gettyimages-1476258663-1-1.jpg
Getty Images

Less than 10 minutes remained in a late September UCLA women's basketball practice, but coach Cori Close paused the action because she was not happy with what she was seeing.

"I didn't see us hustling to get rebounds," Close told her team.

The Mo Ostin Basketball Center was quiet until grad student Camryn Brown decided to speak. Brown said that "even if during the game we are tired and missing shots," the team has to "focus on the small things outside of making shots." 

Practice resumed, this time with more energy. Moments like this is are exactly why UCLA exceeded expectations last season with a Sweet 16 appearance just a year after missing the NCAA Tournament. It was objectively a good year, but Close doesn't want the Bruins to settle -- especially because they are returning most of their players, including four starters.

Close said the bottom line is that UCLA lost in the Pac-12 tournament final, and its NCAA tournament run ended with an ugly 59-43 loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks.

"What's the possession we wish we could've had back? What's the rebound that maybe you just didn't really go after? Does that hurt enough to do something different?" Close asked.

The coach was proud but not surprised by Brown's comment during practice because this is the type of leadership she expects to see from her team every day. After all, Close said, a player-led team is always more powerful than a coach-led team. 

When the team got split into two for a friendly competition during their workout, the losing group had to do burpees while the winners were tasked with cheering them on. Small activities like that are what Close says helps build the culture of a winning program.

"Every moment in practice is an opportunity for you to be a great teammate," Close told CBS Sports. "If you're not in something, how do you lift somebody up? How do you hold them accountable? How do you encourage them?

"I'm sort of the bad cop in practice. I have to do the most corrections and constructive criticism, but I want them to be the biggest encouragers for each other."

The encouragement is particularly helpful for a new player such as Stanford transfer Lauren Betts.

"I hear from the coaches all the time, but it's really nice to get a new perspective from the teammates I'll be on the court with," said Betts, the No. 1 recruit in 2022. "I feel like I learn from them every practice."

Betts is exactly what UCLA was missing last season, as the Bruins' weakness was rim protection and post defense. She will be able to guard the paint and help create better shots for her teammates. The 6-foot-7 center averaged 5.9 points and 3.5 rebounds in just 9.7 minutes per game in her lone season with the Cardinal. 

While she hasn't played an official game with UCLA yet, Betts has already shared the floor with a Bruins player. Betts joined UCLA's top returner Charisma Osborne on the Team USA roster that earned a silver medal at the 2023 FIBA Women's AmeriCup.

They were roommates during the tournament, so they got to know each other well and spent their free time making TikTok videos.

"You can see the chemistry that we've already build throughout this summer," Osborne said.

While Betts is the perfect addition, Osborne is the perfect returner. The fifth-year guard led the Bruins with 15.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game last season. She is hoping to keep the momentum she had going during the 2023 Women's NCAA Tournament, when she registered a career-high 36 points against No. 5 seed Oklahoma in the second round. That was the most points ever scored by a Bruin in postseason history. 

Osborne and Brown will be the veterans of the team, but they have a lot of help thanks to talented younger players such as Betts, Emily Bessoir, Londynn Jones, Gabriela Jaquez and Kiki Rice.

Behind Osborne, Rice and Bessoir are the other top scorers and rebounders returning for UCLA. Rice, the No. 2 recruit in 2022, averaged 11.6 points per contest and had 25 double-digit scoring games -- including 22 points against Betts' former team in the Pac-12 tournament semifinals.

Rice made the Pac-12 All-Freshman team along with Jones, who improved as the season went on and scored 250 of her 317 total points during conference play and the postseason.

Close said fans also need to keep an eye on redshirt junior Angela Dugalić, who sat out last season due to a torn ACL. 

"I think she is going to be a major player for us," Close said. "... She has a great blend of experience and talent. She is versatile and allows us to play really big. She is ready to go."

UCLA was unranked last fall, but the Bruins will not be sneaking up on anybody now. They will enter the 2023-24 season as one of the top-ranked teams in the nation and will likely receive some preseason accolades.

However, Close doesn't want her players to listen to the outside noise, even if its positive.

"All that stuff can be a distraction. It has you thinking you've arrived," Close said. "I want us to think about, did we practice better than LSU today? Did we create better habits than UConn?

"It's what coach [John] Wooden says: Competitive greatness is a byproduct."

UCLA women's basketball will tip off its 2023-24 season by hosting Purdue on Nov. 6 at Pauley Pavilion.