In Reply to: WBB: UCLA and UConn may be closer than you think... posted by Born2BBruin on March 09, 2026 at 20:34:13
There were some questions below about what next year's women's basketball team might look like.
As was noted, UCLA has only one committed incoming freshman, 5'9" wing Somtochukwu-Blessed Okafor, who currently plays for Barcelona based Segle XXI in Spains 2nd division.
However, when asked about next season, Cori Close has repeatedly said she wants to "reload, not rebuild".
She has also said she doesn't want to tamper with any other teams' player, but who really knows what that means. Even if UCLA doesn't contact "representatives" of certain players, just saying you want to reload is probably more than enough for talented players looking to transfer this summer.
Right now, the Bruins have five players who aren't seniors on the roster:
Christina Karamouzi Siegel, 5-11 Fr G
Lena Bilic, 6-3 Fr F
Sienna Betts, 6-4 Fr C
Timea Gardiner, 6-3 Jr F (applying for RS)
Amanda Muse, 6-4 RSS C (did not play last year)
I think Bilic, Betts, and Gardiner will be back for sure.
There are some very intruiging potential transfers out there (pure speculation follows).
Hannah Hidalgo at Notre Dame may be the #1 PG in the country. They finished 5th in the ACC this year after several portal transfers devestated the 2025 ACC champions. Will she stick around for her senior season to help the Irish rebuild or will she want to look for a more competitive opportunity?
6-3 Audi Crooks has stats that rival, and even surpass, Lauren Betts, but has played 3 years for a mediocre Iowa State team that can't make it past the 1st weekend of the big dance. She's averaging 25.5 ppg this year, after scoring 23.4 last year, and 19.2 as a freshman.