LOS ANGELES — Lauren Betts and her UCLA teammates commemorated the Bruins’ inaugural NCAA women’s basketball national title alongside their supporters at Pauley Pavilion on Wednesday evening.
“This squad will undoubtedly be remembered through time,” Betts stated. “We justly achieved it.”
Betts, Gabriela Jaquez, and Charlisse Leger-Walker concluded the festivities by entering the playing area to execute their TikTok routine, with the national championship cup positioned behind them. Angela Dugalic fashioned a snow angel amidst the azure and golden confetti strewn across the court.
“This collection of individuals is truly remarkable,” Jaquez conveyed to the audience, which occupied half of the venue. “We share a bond as close companions.”
Jaquez spearheaded an enthusiastic eight-clap, the musical ensemble loudly performed the university’s anthem, and the team mascots, Joe Bruin and Josephine Bruin, engaged in dancing.
The period has been exceptionally busy for the Bruins ever since their decisive 79-51 triumph over South Carolina in the championship contest held in Phoenix on Sunday. The match garnered an average viewership of 9.9 million, ranking as the third most-watched women’s final since 1996.
Head Coach Cori Close recounted her arrival in Westwood in 2011, remembering a remark questioning whether she could ever cultivate an interest in women’s basketball within Los Angeles.
The attendees expressed their disapproval with boos.
“Allow me to inform you,” she stated. “Los Angeles now holds a strong interest in women’s basketball, and your collective efforts contributed to that shift.”
Close was met with enthusiastic applause from her squad and the audience, who vocally cheered “Cori! Cori!”
“I wish to convey my gratitude to all of you,” she expressed. “Achieving a championship genuinely requires the support of an entire community.”
In due course, a flag commemorating the initial NCAA women’s basketball national title will be hoisted to the rafters of Pauley Pavilion. Presently, the sole banner for women’s basketball there commemorates the university’s 1978 AIAW championship, which preceded the NCAA era.
“It will soon have companions. I eagerly await,” remarked Denise Curry, a prominent player for the Bruins on that historical squad, alongside Ann Meyers Drysdale.
Through a video message, Meyers Drysdale communicated to the group, “This represents your unique TLC instance – your collective, your enduring impact, your ultimate victory.”
A solitary golden chair, belonging to John Wooden, remained unoccupied amidst a multitude of blue seats behind the Bruins’ dugout. He had guided the men’s squads to ten national crowns, seven of them consecutively, and served as a guide for Close prior to his passing in 2010.
Currently, Close’s successful championship campaign will be acknowledged within the same esteemed context as Wooden’s achievements.
“It signifies something profoundly impactful that has genuinely altered my existence,” she commented.
Jim, Wooden’s son, dispatched a congratulatory text message to Close. Cori Anderson, Wooden’s great-granddaughter, shared an image of herself and her offspring attired in UCLA apparel.
“They have shown me exceptional kindness,” Close stated.
The squad’s six graduating players ascended the platform before an audience composed of both adults and children.
“Our accomplishment would have been impossible without your support,” Jaquez declared. “I wish to acknowledge all the young ones who presented us with friendship bands, baked treats, and messages.”
A collective of youthful males from the Tamaki Basketball Academy in Auckland, New Zealand, executed a customary Maori performance, symbolizing reverence and admiration for Leger-Walker, who then draped herself in her homeland’s banner. This contingent journeyed to Los Angeles specifically to participate in the celebratory event.
“I hold the distinction of being the first female basketball athlete from New Zealand to ever secure a national championship, which has generated considerable discussion locally,” she commented prior to the gathering. “It presents a tremendous inspiration for youngsters in my home country to realize that this achievement is also within their reach.”
The Bruins subsequently proceeded to the Clippers’ match versus Oklahoma City. They had previously attended a Lakers game and made an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel’s evening talk program. The following week, they are scheduled to be present at a Dodgers contest.
“Upon awakening this morning, following a few additional hours of rest, I thought, ‘Indeed, this is true. I reawakened and remain a national champion,'” Leger-Walker stated, chuckling.
Betts sported a championship cap oriented backward, with a fragment of the net inserted at the front.
“This specific net belongs to me,” she declared. “It is an unchallengeable possession. It shall perpetually be mine.”
