Feb 20, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Cori Close talks to her players center Lauren Betts (51), guard Gabriela Jaquez (11), guard Kiki Rice (1) and guard Londynn Jones (3) during the fourth quarter at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

UCLA Women's Coach Taking New Position This Season

Originally posted on UCLA Bruins on SI | By Connor Moreno | Last updated Sep 10, 2025 2:00 PM ET

Longtime UCLA Bruins women's basketball assistant coach Tony Newnan was promoted to be the team's associate head coach, Bruins head coach Cori Close announced Monday.

Newnan has been on the staff for each of Close's 14 seasons and will be replacing Shannon LeBeauf, who held the position since 2019 and departed from Westwood to join Rutgers.

"I am so grateful for Coach Tony," Close said in a statement. "He has been a linchpin of this program, an offensive guru and a master in the international recruiting game. Tony is invaluable - he's had a special way of coaching hearts each step of the way, so it was a no-brainer to promote Tony to associate head coach this summer. I am so proud of Tony and am excited to have him by my side in this position."

"Coach Tony is such a big part of our team and our team's success," Briuns guard Gabriela Jaquez. "His knowledge for the game has truly helped me grow as a basketball player. I am so thankful I get to learn from Coach Tony."

Newnan was most notably named the 2024-25 NCAA Division-I Assistant Coach of the Year by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA)

UCLA WBB Deemed Most Improved Team This Season

The UCLA Bruins women's basketball team is expected to make one of the most impressive leaps this season, despite making it all the way to the Final Four last season.

So much so that Senior Writer for SB Nation, Mitchell Northam, ranked the Bruins at the top of his list of six women's college basketball teams that got better in the offseason. Northam, who covers women's college sports at Breakaway, compiled which teams improved the most through recruiting and the transfer portal.

Here's what he had to say about UCLA:

"The Bruins lost six players to the portal after making a Final Four run, including a starter in Londynn Jones and key off-the-bench players in Janiah Barker and Elina Aarnisalo. But they could afford those losses because of the talent coming in.

"Via the portal, Cori Close’s side added perhaps the best 3-point shooter available in Utah’s Gianna Kneepkens, who is coming off a near 50-40-90 season.

"The Bruins are also bringing in a player who is an early favorite to be one of the best freshmen in the country, Lauren Betts’ younger sister Sienna. The 6-foot-4 forward is currently starring for the U.S. national team at the FIBA U19 World Cup, and recently notched 21 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks in a dominant win over China.

"UCLA seems capable of reaching the Final Four again, but a challenging schedule will test this roster early."

This article first appeared on UCLA Bruins on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: