Earlier this season, UCLA head coach Cori Close called the transfer portal being open during the Final Four a “distraction.” At the time, it seemed like a minor annoyance, a coach’s grumble amid a historic run. After all, Close had just orchestrated a season for the ages, guiding the UCLA women’s basketball team to its first-ever NCAA Final Four appearance. They racked up a program-record 34 wins. And Close herself swept national honors, being named the 2025 USBWA Coach of the Year and Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year.
Even better, nobody was supposed to leave; they were not losing players on eligibility. “Really unusual to be in this position at the Final Four and have zero seniors in your locker room,” Close had said, eyes locked on the future. “To have an opportunity to come back stronger, more connected, learning from this experience and be better the next time.” That was the plan.
But plans, as UCLA has learned, can unravel quickly. The entire 2024 freshman class is gone. Not one or two. All of them—Elina Aarnisalo, Kendall Dudley, Avary Cain, and Zania Socka-Nguemen—entered the portal in a shockwave nobody saw coming. And just when it felt like the Bruins might stop the bleeding, it got worse. Junior forward Janiah Barker, the Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year, followed suit. And then came the blow from the heart of the backcourt.
Junior guard Londynn Jones, who has been with the team for three years, put her name in the portal, too. According to On3Sports, Jones will announce her decision tomorrow. And her decision could either stabilize a program in freefall or push it deeper into chaos.
NEWS: UCLA transfer Londynn Jones will announce her decision tomorrow, she told @On3sports.
The 5-4 junior averaged 8.5 ppg this season for the Bruins.
TRACKER: https://t.co/StsxDxjlYl pic.twitter.com/CciKX66mfD
— Talia Goodman (@TaliaGoodmanWBB) April 20, 2025
A 21-year-old from Riverside, California, Jones has been a core piece of this team from the jump. While her numbers are decent, they don’t tell the full story. Ever seen a 5-foot-4 point guard play with a level of creativity, pace, and confidence as hers? Yep, she even inspires DaKiya Sanders, who said, “I think she’s a great player, playing for a great team. It’s great to see somebody my height that’s at this level.”
Her résumé backs it up, too. She’s worn the red, white, and blue across multiple stages—representing Team USA at the 2019 FIBA U16 Women’s Americas Championship, the 2022 U18 Championship, and the 2023 U19 Women’s World Cup. Her poise in big moments isn’t new. She showed that again this season—most notably when UCLA stunned the top-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks, 77–62. Jones was lights-out. And you know what that game did? It officially announced the Bruins as national contenders.
Her best ability? The IQ that provides key stops late in the game, and all that after having knocked down 3-pointers. It was this exact ability that helped her team avenge the two regular-season losses to the USC Trojans. She is practically the embodiment of that song, “You can count on me like one, two, three, I’ll be there,” as she herself said, “For me, I think it was just being smart..I know my team needed me and I’m going to try to show up in any way I can, whether it’s four fouls or one”. And, well, she’s also a nightmare to guard from deep. In her sophomore year, she shattered UCLA’s single-season record for three-pointers made with 87, passing the 77-mark set by Kari Korver back in 2016–17.
So what just happened? Well, let’s be clear. It is not just Cori Close’s fault. She built one of the most unified locker rooms in the country this past year. It is not like the team was dysfunctional. This is about athletes wanting playing time, a better fit, and yes, financial incentives. And they now have the right to pursue that, with freedom offering a taste of everything. This is more about the era of NIL and transfer portals we are living in
This year, the portal has already seen 1,447 entries in women’s basketball. Over 440 have committed. Twenty-six withdrew. It’s a whirlwind, and it’s happening fast. What UCLA is experiencing isn’t a one-off—it’s a symptom of a changing sport. Like their LA counterparts at USC, this UCLA squad is now dealing with an unexpected exodus. The bench next year? It’s going to look nothing like the one that made the Final Four.
And yet, there’s still one name looming in the air. One final decision left to drop. All eyes are on Londynn Jones. What she chooses to do next could determine whether this is just a rough patch or the beginning of a full-on rebuild. So now, as the dust settles and the portal spins, the question becomes: What does head coach Cori Close need most?
What’s Next for Cori Close and the Bruins After Jones Enters the Portal?
UCLA’s offseason just got a little more interesting—and a whole lot more uncertain. When Londynn Jones hit the transfer portal, it didn’t just raise eyebrows. It cracked open a huge hole in the Bruins’ backcourt that Coach Cori Close now has to figure out fast. With Jones gone (at least for now), the question becomes: who’s going to run with Kiki Rice? Because right now, the answer isn’t clear.
UCLA’s rotation this past season was heavy on juniors, most of whom are coming back. That experience is a blessing, but it also meant there was barely any room for promising freshmen like Avary Cain and Elina Aarnisalo to break through. Now, with Jones out and Aarnisalo also gone, the Bruins are short on backcourt depth—and even shorter on defensive toughness and size at the guard spot. That’s got to be priority No. 1 for Close in the portal.
And here’s the kicker: Lauren Betts isn’t just a dominant big—she’s the engine of this team. Averaging 20.2 points per game and demanding double teams almost every time she touched the ball, Betts opened up countless looks for the Bruins’ guards. But here’s the problem—those guards weren’t exactly lights-out shooters. Jones herself hit just 34.7% from three, a career-low, and no one else consistently made opponents pay for collapsing on Betts. That’s a shooting issue Cori Close has to address. A knock-down wing or guard is a must.
Now, let’s not panic. UCLA’s still in a solid spot. Sienna Betts—the five-star forward and Lauren’s younger sister—is on her way to Westwood. The connection there isn’t just cool from a family angle; it could be strategic. Even if the Bruins don’t pull in a huge transfer class, they don’t necessarily need one. The core is still talented, experienced, and under the right circumstances, could go on a deep run.
Plus, there’s one wild card still out there: Charlisse Leger-Walker. She was a star before tearing her ACL and is expected to be back in the mix next season. If she’s healthy, she changes everything. She brings poise, leadership, and another scoring threat that could relieve the pressure on both Rice and Betts.
And let’s not rule out a possible plot twist—Jones coming back.
It’s a rare possibility, but not unheard of. Sometimes, players enter the portal, test the waters, and realize the best fit was home all along. If Jones sees that Westwood still offers her the best chance to thrive and win, the door might not be shut entirely.
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