NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� The party isn’t over for UCLA’s national champions. The Bruins had another big celebration at the
Lauren Betts, Gabriela Jaquez and Kiki Rice were taken with picks Nos. 4-6 on Monday night, barely a week after helping the UCLA became the first team to have five first-round selections, and the first with six players selected in one draft.
In a whirlwind stretch where the Bruins were feted from coast to coast, the good times hit their peak at the draft, where the best team this season took its place among the best of all time.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really hard to sum up because there鈥檚 so much,鈥� Jaquez said. 鈥淚 think that we鈥檙e just on a high right now. We just won the national championship. A lot of us have also graduated college, which is a huge step and something to be super proud of, especially at UCLA. And then we got to go to Jimmy Kimmel, a Laker game, Clipper game, dance, have the celebration at Pauley Pavilion. We went on 鈥楪ood Morning America鈥� this morning. Obviously, a lot of us are here at the draft tonight being drafted. It鈥檚 just been a special moment.鈥�
The 6-foot-7 Betts was selected by the Washington Mystics, with Jaquez then taken by the Chicago Sky. The expansion Toronto Tempo made Rice their first draft pick with the No. 6 selection.
With coach Cori Close sitting up front near her players, the Bruins kept having reasons to stand up and cheer. They were going so quickly that after Angela Dugalic was taken at No. 9 to join Betts in Washington, she worried she鈥檇 miss witnessing more big moments for her teammates.
Betts said she wasn鈥檛 surprised, having watched how hard her teammates worked.
鈥淭hese are like my sisters, and getting to watch your family do something like that is amazing,鈥� Betts said. 鈥淏ut I mean, this team is just so special. We knew the type of players that we had on the team, and to really just have this night really showcase all of the things that we鈥檝e worked on all season is just amazing.鈥�
UCLA went 37-1, routing South Carolina on April 5 in the title game 鈥� with their seniors scoring all of their points in the Final Four 鈥� and then made WNBA history when Gianna Kneepkens was drafted by Connecticut with the 15th and final pick of the first round. Close has said she doesn’t care about records, but that changed Monday.
鈥淲ell, I mean, I sort of do care about this one actually, because No. 1, it helps us in recruiting. I think we鈥檝e really taken a developmental approach to this and to see it come to fruition the way it has is obviously really gratifying,鈥� she said.
鈥淛ust to be a part of an historic night and for them to be so excited for each other, that鈥檚 sort of representative of how they鈥檝e been all year long. But it鈥檚 a pretty cool record to be a part of.鈥�
UConn had the previous record of four first-round selections 鈥� all in the first six picks 鈥� in 2002. Sue Bird was No. 1, Swin Cash No. 2, Asjha Jones No. 4 and Tamika Williams No. 6 from a team that went 39-0.
Tennessee, in 1999 and again in 2008, had five players selected in the draft, as did Notre Dame in 2019 and South Carolina in 2023. But those players weren鈥檛 all taken in the first round.
鈥淚 think it definitely demonstrates that being a selfless team, that maybe giving up individual stats for team success, that you can win with that formula. You can still be successful. You can win at a high level as a team but you can also achieve individual goals,鈥� Rice said.
鈥淲e knew we all wanted to go to the WNBA. We all wanted to be pros, but that wasn鈥檛 the only focus during the season. It was winning, it was giving to each other, it was how can we be the best team possible. In the process of doing that, we still got the results that we wanted to at the end of the day, and that鈥檚 something that is really special.鈥�
Charlisse Leger-Walker was taken by the Sun in the second round, set to remain teammates with Kneepkens.
The Bruins went to dinner together while in New York and were going to spend more time together after the draft. But Kneepkens said they wouldn’t be saying their goodbyes yet.
鈥淵eah, those girls mean the most to me, and good thing we live in this day and age and we have phones,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o hopefully we鈥檒l keep in touch, and obviously we鈥檒l see each other around.鈥�
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AP Basketball Writer Doug Feinberg contributed to this report.
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