UCLA Women's Basketball Returns to Practice with Reinforcements, Player-Led Mindset

The Bruins added four transfers to a team that was extremely thin by the end of the 2020-2021 season.

Cori Close was not happy with how her team was practicing Friday morning.

Instead of continuing to berate the Bruins, the coach stopped the transition defense drill, had the players shoot free throws and called off the rest of practice.

"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result," Close said. "Bottom line is, this is an 'I get to' thing – you get to to come and get better. Put this jersey on, and you better respect it. And if I don't think that you are respecting that and making the appropriate commitments to give and grow every day, then you lose the opportunity, day over."

The players had other ideas, however.

Once everyone had hit their assigned 10 consecutive free throws, the players came together and decided to do the drill again, even with the coaches packing up and leaving them to their own devices. It took them a few more tries, but they finally got four stops in a row to end the day.

"We all know that we're not gonna end practice like that," said graduate guard Gina Conti. "We hold each other to the standard, the players, we're the ones on the court together. Yes, the coaches have say in what we do, but at the end of the day, we're not just gonna let that happen. If we have a bad quarter, we're not just gonna come back and give up the fourth quarter."

UCLA women's basketball opened up its official preseason practice schedule Wednesday, now boasting a full roster to go along with its no-quit mentality. Conti is one of four transfers who were added to the team in the offseason, coming to Westwood from Wake Forest, where she was one of the program's all-time leading assisters.

Forward IImar'I Thomas, guard Jaelynn Penn and Angela Dugalic arrive from Cincinnati, Indiana and Oregon, respectively. 6-foot-4 forward Izzy Antsey will also be joining the program after spending her freshman year stuck in Australia, barred from entering the country by Homeland Security and ICE.

The five new faces are joining a team that lost forward Michaela Onyenwere to the WNBA and forward Lauryn Miller and guard Lindsey Corsaro to graduation in the offseason, but the rotation that shrunk to six players at times last season now sits at a far more comfortable level. Graduate guard Natalie Chou, junior guard Charisma Osborne and redshirt senior guard Chantel Horvat are the returning leading scorers on the outside, and true sophomores forward Emily Bessoir and guard Dominique Onu now have had a full offseason to acclimate themselves to the team.

The new-look lineup, boasting players new and old, was challenged not only by Close and her coaching staff at Friday's practice, but also another familiar face.

Seattle Storm point guard and former UCLA standout Jordin Canada had a 1-on-1 skill development workout with assistant coach Tony Newman in Westwood, and she decided to stick around and play with the scout team as part of the Bruins' practice later on.

Another special guest at practice today for @UCLAWBB – this time it’s Jordin Canada. pic.twitter.com/CzgbPF6jFu

— Sam Connon (@SamConnon) October 1, 2021

Canada had a few moments where she stopped play and gave advice on defensive positioning and when to sink under screens, and who better to teach those lessons than a two-time WNBA champion who finished her collegiate career ranked No. 3 on UCLA's career steals list.

"It's awesome," Conti said. "Just being able to have pros come back, especially a point guard like Jordin Canada, being able to just sit there and watch her and know she's been where I want to be."

Two days earlier, Onyenwere stopped by the Mo Ostin Basketball Center with Miller before the pair took their graduation photos on campus. Onyenwere did not participate in practice like Canada due to torn ligaments in her thumb that will keep her off the court for two to three months, but she did make sure to greet her former teammates and coaches following her Rookie of the Year campaign in New York.

Suprise cameo by the WNBA Rookie of the Year at @UCLAWBB practice this morning 👀👀👀 pic.twitter.com/dH4weOfNj9

— All Bruins on FanNation/Sports Illustrated (@FN_AllBruins) September 29, 2021

Close said having alumni stop by always presents great moments for the team and shows the current players just how important their culture is in the long term.

"It's just nice to have your people home," Close said. "Once a Bruin, always a Bruin. We always say making this choice is not a four-year decision, it's a 40-year decision, and it's just a chance to live that out."

Joined by former stars or practicing on their own, UCLA has over a month to get ready for its season opener against Pepperdine on Nov. 10 at Pauley Pavilion.

Follow Connon on Twitter at @SamConnon
Follow All Bruins on Twitter at @SI_AllBruins
Like All Bruins on Facebook at @SI.AllBruins
Subscribe to All Bruins on YouTube

Read more UCLA stories: UCLA Bruins on Sports Illustrated
Read more UCLA women's basketball stories: UCLA Women's Basketball on Sports Illustrated