Joyful Ucla Dominates Wnba Draft On Record-setting Night

UCLA women’s hoops conscionable keeps winning.

The latest version of UCLA Unlocked was delayed 1 time truthful that we could see what turned retired to beryllium a magical, signaling mounting WNBA draught nighttime for nan Bruins.

UCLA group a WNBA draught record pinch 5 players selected successful nan first information and different draught grounds pinch six selected wide during nan three-round draught Monday nighttime successful New York.

The Bruins rocked nan orangish carpet and past waited pinch UCLA coach Cori Close and their families to study their draught fate.

UCLA Bruins Angela Dugalic, Kiki Rice, Gianna Kneepkens, Lauren Betts and Gabriela Jaquez airs connected nan orangish carpet astatine nan WNBA draught successful New York.

(Angelina Katsanis / Getty Images)

They didn’t hold long. Lauren Betts was first disconnected nan board, selected by nan Washington Mystics pinch nan No. 4 pick.

“These are for illustration my sisters, and getting to watch your family do thing for illustration that is amazing,” Betts told nan Associated Press. “But I mean, this squad is conscionable truthful special. We knew nan type of players that we had connected nan team, and to really conscionable person this nighttime really showcase each of nan things that we’ve worked connected each play is conscionable amazing.”

Gabriela Jaquez was adjacent successful line, getting drafted higher than expected erstwhile nan Chicago Sky utilized nan No. 5 prime to prime her.

“Jaquez is simply a battle-tested three-level scorer who improved each twelvemonth successful college,” Sky wide head Jeff Pagliocca said. “Combine her on-skill talent pinch nan truth that she’s a proven winner, and you person a subordinate that perfectly fits nan Sky’s vision.”

Next, Kiki Rice was selected No. 6 by nan Toronto Tempo.

After a fewer gaps, Angela Dugalic was drafted astatine nan No. 9 spot by nan Mystics and Gianna Kneepkens was drafted astatine nan No. 15 spot by nan Connecticut Sun.

“We’re excited to invited Gianna to our team,” Sun wide head Morgan Tuck said. “She’s knowledgeable occurrence UCLA wrong a winning civilization and brings a mindset defined by toughness and consistency each clip she steps connected nan level connected some ends. Her shooting expertise is elite and genuinely sets her apart, but we’re arsenic impressed by nan complete crippled she’s shown passim her assemblage career.”

UCLA defender Charlisse Leger-Walker poses pinch WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert aft being selected No. 18 by nan Connecticut Sun connected Monday successful New York.

(Pamela Smith / Associated Press)

The WNBA made a ridiculous decision, opting not to officially induce nan sixth personnel of UCLA’s ace elder and postgraduate student people to nan draft. Charlisse Leger-Walker went anyhow arsenic a impermanent and was nan grounds sixth Bruin selected, getting drafted successful nan 2nd information by nan Sun pinch nan No. 18 wide pick. She became nan first subordinate from New Zealand to ever beryllium drafted.

Leger-Walker told reporters successful New York that Dugalic gave up 2 of her seats astatine nan draught truthful Leger-Walker and her mother could attend. For nan record, Leger-Walker was picked up of 1 subordinate nan WNBA officially invited to New York.

“Given really captious nan constituent defender position is, we’re thrilled to invited Charlisse to our team,” Tuck said. “Her expertise to push nan gait while besides moving nan discourtesy and starring her teammates is thing we genuinely value. She comes from a winning program, and her accomplishment set, poise and hoops IQ position her crippled to construe seamlessly to nan master level.”

Close kept popping up to hug her stars and aft a play of insisting nan travel mattered much than nan result, she conceded Monday nighttime mattered.

“Well, I mean, I benignant of do attraction astir this 1 actually, because No. 1, it helps america successful recruiting. I deliberation we’ve really taken a developmental attack to this and to spot it travel to fruition nan measurement it has is evidently really gratifying,” Close told nan Associated Press.

“Just to beryllium a portion of an historical nighttime and for them to beryllium truthful excited for each other, that’s benignant of typical of really they’ve been each twelvemonth long. But it’s a beautiful cool grounds to beryllium a portion of.”

Bob Chesney leads nan UCLA shot squad successful its first outpouring believe connected April 2.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The UCLA-feel bully power hasn’t skipped nan shot program, pinch new coach Bob Chesney and his unit starring nan Bruins done outpouring shot workouts.

Here are 3 takeaways from nan first 5 outpouring shot practices:

1. No 1 is naming names.

It’s difficult to get coaches aliases nan 2 shot players UCLA has made disposable for interviews truthful acold this outpouring to unpaid nan names of immoderate players who person performed exceptionally good during outpouring practice.

“Yeah, um, I don’t want to sanction driblet because I cognize I’m going to miss a couple, but I deliberation nan full O-line and nan full receiver room collectively person been bringing it each believe and I’ve loved competing pinch them,” UCLA backmost Nico Iamaleava told reporters erstwhile asked for his thoughts astir nan receivers and violative linemen.

When he was asked who connected nan defense was making his life difficult, Iamaleava responded: “From nan defense? You know, I’m not going to springiness them excessively overmuch credit, but I deliberation they do a bully occupation of disguising their coverages.”

Safety Cole Martin was arsenic measured successful his consequence erstwhile asked who were nan toughest violative players to cover.

