Senior Lauren Betts and head coach Cori Close have been named finalists for the Naismith Women’s College awards, according to a March 25 announcement by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
The recognition highlights both individual and team achievements within UCLA women’s basketball. The awards honor outstanding players and coaches in collegiate women’s basketball, underscoring the significance of their contributions this season.
Betts, who won the 2025 Naismith Women’s College Defensive Player of the Year Presented by MOLECULE, is again a finalist for that award. She is also among the top four candidates for the 2026 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Women’s College Player of the Year award. Only Betts and Sarah Strong were named finalists for both honors this year. Betts has become the first student-athlete to win both Big Ten Player and Defensive Player of the Year titles, averaging a team-leading 17.1 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. She has also surpassed 100 assists in a season for the first time in her career, averaging 3.2 assists per game.
In NCAA tournament play so far this year, Betts has averaged impressive numbers: 28.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, and four assists per game through UCLA’s first two wins.
Coach Close is up for her second consecutive Werner Ladder Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year award after earning national coach of the year honors in 2025. Under her leadership, UCLA achieved its best regular season finish with an undefeated conference record (18-0) to claim its first outright Big Ten regular season championship. The Bruins also secured their second straight season with more than thirty wins after winning the Big Ten tournament title over Iowa on March 8.
The Bruins have advanced to their fourth consecutive Sweet Sixteen appearance under Close’s guidance; she now holds a record of twenty-one wins and nine losses in NCAA tournaments as UCLA’s head coach.
