UCLA women's team has something Bruin

Even a winter-storm warning couldn’t keep the Sky front office out of Evanston last weekend. General manager Jeff Pagliocca, coach Tyler Marsh and support staff commandeered the bleachers at Northwestern to scout the best team in the Big Ten: UCLA.

The No. 2 Bruins (19-1) are overflowing with WNBA-ready talent, starting five players who legitimately might go in the first round of the 2026 draft.

Call them a one-stop shop for all your WNBA Draft needs.

Need an athletic, defensive-minded point guard with a great floor game? Take a look at Kiki Rice, who is averaging 15 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.8 steals.

Need a 6-7 rim protector who swats away shots in her sleep? Consider Lauren Betts, one of only a handful of college players invited to the Team USA tryout this winter.

Need a crafty wing who can back-cut with the best of ’em? Behold Gabriela Jaquez, who scored at least 10 of her 19 points in the Bruins’ rout Sunday of the Wildcats on cuts alone.

Need a knockdown shooter? Then Gianna Kneepkens, a fifth-year transfer from Utah, is your gal.

Or maybe, if you’re the one building a roster, you don’t know what you need at all.

As UCLA coach Cori Close told the Sun-Times, the thing WNBA front offices have most in common is their uncertainty. (She would know. She fields calls from WNBA presidents, GMs and coaches almost daily.)

That’s what happens when negotiations for a collective-bargaining agreement put league business on hold. Normally, free agency and the expansion draft would be underway by now, giving teams a clearer sense of roster holes and draft priorities. Instead, timelines have stalled. In response, many teams are casting wider nets for draft prospects. UCLA’s bounty of talent certainly helps simplify that research.

So how are the Sky approaching the offseason?

The Sky are operating from a position of scarcity, not surplus. After two consecutive uninspiring seasons, this offseason isn’t about filtering for positional fit; it’s about raising the talent level of the roster.

The No. 5 pick in the upcoming draft might help. It might not be a slam dunk, as top prospects such as Betts likely will be gone by the time the Sky hear their name called, but there will be good players available. Heck, there’s the rest of the UCLA starting five.

Jaquez, whom the Bruins call ‘‘All Gas Gabs,’’ fits neatly into a modern offense. At 5-11, she shoots well from deep but also knows how to keep the offense moving. She found seams in the defense again and again against Northwestern, scoring without needing plays called for her.

Rice also stood out. Her nose for the ball on defense was reminiscent of former Wildcats point guard Veronica Burton, who was drafted No. 7 overall in 2022 and now is a WNBA All-Defensive selection. Not a bad track for Rice to be on.

And then there’s Kneepkens. A career 44% three-point shooter on 5.5 attempts per game, she was Utah’s leading scorer before transferring to UCLA. The knock on Kneepkens entering the season was her defense, but Close said she has made real strides on that end in the Big Ten.

Lots to weigh for the Sky, who have been in the building for UCLA games multiple times this season.

Even more to ponder for the UCLA players, who will, in a few months, make the transition from March Madness straight to WNBA training camp. Their pro futures are approaching fast, so have they Googled the draft order? Debated their preferred destination?

‘‘You can’t be asking these questions,’’ Jaquez said after the game, stiff-arming the Sun-Times’ attempted scoop. ‘‘Wherever opportunity comes, we will like it.’’

Kneepkens echoed the sentiment.

‘‘Any opportunity, I’m grateful,’’ she said.

Jaquez drove the point home.

‘‘We’re focused on UCLA basketball right now,’’ she said.

That’s the way it goes. Players get to stay in the moment. Front offices get stuck with the guesswork.