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The rise of NIL has changed college sports in multiple ways. For UCLA women’s basketball, head coach Cori Close said NIL has forced the program to change their recruiting process.
In a recent interview on the Women’s Sports Now show, Close explained how NIL has taken opportunities away from freshmen players. She said UCLA now recruits more transfers than incoming freshmen each year because signing a transfer costs less money and poses less risk.
“I don’t like it. First of all, because it’s taking away freshman opportunities. But my job is to lead effectively into this new landscape. And, you know, I think if you’re not able to have a freshman that makes an immediate impact, you’re really paying them and training them to leave. And so, we’ve switched and played, I said we’re probably 60/40 transfers to freshmen in our recruiting now. And, you know, and it’s a long game when you’re recruiting freshmen,
“You’re investing a ton of money, a ton of time, and have greater risk whereas, you know, I call, you know, the transfer portals like being on The Bachelorette, you know? You’re just trying to get a rose, and it’s like speed dating. And so, you know, it’s like a sprint. And so you don’t have to spend as much time and money, and you know what you’re getting,” Close said.
After losing six players to the 2026 WNBA Draft, UCLA had to be extra active in the transfer portal this offseason.
UCLA added five players from the transfer portal to next season’s squad. Those five players are Arkansas guard Bonnie Deas, TCU guard Donoyn Hunter, North Carolina guard Elina Aarnisalo, Notre Dame guard KK Bransford and Iowa State forward Addy Brown.
Together, UCLA’s transfer portal classed earned a No. 5 national ranking by ESPN earlier this month.
Meanwhile, UCLA’s only committed incoming freshman is 5-foot-9 guard Somto Okafor.
Five Bruins from the national championship team will also be returning next season, including senior forward Timea Gardiner who transferred to UCLA from Oregon State ahead of the 2024-25 season.
Except for Gardiner, the other four returning players (Sienna Betts, Lena Bilić, Christina Karamouzi and Amanda Muse) have been part of UCLA’s program for their entire collegiate careers.
Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The post Cori Close Reveals How NIL Has Changed UCLA WBB’s Recruiting Process appeared first on LA Sports Report.
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In a recent interview on the Women’s Sports Now show, Close explained how NIL has taken opportunities away from freshmen players. She said UCLA now recruits more transfers than incoming freshmen each year because signing a transfer costs less money and poses less risk.
“I don’t like it. First of all, because it’s taking away freshman opportunities. But my job is to lead effectively into this new landscape. And, you know, I think if you’re not able to have a freshman that makes an immediate impact, you’re really paying them and training them to leave. And so, we’ve switched and played, I said we’re probably 60/40 transfers to freshmen in our recruiting now. And, you know, and it’s a long game when you’re recruiting freshmen,
“You’re investing a ton of money, a ton of time, and have greater risk whereas, you know, I call, you know, the transfer portals like being on The Bachelorette, you know? You’re just trying to get a rose, and it’s like speed dating. And so, you know, it’s like a sprint. And so you don’t have to spend as much time and money, and you know what you’re getting,” Close said.
UCLA Acquired Five Players From Transfer Portal
After losing six players to the 2026 WNBA Draft, UCLA had to be extra active in the transfer portal this offseason.
UCLA added five players from the transfer portal to next season’s squad. Those five players are Arkansas guard Bonnie Deas, TCU guard Donoyn Hunter, North Carolina guard Elina Aarnisalo, Notre Dame guard KK Bransford and Iowa State forward Addy Brown.
Together, UCLA’s transfer portal classed earned a No. 5 national ranking by ESPN earlier this month.
Meanwhile, UCLA’s only committed incoming freshman is 5-foot-9 guard Somto Okafor.
Five Bruins from the national championship team will also be returning next season, including senior forward Timea Gardiner who transferred to UCLA from Oregon State ahead of the 2024-25 season.
Except for Gardiner, the other four returning players (Sienna Betts, Lena Bilić, Christina Karamouzi and Amanda Muse) have been part of UCLA’s program for their entire collegiate careers.
Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The post Cori Close Reveals How NIL Has Changed UCLA WBB’s Recruiting Process appeared first on LA Sports Report.
Continue reading...
