SPOKANE, Wash. — When UCLA signed the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class in 2022, the program-changing prospects instantly flashed their potential by main the Bruins to the Candy 16. Opposing coaches had been impressed, telling UCLA coach Cori Shut that the freshmen could be so good “one day.”
Internally, Gabriela Jaquez squirmed every time she heard the reward.
“I’m just like, ‘I don’t care, I want to be good now,’” the UCLA junior guard stated this week. “Why do we have to wait?”
The wait is over.
UCLA’s as soon as vaunted freshman class has come of age, arriving within the Elite Eight as juniors after main the Bruins to a 76-62 win over No. 5 Mississippi within the Regional 1 semifinal on Friday at Spokane Enviornment.
Of their third consecutive Candy 16, the Bruins (33-2) lastly pushed ahead to a regional remaining for the primary time since 2018 and can play for the regional crown Sunday towards No. 3 seed Louisiana State at midday PDT (ABC). The Tigers, who knocked off the Bruins within the Candy 16 final season, took down No. 2 North Carolina State 80-73 on Friday.
Betts, a switch addition to the gifted junior class, was unstoppable with 31 factors on 15-for-16 capturing with 10 rebounds because the Bruins shot a season-best 60% from the sector.
Junior guard Kiki Rice, who was the No. 2-rated prospect in her highschool class behind solely Betts, had 13 factors and 7 assists. After being held scoreless from the sector within the first half, Rice hit a key three-pointer early within the third quarter that capped an 8-0 run for the Bruins. The Rebels, who trailed by only one at halftime, by no means acquired the lead right down to single digits after junior Londynn Jones hit a three-pointer to place the Bruins up by 12 with 6:07 to go.
Rice, Jones and Jaquez had been the core of UCLA’s second-ever top-ranked recruiting class, however the group has continued to transcend by way of key switch additions.
None was greater than Betts. The Stanford switch has averaged 30.5 factors and 12 rebounds within the final two video games, lacking solely 4 photographs from the sector on 33 makes an attempt.
UCLA ahead Janiah Barker grabs a rebound over teammates Lauren Betts, left, and Gabriela Jaquez within the first half.
(Younger Kwak / Related Press)
UCLA misplaced ahead Lina Sontag final spring from their unique prime class of recruits, and Christeen Iwuala transferred to Mississippi and scored seven factors with 9 rebounds towards her former workforce. However Shut introduced in Janiah Barker and Timea Gardiner, the No. 3 and No. 6 prospects, respectively, within the 2022 HoopGurlz recruiting rankings.
Three years after the historic group began, UCLA now has 4 of the highest six gamers within the class and 6 of the highest 22.
“I think it’s just been cool to see the growth, especially me, Londynn and Kiki being freshmen together,” Jaquez stated this week. “We were always confident in ourselves and we didn’t want to be good when we were older, we want to be good now, but I think we’ve just grown so much and I think the experience has been a really crucial part of that.”
For 2 consecutive seasons, the highest prospects had been left licking their wounds from Candy 16 exits. Final 12 months’s loss because the No. 2 seed to No. 3 LSU particularly haunted them. All offseason, they thought in regards to the missed alternative to guide this system’s subsequent step.
Sunday will likely be a take a look at of simply how a lot the previous No. 1 recruiting class has grown. A rematch of final 12 months’s Candy 16 has now changed into UCLA’s probability to make its first NCAA Last 4.
