UCLA and its six seniors are eyeing a WNBA draft takeover

GABRIELA JAQUEZ TRIED to stay focused. It was a month before the WNBA draft, but just days before the NCAA tournament, and the UCLA senior guard wanted to remain in the present.

But as the Bruins continued their pursuit of a national title, the conversations surrounding the future of the UCLA graduating class of six grew.

"I gotta get through the college experience, college career first," Jaquez said.

Despite her efforts to block out the noise, Jaquez couldn't fully escape it. The next step in her basketball career would be here before she knew it. But it wasn't until one night when her cousin said to her, "It's gonna be so weird when you and Kiki [Rice] play against each other," that she fully realized the scope of what was about to happen.

"I guess I never thought about that," Jaquez said. "We've been playing with each other for so long now. Not just Kiki, but all of the seniors. We're bonded. We're a unit. It's gonna be weird, there's no denying that. But it's just the next step in our journeys. And who knows, we could be teammates again!"

The six graduating players are all eligible and entering the 2026 WNBA draft: Jaquez, Rice, senior center Lauren Betts, graduate student guard Gianna Kneepkens, graduate student guard Charlisse Leger-Walker and graduate student forward Angela Dugalić. They find themselves in a unique position where every player is predicted to go in the first and second rounds -- ESPN projections have Betts (No. 4), Kneepkens (No. 8), Jaquez (No. 11) and Rice (No. 12) going in the first -- and if that happens, they will make history as the first collegiate program in WNBA history to have six players taken in one draft.

And just how prolific were these seniors in the Bruins' title run? They scored all of the Bruins' 130 points in the Final Four. Before this year, no team had ever had its seniors score all of the team's points in a Final Four game; UCLA did it twice (semifinal against Texas and championship against South Carolina).

Now, less than one week after winning the national championship, the Bruins' six graduates know that the WNBA draft will be another stage to display UCLA's dominance -- even if that means becoming each others' opponents.

"We've now built a legacy," Jaquez said. "And we'll continue to build it at the draft. Our legacy will be our national title. It will be the hard work that we've put in from day one. It will be the joy we have playing with each other. It will be the love that we have for one another. And all of that will be seen when we walk across the stage at the draft. It will be all of UCLA basketball's moment."

AT THE START of the new year, Toronto Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello sat courtside at a packed Pauley Pavilion as the Bruins hosted USC, scouting UCLA's top talent.

For most of the game, the Bruins obliterated the Trojans. In an 80-46 win in its home arena, UCLA showcased the talent of their six future graduates. With Betts leading the way, the seniors put on a masterclass in team chemistry and unity.

After ending the first quarter tied at 16, the Bruins went on a run with five players scoring in the breakout second-period performance. Brondello watched as Betts battled against multiple defenders, attacked in the paint and helped solidify her team's eighth straight win. The 6-foot-7 Betts towered over her competitors and demonstrated what she has to offer at the next level as she finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds.

But, as Betts said, "I'm only as good as my teammates. I can't do what I do on the court without them. It takes all of us. And there's six seniors who come out here and show exactly why they are in this position."

Rice added 14 points and nine assists, while Jaquez had 12 points and six rebounds.

Betts, who transferred from Stanford before her sophomore season, acknowledged the attention she was receiving from WNBA coaches and scouts -- as she said, it was not a "unique" position. But it was an opportunity for her teammates to receive the spotlight, too, she added, and she credited UCLA for it all.

"I think that all of us being put in that position is because of all the people in this program and the way that they've fed into us all this confidence, all this belief that we can do something like that," Betts said. "Coach Cori [Close], Coach T [Tasha Brown], everybody on the staff, everybody on the team, they've done such a great job of pouring into every single body here."

Months after her performance against USC, Betts raised her WNBA prospects after winning the MVP award at the national championship. Inching closer to her next chapter, Betts still doesn't feel like it's real.

"It's really unbelievable for me to even think about that. That's a dream come true that we've all had you know, growing up," Betts said. "This is something we've all wanted. I am so proud of all the girls. Everyone deserves everything that's coming their way."

FOR CLOSE, IT'S not uncommon to have a wave of WNBA coaches and scouts attend games and practices months before the draft. But what was different this season was the unity these graduating seniors displayed.

"It's really simple," Close said. "It's work ethic and selflessness and a willingness to put the team above themselves."

With Close's 2025-26 roster featuring majority graduating members, she knew that this year would be atypical. She knew this would be Betts' last opportunity to change the narrative around her game. After carrying much of the weight in the 2025 Final Four, Betts needed to pull back her time and work alongside her teammates to create a stronger front.

"This season, it's not about one star or five individual stars," Close said. "It's about a unit of five on the court. And for Betts, that meant pulling back her minutes on the court and making the others step up."

Close also knew this would be Leger-Walker's chance to prove she could come back from a torn ACL and that she was capable of shifting her roles. Going from Washington State's first option and big scorer, the New Zealand native altered her game for UCLA and became the team's top facilitator.

