Last season’s UCLA team played an incredibly strong season. Led by Lauren Betts and Kiki Rice, the Bruins recorded their first 30-win season in program history and secured their first ticket to the Final Four. UConn eliminated UCLA from the postseason, but the 2024-25 campaign was still a huge success.
Nevertheless, the team saw a lot of departures after the season. Six players transferred. Londynn Jones moved on to USC, Elina Aarnisalo joined the Tar Heels, Janiah Barker went to Tennessee, Kendall Dudley transferred to Michigan, Avary Cain now plays for the Oregon Ducks, and Zania Socka-Nguemen chose to play for Indiana instead.
At the same time, the transfer portal is also the reason Cori Close was able to build such a cohesive roster around Lauren Betts, Kiki Rice, and Gabriela Jaquez this year. Gianna Kneepkens and Charlisse Leger-Walker joined the team via the transfer portal and immediately emerged as two of the main reasons for UCLA’s success this season. They have fit in seamlessly, and that cohesiveness is what makes the team so special.
“I loved last year’s team. They did things no other UCLA team has done, so I want to give them their flowers,” Cori Close said after UCLA’s win over Maryland. “But if you ask me about what’s different this year, I think our pieces just fit a little bit more together, and we have a little bit more of a complete puzzle.”
The transfer portal brought two immediate difference-makers to UCLA
Kneepkens and Leger-Walker didn’t just bring experience to UCLA’s roster. The two seniors also fit seamlessly into Cori Close’s system on both ends of the floor.
Kneepkens ranks sixth in the country in 3-point percentage with 46.6%. Her ability to space the floor creates opportunities in the paint for Betts, who is one of the strongest inside presences in college basketball, and Rice, who can attack the rim well. Kneepkens does a lot more than just shoot threes, though. She also averages 3.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game and provides strong defense.
Leger-Walker isn’t scoring as much as Kneepkens, but her impact on UCLA’s offense has been just as noticeable. She leads the team in assists per game with 6.2. Her passing and court vision make it easy to play Rice off the ball, allowing her more opportunities to score. On the other end of the floor, Leger-Walker leads UCLA in steals per game.
Both Kneepkens and Leger-Walker complement the players who remain from last season’s roster very well. If UCLA goes on a deep postseason run, those two additions will be a major reason why.
While the focus mainly lies with UCLA’s veteran core, the team has also gotten some contributions from freshmen Sienna Betts and Lena Bilić. Both will have to be ready for bigger roles when UCLA’s collection of seniors makes the jump to the WNBA.