UCLA’s mental toughness, then and now

After starting 14-0, the Bruins were in the midst of a 5-5 stretch, marred by major challenges related to Olympic qualifiers and the medical absence of Lauren Betts. At the time, head coach Cori Close repeatedly emphasized mental toughness, expressing optimism, echoed by her players.

“It’s about what’s in between our ears and how big our hearts are more than anything else,” Close said last year. “That’s really the secret to our success: our commitment to each other, and how much we want it honestly.”

The team’s use of the “mind gym” was a big part of that.

Since then, the cause of Betts’ absence has come to light, as recently profiled by Yahoo!’s Eden Laase: a lack of confidence and self-love that permeated her freshman year at Stanford and followed her in her first season with the Bruins. Laase shared that Betts “went to therapy and committed herself to speaking up, even when it was hard,” sitting out four games. She told Laase, “I was finally honest. Continuing to put on a mask for my coaches and my teammates wasn’t going to make it better. And it was at the point where it needed to be fixed, immediately.” 

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Now? Betts is in the running for National Player of the Year, leading No. 1 UCLA to its longest winning streak in program history, including victories over powerhouses like South Carolina, Ohio State and Maryland. The demand for mental toughness isn’t gone though; it’s just different. 

Being the No. 1 team in the country has its own challenges: more eyes, more pressure. Not only that, but teams inevitably come into your matchup ready to play their best basketball. On Wednesday, No. 8 Ohio State came in motivated. They forced eight UCLA turnovers in the first quarter, anchored by their formidable full-court pressure, prompting Close to tell the crowd, “Would be helpful if we passed to the people in the white jerseys, not the red jerseys” during a halftime on-court interview. 

When asked about how this year’s pressure differs from last year’s, Close told The Next, “I don’t really think we try to focus on the pressure of being No. 1. I just think pressure is a privilege and that that’s something you gotta lean into. And I just want them to feel a lot of pressure to have a growth mindset, and I want them to feel a lot of pressure to be a great teammate.”

UCLA indeed leaned into the pressure on Wednesday, after Ohio State went on a late surge to tie the game with 9:26 left in the fourth quarter. The Bruins didn’t look rattled. In fact, they looked motivated. Junior guard Gabriela Jaquez looked like she was having the time of her life.

“I didn’t have the best first half, but I took time in the locker room and calmed myself down and remembered what I’ve earned and the hard work I’ve put in, and just came out there with my teammates and had fun,” she told reporters after the game. “These games are fun when they’re close games. … Those games prepare us for March and tournament play.” 

Repeatedly this season, UCLA has had games where it may not look like the Bruins are blowing out the other team, but suddenly find themselves up by double digits, slowly wearing teams down with their depth, size and strength. They closed out the Ohio State game on a 21-7 run, with Jaquez scoring 11 points in the final seven minutes. 

Regarding their undefeated record and top rank, Close told The Next following the game, “I think that it obviously brings some different things, but I think it forces us to rise up, and we have really special objectives in mind for this year. And so it’s going to take really special preparation, and I do think they’re willing to be pushed to that end.” 

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