A day after UCLA was named the nation’s top women’s college basketball team in the opening month of the season, Cori Close showed up at the practice facility to see another early riser.
Her players.
Nine Bruins were already on the field when Close arrived at 6:40 a.m. Tuesday.
“That told me what I needed to know,” Close said Wednesday, “about where their vision is and where their aspirations are.”
Read more: UCLA women’s basketball is ranked No. 1 in the AP poll for the first time with a win at South Carolina
As Close has repeatedly said, it’s not where you are at the end of November, it’s where you are at the end of the season.
That’s not to say UCLA enjoyed the benefits of being ranked No. 1 by the Associated Press for the first time in school history after a 15-point win over defending national champion South Carolina.
Close said she received an “amazing text” from Bruins legend Ann Meyers-Drysdale, while professors, administrators and former coaches also congratulated her. Three television cameras appeared at Wednesday’s practice, surpassing the recent media coverage of the football and men’s basketball teams.
“This is not something you do alone, it takes a village,” Close said, “and to share it with the village is really cool.”
Read more: Hernández: The UCLA women are proving they are No. 1 in basketball without a doubt
There was also a bigger trend to celebrate. UCLA is just the 26th team to hold the top spot in the 40th annual AP Women’s Poll.
“The parity of our game,” Close said, “is just getting better.”
Although UCLA dominated South Carolina in every aspect, Close identified several areas that needed improvement, including defensive rebounding, transition defense, communication and off-ball rotations.
Perhaps the fact that so much went wrong in a successful victory was the most encouraging development for a team that wants to win it all.
“Gabriela Jaquez said, ‘It’s such a thrill for me that we were able to play at such a high level and we have so much more to grow in,'” Close said, referring to the junior forward who has established herself as one of the top reserves in the country because of her tenacity and playfulness.
Read more: No. 5 UCLA will stun No. 1 South Carolina to confirm its national title goals
Among the things Close will be watching closely is when the Bruins (5-0) bounce back in the Rainbow Wahine Showdown Friday in Honolulu against Tennessee-Martin (1-4). Although it leads the country in offensive rebounding thanks in large part to the presence of center Lauren Betts, UCLA ranks in the 74th percentile in defensive rebounding.
“With our size and our depth, it shouldn’t be like that,” Close said. “So we still have a lot of work to do.”
Turns tracking is also nearby. The Bruins committed 16 against the Gamecocks, exceeding the maximum 11 their coach wants per game.
Close said UCLA’s top ranking may have meant the most to bolstering the image the team already had of itself.
“I didn’t really feel any different,” Close said, “because we already saw ourselves as the No. 1 team with championship habits, commitment and ambition; it’s just that other people have to see that and I think that’s why we’ve been doing that .”
One monumental victory down, three-plus months to the intended goal.
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.