Gallery: Behind the scenes with UCLA women’s basketball
By Kristie-Valerie Hoang
March 4, 2018 4:46 p.m.
UCLA women’s basketball studies film before facing Cal in the 2018 Pac-12 Tournament. The team returned to the Westin after morning shootaround to review play walkthroughs before the film session.
(Kristie-Valerie Hoang/Daily Bruin)
The Bruins eat their pregame meals four hours before tipoff for every game. They gather in line for breakfast at the hotel after morning shootaround.
(Kristie-Valerie Hoang/Daily Bruin)
The four freshmen, Chantel Horvat, Lauryn Miller, Michaela Onyenwere and Kayla Owens keep assistant coach Jenny Huth’s son, Tanner, entertained after pregame breakfast.
(Kristie-Valerie Hoang/Daily Bruin)
Onyenwere picks up her warm up jersey and vitamin C gummies from senior student manager Kelsey Ueda before heading up to her room for some down time before her first career Pac-12 Tournament game.
(Kristie-Valerie Hoang/Daily Bruin)
Senior Jordin Canada is scheduled first to receive pre-game treatment: cupping therapy that helps with muscle inflammation and pain.
(Kristie-Valerie Hoang/Daily Bruin)
Miller enjoys an episode of Jersey Shore while waiting her turn for treatment.
(Kristie-Valerie Hoang/Daily Bruin)
Miller gathers her hair back into a ponytail. Like every away trip, the women were randomly paired across rooms at the Westin hotel. It was chance that Miller was assigned Canada – someone she had looked up to as a mentor throughout the season.
(Kristie-Valerie Hoang/Daily Bruin)
After receiving treatment, Canada watches additional game film on her laptop in her room while music blasts from beats speakers on her dresser. The Pac-12 channel quietly plays the first game of the quarterfinals – Oregon v. Colorado – in the background.
(Kristie-Valerie Hoang/Daily Bruin)
Like some of their other teammates, Junior guard Kennedy Burke and junior redshirt guard Chrissy Baird watch Oregon blowout Colorado in the quarterfinals before heading to KeyArena.
(Kristie-Valerie Hoang/Daily Bruin)
Senior guard Kelli Hayes throws up deuces to pose for the cameras lining the a band and cheer send-off outside the hotel. Select members of the band and cheer team traveled with the players to support them during the tournament.
(Kristie-Valerie Hoang/Daily Bruin)
Miller and junior transfer guard Japreece Dean watch demonstrators protesting a new youth jail on the bus ride to the game.
(Kristie-Valerie Hoang/Daily Bruin)
Onyenwere helps Owens with her hair while riding on the team bus.
(Kristie-Valerie Hoang/Daily Bruin)
Junior redshirt forward Lajahna Drummer follows freshman redshirt guard Lindsey Corsaro into the stadium. The players always arrive 65 minutes before gametime for shootaround on the court.
(Kristie-Valerie Hoang/Daily Bruin)
The team laces up while watching the final minutes of the Oregon vs. Colorado game in the locker room.
(Kristie-Valerie Hoang/Daily Bruin)
Senior forward Monique Billings listens to music while sitting on a treatment table waiting to get taped before warmups. She often likes to listen to jazz to calm her mind and surroundings before games.
(Kristie-Valerie Hoang/Daily Bruin)
The team uses vibrating foam rollers that massage tissues worn out due to injury. Following that, the last stage of their stretching routine entails ankle stretches on the wall.
(Kristie-Valerie Hoang/Daily Bruin)
Redshirt freshman guard Lindsay Cassaro and sophomore forward Ally Rosenblum exit the locker room to begin pregame shootarounds on the court.
(Kristie-Valerie Hoang/Daily Bruin)
Billings and her teammates hit the floor for warm ups before their quarterfinals matchup with the Bears.
(Kristie-Valerie Hoang/Daily Bruin)
Canada, one of the team’s three elected captains, initiates the team huddle minutes before tipoff.
(Kristie-Valerie Hoang/Daily Bruin)
