She averaged six points and four rebounds over 28 games as a freshman. Close said she is improving quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe younger players have grown into new roles,\u201d Close said. \u201cI think you could see glimpses of that [with] how Sienna\u2019s already started to do that, even maybe ahead of where I thought she\u2019d be at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elina Aarnisalo\u2019s return \"UCLA <\/p>\n

UCLA guard Elina Aarnisalo controls the ball in the Sweet 16 of the 2025 NCAA tournament.<\/p>\n

(Young Kwak \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

Elina Aarnisalo<\/a>, who played for UCLA as a freshman in 2024-25, is back in Westwood after spending her sophomore season with North Carolina.<\/p>\n

The 5-10 guard averaged 5.1 points, 3.4 assists and 2.2 rebounds as a freshman and saw her scoring double (10.2) in Chapel Hill. Aarnisalo, a native of Finland, said she is more confident, not only as a player but also as a communicator.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s going to be a lot of spots on the team open now after a big draft class,\u201d Aarnisalo said. \u201cAnd a lot of seniors leaving, that obviously interested me too. Talking with Cori [about] what my role could be on this team and what we could accomplish this year \u2026 just knowing the standards at UCLA, how we practice, how they focus on individual work; I\u2019ve seen it, and I\u2019ve seen my old teammates [and] how they\u2019ve succeeded in this environment, which is why I wanted to come back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aarnisalo averaged 21 minutes per game as a freshman and 27 as a sophomore. She stands a good chance of receiving even more playing time.<\/p>\n

New faces, same goal \"Former <\/p>\n

Former Texas Christian guard Donovyn Hunter is among the new players on the UCLA roster.<\/p>\n

(Tony Gutierrez \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

The Bruins will look starkly different after essentially exchanging six WNBA-ready players for five enticing transfers.<\/p>\n

Those newcomers are Texas Christian guard Donovyn Hunter, Iowa State forward Addy Brown, Arkansas guard Bonnie Deas, Notre Dame guard KK Bransford and Aarnisalo.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese girls are obviously really talented, come from really different programs,\u201d Betts said. \u201cIt takes a second to adjust to Coach Cori\u2019s rhythm, and her offense, and just how she runs practice and games. But I think they\u2019re doing a great job integrating in, and they\u2019re all just great human beings off the court and on the court. So, I\u2019m really excited for this group.\u201d<\/p>\n

Close acknowledged she has been very busy. She had to retool the roster while simultaneously celebrating the previous one.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not complaining, but it has been a great challenge and an incredible, intense thing,\u201d Close said. \u201cI mean, literally, the minute after the UCLA women’s basketball embracing tougher standards in repeat bid game, we are on the phone with recruits from the locker room, and the next day, the transfer portal opens. So, I mean, this has been nonstop.\u201d<\/p>\n

UCLA\u2019s first test is north of the border<\/p>\n

The Bruins will face Canada\u2019s women\u2019s national team in an exhibition next Wednesday in Victoria, British Columbia.<\/p>\n

While UCLA is far from a polished product, facing Canada\u2019s best is, if anything, a great opportunity to gain even more exposure and improve team chemistry.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to get better. We\u2019re trying to get more physical,\u201d Aarnisalo said. \u201cSo we\u2019re going to be in better shape when the actual game starts and the season starts. So it\u2019s an everyday process.\u201d<\/p>\n

Timea Gardiner trending upward<\/p>\n

Bruins forward Timea Gardiner<\/a> is expected to play in Canada after missing last season as a medical redshirt because of a knee injury.<\/p>\n

Gardiner, who transferred to UCLA in 2024 after two years at Oregon State, averaged 7.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 18 minutes per game in her first season with the Bruins.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The UCLA women\u2019s basketball team won its first NCAA championship in April. Now, it\u2019s vying to stay on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":402053,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[161315,4472,8932,28425,161314,30810,423,48,52,51,47,50,49,9442,1417,5968,7556,427,161316,1092,25859],"class_list":["post-402052","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-16th-season","tag-ball","tag-bruins","tag-cori-close","tag-elina-aarnisalo","tag-freshman","tag-game","tag-la","tag-la-headlines","tag-la-news","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-headlines","tag-los-angeles-news","tag-player","tag-point","tag-process","tag-rebound","tag-team","tag-tough-standard","tag-ucla","tag-ucla-woman"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402052","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=402052"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402052\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/402053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=402052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=402052"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=402052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}