This post was updated April 3 at 11:27 p.m. UCLA women’s basketball coach Cori Close has been named the 2025 Werner Ladder Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year, and junior center Lauren Betts has been awarded the Naismith Women’s College Defensive Player of the Year, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Wednesday. The prestigious pair of national honors for the top-seeded team in the country comes after a historic season for the Bruins, who posted one of the most dominant campaigns in women’s basketball history. Read more...
Photo: Junior center Lauren Betts (left) and coach Cori Close (right) celebrate after No. 1 seed UCLA women’s basketball downed No. 3 seed LSU in the Elite Eight, advancing to a program-first Final Four in the NCAA era. Close and Betts earned Naismith recognitions Wednesday afternoon. (Aidan Sun/Assistant Photo editor)
