Speaking about the growth of his team during its first trip to the conference, Corey Close directed her comments toward something else she would like to promote: coverage of women's college basketball.
This was the topic that UCLA The coach had thrust herself into the national spotlight three days earlier when she expressed frustration over the lack of coverage of a top-20 matchup involving her No. 4 Bruins and the No. 19 Ohio State Bruins.
Now, after her team escaped victory with a score of 97-61 On Wednesday at the University of Pennsylvania's Rec Hall, Close looked at 10 reporters on a Zoom call and amplified her earlier remarks.
“The reality that my comments “I want to be a pioneer in the development of the game, period,” Close said. “I want to really be a part of the surge that's happening, and I want to be a part of telling these amazing stories that these players have, and they're incredible young women, as well as incredible basketball players.”
Her team had proven its point over the previous two hours, crushing the Nittany Lions en route to its seventh straight victory.
UCLA center Lauren Betts He was unstoppable, finishing with 25 points and seven rebounds while dominating with powerful moves around the basket and an emerging array of mid-range jumpers. Shooting guard Gianna Knipkens was a two-way force with 17 points on five of seven shooting from long range and three steals. Point Guard Charlize Leger-Walker This was a study of precision transmission with eight passes and no losses.
The result was never in doubt as the Bruins (13-1 overall, 3-0 Big Ten) led the Nittany Lions (7-7, 0-3) by 23 points at halftime and then got extra help from freshman forward Sienna Betts, who scored all 10 of her points in the second half after a pep talk from her sister.
“She didn't feel as confident in the first half, you know,” Lauren Betts said. “She was like, 'I just feel like I can't play basketball.' And I was like, “Yes, you do.” You've been playing for 19 years. You get it, like, you’re okay.” »
The older sister was right. Among her impressive moves, Sienna followed an offensive rebound with a step-back jumper, walked the baseline for a layup, and also made a pass over the top of the defense for a layup.
UCLA star Lauren Betts pinned Penn State's Gracie Merkle during the Bruins' win on Wednesday.
(Greg Fium/Getty Images)
Another pleasant development occurred after the game, when the amount of media coverage eclipsed the event that had occurred three days earlier.
The Ohio State game marked the first time this season that no media member spoke with Close in person afterward, according to a UCLA team spokesman. The number of reporters that day was smaller than usual, given that some of those who usually cover Ohio State were heading to Dallas to cover the Buckeyes football team in the Cotton Bowl and others were assigned to NFL games.
A reporter from the Southern California news team spoke with Close by phone, allowing her to express her disappointment at the lack of coverage.
“Honestly, if I'm being honest with you, the energy in the building was great, but to have no media here at all from either team or both — not AP, not anything — doesn't say much,” Close said. “We're the only dual-ranked game today, the only one in the country, and we had no media today, no media here. You're the only one asked to talk to me and give credit to you, but I don't mind if you print that out too. For example, for the only game that had two ranked opponents, there wasn't more coverage of that particular game – disappointing, frankly.”
Typically, a team spokesman said, Close and players were available in the interview room after road and neutral-site games, with an Associated Press reporter and the opposing team present to ask questions. The Times travels to cover all UCLA men's basketball games, but traditionally covers the visiting women's team only during the conference tournament and the NCAA tournament.
Close mentioned this discrepancy later. Front Office Sports comments on Tuesday.
“We're the No. 4 team in the country,” Close said, “so I'm not just talking about the people in the building, I'm talking about our publications at home and everyone who wants to tell the story of our game, although I know some of these publications cover every men's road game personally, you know? I'm just asking for a proportional increase in coverage as our game grows, and I'm happy to support non-traditional media that want to tell the stories of our players in an appropriate way.”
Close said Wednesday that her remarks were not intended to diminish coverage of men's basketball, but only to give women the exposure they deserve. Asked about solutions to increase coverage in a shrinking media landscape with fewer reporters and resources to travel, Close suggested more post-game Zooms for media outlets unable to travel, as well as increased access to non-traditional media.
As an example of the importance of sharing your players' stories, Close said a girl at Wednesday's game told Lauren Betts that her writing about her mental health journey in essays saved the girl's life, bringing joyful tears to Betts' eyes in the locker room.
“Lauren was so deeply affected by this,” Close said, “and I'm so grateful that Lauren had the courage to tell her story, and I'm so grateful that people in the media came along to help her tell that story – and this is obviously an extreme example, but it's important culturally, not just in the sports world, and it's just a real-life example of why telling the stories of these amazing women is so important.”
