Ucla's Unconventional Strategy To Win A National Title — All Seniors, All The Time

One by one, UCLA women’s hoops coach Cori Close substituted retired her starting lineup successful nan last minutes of her team’s national title victory Sunday.

Point defender Kiki Rice, a senior.

All-American halfway Lauren Betts, a senior.

Gabriela Jaquez, a senior.

Gianna Kneepkens, a postgraduate student.

No different squad successful assemblage hoops this season, men’s aliases women’s, designed its roster to beryllium arsenic veteran-dependent arsenic UCLA, whose 12-player roster featured 8 who were either seniors aliases postgraduate students. During nan NCAA tournament, Close's rotation of playing clip featured almost exclusively her oldest players. Those choices added unit to Sunday’s nationalist title crippled showdown against South Carolina — because if nan Bruins didn’t capitalize and triumph a title now, earlier virtually their full rotation departed for nan WNBA, location mightiness not beryllium a amended chance successful nan future.

Instead, UCLA routed South Carolina 79-51 to triumph nan program’s first NCAA title successful a manner that whitethorn ne'er hap again. The Bruins' players, successful their last twelvemonth of eligibility, scored each 130 of nan team’s Final Four points, and 170 consecutive points successful each making love to earlier successful nan tournament.

Women’s assemblage hoops rosters skew older than men’s rosters successful portion because of WNBA rules. Under nan league’s caller corporate bargaining agreement, only players who person graduated from college, are astatine slightest 4 years removed from precocious schoolhouse aliases move 22 during their draught twelvemonth are eligible for nan WNBA draft. Still, that hasn’t caused teams to spell all-in connected a azygous people nan measurement UCLA did while constructing its title roster. Since 2000, nan grant for nan Most Outstanding Player of nan women’s Final Four has gone to a elder only 9 times.

Yet nan unconventionally top-heavy roster blueprint worked for UCLA, which ended nan play connected a 31-game winning streak to go nan first nationalist champion from nan Big Ten Conference since 1999.

“It’s genuinely indescribable,” Close said of her seniors successful a postgame question and reply connected ABC. “The loyalty, nan patient spirit, their characteristic that they’ve chosen time successful and time out. I’m truthful humbled that they chose to perpetrate to our mission.”

Gabriela Jaquez scored 21 points to lead UCLA complete South Carolina successful Phoenix, Ariz.Ben Solomon / NCAA Photos via Getty Images

That mission, initially, was not to triumph a title for UCLA.

Of nan six seniors aliases grad students who led UCLA successful scoring this play only two, Rice and Jaquez, started their careers successful Westwood astatine UCLA.

Betts, nan Big Ten Player of nan Year, was primitively a transportation from Stanford. In 2021, Angela Dugalic, a 6-foot-4 prima who played disconnected nan chair this season, transferred successful aft 1 play astatine Oregon. Charlisse Leger-Walker transferred 2 years agone from Washington State. And Gianna Kneepkens arrived 1 twelvemonth agone aft transferring from Utah.

By building its roster utilizing nan transportation portal, UCLA is not an exception. South Carolina besides utilized nan portal to adhd 2 of its apical players from this play successful Ta’Niya Latson and Madina Okot. But relaxed NCAA rules that let for speedy transfers and instant eligibility do not ever construe to contiguous chemistry.

“It’s not going to magically happen,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley told reporters this weekend.

It didn’t hap instantly for nan Bruins, either. Last season, UCLA precocious to its first Final Four successful programme history but was blown retired by UConn, 85-51, by nan largest separator of triumph ever successful a nationalist semifinal.

In March, Jaquez told ESPN that nan blowout nonaccomplishment had go a rallying outcry passim nan offseason that followed, during weight-room sessions past summer, and arsenic practices resumed this autumn successful Westwood. UCLA recovered its difference-makers this play successful players including Leger-Walker, nan New Zealand autochthonal who had transferred to UCLA successful 2024 but sat retired past play pinch an injury. Leger-Walker scored 10 points successful 26 minutes against South Carolina, but Close told reporters Saturday that her effect connected UCLA began moreover while she was injured.

“Probably 1 of nan biggest connectors connected our squad is Charlisse Leger-Walker,” Close said. “She’s only been present 2 years. If you asked each subordinate astir who’s 1 of nan biggest group who has brought america to beryllium a full and not conscionable individual parts, they would opportunity her.”

Kneepkens, who transferred from Utah past offseason, besides provided nan Bruins a different constituent pinch her 42% shooting connected 3-pointers, nan 14th-best people successful nan state this season. No different teammate changeable amended than 38%.

Rice this play produced career-bests successful points, field-goal accuracy, rebounds and steals. Jaquez played 1 of nan champion games of her profession successful nan title game, exploding for 21 points, including dagger 3-pointers successful nan 2nd half that pushed nan Bruins' lead to much than 30 points.

"We had a emotion this was our time, this was our year," Rice said aft nan game. "We came retired location this full play and we would not beryllium denied."

Well earlier nan crippled was a blowout, however, Betts was superb connected building an 11-point lead aft 1 quarter, nan second-largest shortage faced by South Carolina each play aft nan opening quarter.

"She has improved from past year, she’s patient. I mean, she got, what, 4 seniors astir her?" South Carolina's Raven Johnson said aft nan game. "She’s a elder herself. Experience spell a agelong way."

On nan eve of Sunday’s title game, Betts said that “I really wish that I could have, like, a 1000 much years” pinch her chap seniors and grad students, whom she called her champion friends. The squad will look drastically different adjacent season, pinch Close saying — successful an all-time understatement — that UCLA will beryllium engaged recruiting transfers during nan upcoming offseason.

"There's nary amended way," Rice said, "we could dream to extremity our career."