Pac-12 preview: UCLA

This is the fifth in an annual 12-part series previewing the Pac-12 teams for the upcoming season.

The UCLA Bruins experienced both extreme lows and extreme highs last season, in a year no one could have scripted.

They began with lofty expectations and a preseason ranking, based on their top five recruiting class. But they also faced three power house programs in their first three games: North Carolina, Texas and Nebraska. They lost each contest.

The Bruins finally won a few games in December, but then were pounded by #1 Connecticut and #4 Notre Dame. They went into Pac-12 play with a 4-6 record.

“I think I was an over-believer last year. I never stopped believing in that team,” Coach Cori Close said. “I think I underestimated how that schedule could potentially shake us. It took us a while to get our confidence back and to really work through that.”

UCLA battled through conference play, finishing sixth. But it was in the postseason that they exceeded all expectations: after accepting a WNIT invitation, they won six straight to take the tournament title. Of their last 11 games of the season, the Bruins lost only two.

The lessons learned from the year made a big impression on senior guard and leading scorer Nirra Fields (15 ppg, 5.4 rpg), who says she is now more attuned to developing relationships and details.

“Everything counts. Every person on the team contributes toward a win...everything matters,” Fields said.

Close said that though the WNIT was exciting, it was also challenging. Assistant coach Jenny Huth addressed the team at one point, telling them, “this is what you’ve worked for.” Even the final trip to the title game, at West Virginia, was a six-hour bus ride. But the eventual reward proved worth it.

“We ended on a really good note last season, and now we have to take that momentum into this season,” Fields said.

So far, that seems to be working. And with only two freshman this year, transitions aren’t as big.

“When we came together in August, it's been the easiest chemistry-building since I've been at UCLA: the relationships, the fun, there's been no separation between older and younger, two to integrate into the team instead of seven last year,” Close said. “I have to remind myself we have two new players, because it really doesn't feel that way.”

“This year has been seamless in that we're just moving forward.”

Fields brings a new pedigree this year, having helped her native Canada win a Pan American Games title in July. Sophomore guard and last year’s Pac-12 freshman of the year Jordin Canada (11.8 ppg) also garnered experience on the world stage a few months ago, playing for Team USA in the World University Games.

Sharp-shooting junior guard Kari Korver (10.1 ppg), sophomore forward Monique Billings (5.8 ppg, 5 rpg), sophomore forward Lajahna Drummer (5.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg) and senior forward Kacy Swain (4.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg) all return, as do four key reserve players.

Freshmen include Texas forward Ashley Hearn, ranked 22nd overall in the 2015 class and fourth at her position; and guard Kennedy Burke, from nearby Northridge, Calif. Close said Hearn has such a high basketball IQ that she sometimes forgets she is in her first year.

“’Do the work’ is the theme this year,” Close said. “We are focusing on discipline and chemistry.

Coaches picked UCLA to tie for fourth in the conference this season.

Their preconference schedule won’t be without challenges, as they face South Carolina, Michigan and possibly Notre Dame in a Thanksgiving tournament. Other opponents will be St. John’s, James Madison and Louisiana Tech.

The Bruins open Pac-12 play Dec. 30 at home against archrival USC.