End of 2025 regular season review Gabriela Jaquez goes from second round hopeful to first round star

Gabriela Jaquez started the season as a late second round draft pick. The senior had a great year that has now boosted her all the way up into a possible top 10 pick. Jaquez who is looking to follow her brother Jaime Jaquez Jr. who went to the NBA and go from the bench freshman year to star. Gabriela has grown her game all four years that she has been at UCLA. She came in as a freshman in 2022, who lacked confidence to get her own offense. But now is a great offensive player and an elite defender.

Jaquez shot a shooting line of 45.5/34/63.2 in her freshman year. Now in her senior year, you see how far she has come along in her college career. As she now has a shooting line of 54.7/40.6/88.1, on more volume as well. She helped lead the Bruins to a 28-1 regular season record, which included a perfect 18-0 Big Ten slate. Jaquez plays a smooth game of basketball out at the guard position. Pairing with Kiki Rice to form one of the best backcourts in the country.

This UCLA team is probably the best one ever assembled on the women’s side. These women have been together for four years and look to make a championship push this season. Jaquez plays the Swiss Army knife role for the team. As she does everything very well and buys into the defensive system. Proving to be one of the better defenders in the country and in the upcoming 2026 WNBA Draft.

Jaquez was one of the fastest rising draft prospects of this season. It remains to be seen where she is picked, but it is fascinating to watch the growth that she has had as a player. The best part about UCLA‘s players this season is they are two-way players. Many of them are going to go onto the WNBA and play both sides of the ball in a positive way. Jaquez and Rice are two of them and then add in Gianna Kneepkens, Charlisse Leger-Walker and Lauren Betts as well.