I don't follow UCLA at all but I did watch them lose to Texas today. One thing I noticed during the fourth quarter and the game was getting really tight, during one of timeouts late, Cori wasn't in the players huddle, an assistant was doing the coaching. I mean Cori was on the outside of the huddle and IMO didn't look the least bit involved. Seemed very strange to me.
Not that I’m aware of, but the WBB Reddit forum (r/NCAAW) typically has threads for big games that get more traffic than this board and I see several regular UCLA fans on there. BY and Reddit are far and away the best forums I know of though.
I would agree with this assessment. Frankly, even mens' basketball doesn't get a ton of engagement. There are only around 4-6 regular commentators on the Women's team.
Oh wow. Hopefully the numbers improve over time.
Good observation! They might be a better team without Betts. Playing small ball, their players are playing freer. They are more of a threat playing small ball IMHO!
It will be interesting to see what UCLA looks like when Sienna Betts and Timea Gardiner return. Replace Lauren with Sienna and you may have a very similar look to the Thursday game, but with more depth.
I do love her energy. She is fun to watch out there playing.
I mean it was Duke after all. Not sure what is going on with them.
I hear ya, though I am tempted to report you to @triaddukefan for that snarky comment. UCLA did put a beat down on the Lady Vols on Sunday, which poses an interesting question, who was/is more over rated Duke or Tenn?
I think Cori just announced why her team will continue to fall short. She will have zero chemistry that can't be achieved in a single season. Did she learn nothing from the beat down UCLA suffered at UConn's hands last season? She admitted that her team could not play at UConn's pace in the Final Four. This is her last shot to raise the pace of play of her team before all the starters go away. I seriously doubt she will succeed this season any better than she did last season.
Charlisse was there last season, she wasn't able to play due to injury.
Every coach says "we're gonna reload." Only one I've seen do it, and she isn't in Los Angeles.
She's out for the season.
She’s had a tough career.
Sorry to hear it. Is this the better part of two seasons she’s missed now? That’s not easy to come back from.
If she can recover, she'll be one of the most sought-after post players in the country (assuming she doesn't stick around Westwood for another season).
If she does enter the portal, she’ll be a coveted prospect for sure.
I have looked hard at her roster all year and she will be so bereft of talent next year, she has to find a way to reload but I do think what @BigTenGuy said is really interesting. I am not sure how they include the NIL money so maybe their is that "hidden" bank account for Cori to use.UCLA coach Cori Close on NIL and the new reality of college basketball: 'We need to be really careful'
UCLA head coach Cori Close is amazed by the growth of the women's game over her 15-year coaching career with the Bruins. But she remains cautious of where it's going in the new NCAA landscape, which many have categorized as an unregulated Wild West.sports.yahoo.com
“We just have no boundaries at all,” Close said. “There’s no salary cap. There’s no competitive equity. And what’s happening is, the people that are losing I’m worried will slow down the growth of the game because it’s shutting out high school athletes. It’s really taking away their percentages of opportunities. And I don’t like it.”“I have a responsibility to keep our program at a championship level and I don’t think I can do it with just freshmen anymore,” Close said.Three of UCLA’s top six contributors are transfers as the program chases its first NCAA championship and a repeat Final Four. Its 2025 Final Four berth in Tampa was the first in the NCAA era for UCLA.All six of them are seniors, creating a massive hole Close needs to fill. She said she can’t and won’t replace them with six freshmen, as she would have in the past with larger recruiting classes. Instead, Close and the coaching staff will enter the offseason seeking four to five transfers, with a smaller three-to-four-player freshman class.“We have no interest in rebuilding,” Close said. “We really are intent on reloading. My responsibility is to adjust in the landscape that I’m given and to lead well no matter what. But the reality is, I have to do that whether I like it or not.”