A team’s success depends on whether players are willing to be held accountable – not just by coaches but by teammates as well.

And UCLA women’s basketball coach Cori Close is making sure her team has the leadership required to achieve this.

The team lost its top six players from the 2025-26 season, so with a roster of five returners, five transfers and two freshmen, every day is needed to maximize production. With the graduated leaders competing at the professional level, Close is looking for players to step up and hold the team to the standard required to be a successful program.

One such athlete is fifth-year guard KK Bransford, who transferred to UCLA after four seasons at Notre Dame. Bransford did not start in UCLA’s exhibition game against California, but she scored 14 points off the bench to work her way into the lineup against Texas.

“We needed that experience, and her leadership has earned her that spot,” Close said. “Her and Timea (fifth-year forward Timea Gardiner) are saying the hard things. They’re holding the standard. They’ve been in the finals, and I couldn’t be more proud of the choices she’s making.”

Gardiner competed for the Bruins in the 2024-25 season before medically redshirting last year because of a knee injury. Close looks to her to enforce expectations as one of the players with the most collegiate experience.

In addition to Gardiner and Bransford, the older transfers are expected to meet the level demanded by Close.

One of these players is senior guard Donovyn Hunter, who spent her last two seasons at TCU. Although Close sees Hunter as a quieter leader, her experience with the Horned Frogs allows her to contribute additional knowledge.

Hunter played with top-tier talent in Fort Worth, Texas, including 2026 WNBA Rookie of the Year Olivia Miles. This allowed her to grow more than just her talent, but other aspects of her game, while averaging 10.2 points per game in the 2025-26 campaign.

“A lot of times, athletes can get stuck on playing behind players or not necessarily having the opportunity, whatever people want to paint the narrative on,” Hunter said. “But I learned the most being in that position. I learned how to play off-ball, how to learn from people that have more experience.”

With so many new players on the squad, learning how to be a leader in different ways has been crucial for everyone.

Sophomore guard Bonnie Deas joined UCLA after spending her first season at Arkansas, where she averaged 10.2 points and nine rebounds a game. Being on the younger end of the roster, Deas said she is learning from the older Bruins.

Despite not being able to teach like the older players, the Melbourne, Australia, local makes her impact in other ways.

“Bringing my energy, like hyping girls up, touches, being the first one to pick people up,” Deas said. “T (Gardiner) and KK have their own way of leading our group, which is amazing. I think mine’s going off the back of theirs.”

Coming off a national championship means there is added pressure on the team to perform.

But with such a new squad, having leaders to step up and bring the effort needed to match the level from last season is key. As players work hard, energy improves, helping the squad grow.

“Every time a WNBA coach comes to our practice, they go, ‘The way your team works before and after practice is not normal,’” Close said. “We’re really proud of that. But more people, as a result of that work ethic, have earned the right to speak. And nobody’s perfect. So step up and hold the standard. And that’s something I get to bring out of them.”