LOS ANGELES – During the early-goings of the 2025-26 season, one of the biggest standouts for the UCLA Bruins has been senior Gabriela Jaquez. Jaquez is listed at guard on the Bruins’ official roster, but she starts at forward and she’s probably played all five positions at times. And if you ask UCLA head coach Cori Close, Jaquez is simply a basketball player.
“I just really don’t care what position you play, I want you to be an all-around great guard. I want us to be versatile. I don’t care if you’re a post player or you’re the point guard, I want you to make right basketball plays. And I want you to be confident and I want you to read the defense,” Close said following UCLA’s win against Tennessee on Sunday. “I think we play four guards most of the time, and so whether you start the offense or you get it later, the reality is spacing is really important to us. Versatility is really important to us. Reading the defense is really important to us.”
“Gabs [Gabriela] does that great,” Close continued. “Call her whatever position you want, she’s a playmaker.”
The Bruins have two very capable playmaking guards in Kiki Rice and Charlisse Leger-Walker, who compose UCLA’s starting backcourt. But during the team’s nonconference stretch, Jaquez has filled in at point guard when both players are on the bench, displaying a solid playmaking game.
Watching Jaquez play, one area in particular in which she excels is her entry passes into the paint to either Lauren Betts or Angela Dugalic. This season, Jaquez is averaging a career-high 2.6 assists per game, as per Sports Reference.
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Her season high in assists is five which she reached on two occasions. She did so during UCLA’s opening-night win against San Diego State on Nov. 3, and then again during the team’s win against Southern on Nov. 23.
For Jaquez, it started with her putting in offseason work and getting more comfortable making the right reads with the ball in her hands.
”Just a lot of reps in pickup playing the point guard and Coach Cori having me in at point guard as well, Jaquez said following the Tennessee win. “But also knowing that we need good passers on this team, and I need to make good passes to my teammates so I can set them up the best way possible for them to score. So I just take a lot of pride in that, because I just want to set them up for success.”
Jaquez is setting herself up for success as well, becoming a very well-rounded player capable of making an impact on the court in multiple ways. Through the Bruins’ first nine games of the season, she’s averaging a career-high 15.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.0 steals to go along with her assists, as per Sports Reference.
She’s shooting 57.1% from the field, 48.6% from the 3-point line and 95% from the free-throw line. Those are all career-high shooting percentages. Jaquez’s continued development from playing point guard to being a top scoring threat is a big reason why Close keeps fielding calls from WNBA teams.
”I’m definitely getting a lot of calls. I think that she’s going to have opportunities. There’s a lot of players in the WNBA that you can talk about that are like the glues to their team,” Close said. “There’s some really good blueprints of how to make a really long career for yourself playing that way in the league. I think what Gabs has proven is that she finds a way to help teams win, and she gets better every year. What WNBA team doesn’t want that?”
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Jaquez’s versatility has made her an ideal teammate. Take Rice for example, who showered Jaquez with praise for the way she’s taken on multiple roles early in the season, and done so at a high level. Jaquez came to UCLA as an undersized post player, and is now their most versatile threat.
“Just how well she flows between positions … in preseason Gabs was playing a lot of guard, but now with Sienna [Betts] out, she’s just been able to shift into the four position. She’s playing a ton of minutes there,” Rice said after the Tennessee win. “For her to be able to do that and just move across the board for us is just so useful. And obviously her shooting and her rebounding and everything that she does, she’s really kind of an all-around player and I just love playing with Gabs.”
As the season progresses, Jaquez’s versatility will be keep UCLA’s hopes at a deep NCAA Tournament run, and to her prospects in the WNBA.
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