Similarly to Leger-Walker, Dugalić transferred from Oregon to UCLA before succumbing to an injury that kept her off the court for an entire season. Since her return during the 2023-24 season, the Serbian National Team member became a starter and improved her field goal percentage to a career-high 50.2% in her final season.

Rounding out her 2025-26 squad, Close added Utah transfer Kneepkens. Despite being new to the team, Kneepkens wasted no time in dominating. Playing in 37 of 38 games for UCLA, Kneepkens averaged 12.8 points per game this season and showed in the Final Four that under high-pressure situations, she could produce results for her team.

But for Close's seniors, she said it all comes back to Rice and Jaquez. The two seniors began their careers at UCLA and played all four years for the Bruins. Close said it was those two seniors' "commitment to the mission from start to end" that became foundational in the program and set the precedent for all her graduating members.

"I don't know if I can actually put it into words what it means to me," Close said. "It starts with Gabs and Kiki. But it's also players like Lauren, who stayed three years and then Angela who transferred, but she has been here five years. The loyalty across the board. And the commitment to the growth process."

Close added, "We have earned the right to be [known as] one of the best development programs, I think, in the country. And I think that's being acknowledged by the WNBA. We know how to prepare young women for a championship level."

Part of Close's development plan involved hiring Michaela Onyenwere as an assistant coach. Onyenwere, who was the No. 6 pick in the 2021 WNBA draft and the 2021 Rookie of the Year, has played with the New York Liberty, Phoenix Mercury and Chicago Sky. Onyenwere, currently a free agent, has been instrumental to the success of the seniors.

"This season has been all about what can we do to achieve our goals. And how can we achieve them together," Rice said.

Close witnessed the "growth mindset" in action when she saw all her seniors dedicating those extra hours to developing their games -- both on and off the court. Rice and her teammates spent most of the season in the gym together or with each other outside of basketball activities. She also noted that these seniors created a new "habit" for her program.

"This is not just a one off," Close said. "This is the culture of our team."

For WNBA coaches, according to ESPN sources, "the work ethic of the UCLA players" and the "intentionality for skill development just months and weeks before the draft aren't something you see this time of year."

One of them added, "Putting the team above themselves, putting in work before or after practice, working together toward that goal, we don't always see that. And that's what separates this team and these players."

As the draft looms, Close and her players understand that they have the chance to join an elite class of programs with five or more draftees.

In 2023, South Carolina had five players drafted including No. 1 Aliyah Boston, who went on to win the WNBA Rookie of the Year award. Prior to the Gamecocks producing five draft picks, Notre Dame had all five starters drafted in 2019, including No. 1 Jackie Young and No. 5 Arike Ogunbowale. Eleven years before Notre Dame's five draft picks, Tennessee had five players drafted including Candace Parker. In 2002, UConn had four first-round draft picks (Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Asjha Jones and Tamika Williams). With four Bruins currently projected in the first round and two in the second round, UCLA would become the first program to have six players drafted in the WNBA.

For UCLA, it's not just about the opportunity to be drafted, it's about continuing to rise to the occasion and pursue growth at the next level. Players from the likes of Notre Dame, Tennessee and UConn proved that their basketball careers continued to flourish after their draft night. Racking up titles and accolades, it's these three programs' draft classes that paved the way for the Bruins.

"This is what we prepare them for," Close said. "I'm so excited for them to watch and chase their dreams and to just watch them come to fruition because of the sacrifices they've been willing to make. We've prepared and developed them and given them a unique parallel skill set that brings them to the WNBA. This is just the beginning for them."

BETTS RACED DOWN the court, maneuvered toward Texas' Madison Booker before elevating from the court and knocking the ball away from her hands.

With just 20 seconds left on the clock in the national semifinal game, Betts helped secure her team's place in its first NCAA title game.

Embracing her teammates at center court, Betts screamed, "Oh my f---cking God, we're playing in the national championship."

For Betts, she said, "This is all or nothing. For all of us seniors. This is our last chance. We have no choice but to leave it all out there."

By the time the Bruins took the court against South Carolina, their fate was sealed before the second half as they held a 13-point lead (36-23) and never relinquished.

The seniors exited the court with three minutes left in the title game and a nearly 30-point lead. Sitting shoulder-to-shoulder on the bench, their eyes locked onto the court for the final minutes. As the seconds ticked closer to the final whistle, Betts, Rice and Kneepkens put their hands over their mouths. In disbelief of their championship, they turned to each other before standing. The final whistle blew, and they erupted in celebration.

Hugging each other at center court, the six seniors jumped up and down as confetti fell. Tears streamed down their faces, as the crowd roared in celebration, the seniors held onto each other for one last time on the court.

This was it.

"We've known all season there was a possibility of us getting drafted," Leger-Walker said. "I think it's been a driving force of understanding who we're playing with every day. We understand the caliber of the players we have to our left and right, and it's been even more reason to play as a team."

In less than a week, they will be on a different stage, entering a different chapter of their lives, playing for new teams, sporting new jerseys.

But as they reflect on this new journey, they all agree on one thing: "If a WNBA team wants to draft all of us together, we would be OK with that," Dugalić said with a smile.

ESPN's Michael Voepel contributed to this story.