“I consciousness for illustration everybody conscionable has their ain accomplishment set. You know, learning what they do good, what they don’t do good and trying to fig retired really to hit them — ’cause, I mean, it’s outpouring ball,” Martin said.

The squad held its first workout successful afloat pads Saturday and it’s improbable this embargo connected identifying apical performers will past forever, but an accent connected wide unfastened title has been adopted by coaches and players.

2. Iamaleava is trying to enactment connected nan field.

The backmost said Saturday he weighs 218 pounds and hopes to scope 220 to 225 pounds by nan play opener.

“I took a mates of hits past twelvemonth and it took a toll connected nan body, but I deliberation conscionable maine recovering complete nan offseason and coming successful fresh to activity and getting bigger was nan main point for maine this offseason,” he said. “So yeah, hopefully erstwhile I get to nan play I’ll beryllium capable to return those hits a small easier.”

3. Martin and Iamaleava person afloat embraced Chesney’s accent connected winning connected and disconnected nan field.

“How you unrecorded your life is going to correlate pinch really you are connected nan field,” Martin told reporters Saturday. “When you person awesome habits outside, you’re going to person awesome play connected nan field. Coach Chesney is large connected making judge that we recognize that you can’t unrecorded an mean life and past spell beryllium astonishing astatine football. Everything has to lucifer up, truthful if it intends that you gotta spell to people super, ace early aliases if you gotta aftermath up really, really early — aliases immoderate that whitethorn mean for you and really that individual is — do that and your play connected nan section will correlate.”

Reddemann recognized

Logan Reddemann of UCLA tied a grounds pinch 18 strikeouts connected Friday against Rutgers.

(Craig Weston)

UCLA inferior right-handed pitcher Logan Reddemann swept play awards for his capacity during nan Bruins’ 4-1 triumph complete Rutgers successful 14 innings Friday night.

Reddemann earned Golden Spikes subordinate of nan week, College Baseball Foundation pitcher of nan week, Perfect Game pitcher of nan week and Big Ten pitcher of nan week and was named to Baseball America’s squad of nan week. He delivered an NCAA azygous crippled record-tying 18 strikeouts complete 8 innings, starring a Bruins unit that totaled 30 strikeouts, 1 awkward of nan NCAA single-game record.

No. 1 UCLA will put its programme grounds 27-game winning streak connected nan statement erstwhile it hosts UC Santa Barbara connected Tuesday nighttime astatine 7 p.m. The crippled aerial connected nan Big Ten Network.

UCLA’s adjacent nationalist title?

UCLA elder Jordan Chiles shouts while competing connected nan level workout during nan the meet against Utah.

(Jesus Ramirez / UCLA Athletics)

Is nan Bruins’ gymnastics squad is adjacent successful statement to triumph a nationalist title?

Jordan Chiles, an Olympic golden medalist and nan NCAA West Region gymnast of nan year, will lead UCLA during nan NCAA gymnastics championships starting Thursday successful Fort Worth, Texas.

UCLA will compete successful a semifinal against Oklahoma, Arkansas and Minnesota. The Bruins will commencement connected nan bars, past proceed to nan beam, level workout and vault.

The apical 2 teams beforehand to nan finals Saturday against nan apical 2 teams from different semifinal featuring LSU, Stanford, Florida and Georgia.

UCLA’s semifinal originates astatine 6 p.m. Thursday and will aerial connected ESPN2. The finals will statesman astatine 1 p.m. Saturday and aerial connected ABC.

Transfers thief hoops teams reload

The men’s and women’s hoops teams person picked up transfers since nan portal opened past week.

The women’s hoops squad added North Carolina inferior defender Elina Aarinsalo, elder TCU defender Donovyn Hunter and Arkansas sophomore defender Bonnie Deas.

Along pinch returner Timea Gardiner, nan Bruins are starting to shape a halfway to take sides their nationalist championship. Gardiner was a starter during UCLA’s 2024-25 Final Four run, but she missed each of this past play pinch an wounded and has 1 play of eligibility left.

The men’s squad has picked up commitments from Auburn guardant Filip Jovic, Mississippi State guardant Sergej Macura and Texas Tech transportation defender Jaylen Petty.

UCLA coach Mick Cronin besides retained cardinal pieces of his roster, including Trent Perry and Eric Dailey Jr.

In lawsuit you missed it

UCLA breaks WNBA draught records pinch 5 first-round picks and six overall

‘Coach Chesney is simply a winner.’ Nico Iamaleava and Cole Martin sold connected Bruins’ caller leader

Letters to Sports: Celebrating UCLA’s inspiring nationalist title win

Logan Reddemann strikes retired 18; No. 1 UCLA wins successful 14 innings complete Rutgers

UCLA women’s hoops lands first transportation since winning NCAA championship

‘L.A. cares astir women’s hoops now’: UCLA celebrates its nationalist championship

Sondheimer: Mira Costa High volleyball prima Mateo Fuerbringer thrives erstwhile nether pressure

Water spray, chaos and accent tests: Inside Bob Chesney’s UCLA believe philosophy

Here is who decimated nationalist champion UCLA could target successful nan transportation portal

Plaschke: Aday Mara’s Michigan nationalist title exposes UCLA coach Mick Cronin’s failure

UCLA women’s hoops players crown Cori Close arsenic their champion

Have thing Bruin?

Do you person a remark aliases thing you’d for illustration to spot successful a early UCLA newsletter? Email newsletters editor Houston Mitchell astatine houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter successful your inbox, click here.