Defending Champion Ucla Women's Basketball Lands Top Transfer, Continues Roster Overhaul

UCLA women’s hoops squad has added immoderate prima powerfulness arsenic its revamped roster originates to return shape.

Former Iowa State guardant Addy Brown announced Thursday she is committing to UCLA, giving nan Bruins 1 of nan apical players successful nan portal.

Brown averaged 11.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists per crippled while shooting 43.1% from nan level and 33.8% from three-point region pinch nan Cyclones past season. She played conscionable 21 games owed to injury, but she is 1 of nan amended two-way players successful nan federation connected nan transportation market.

The 6-foot-2 guardant co-starred pinch Audi Crooks for Iowa State nan past fewer seasons and was a portion of nan wide exodus from nan Cyclones’ program.

The Bruins reeled successful erstwhile North Carolina inferior defender Elina Aarnisalo and erstwhile TCU elder defender Donovyn Hunter a fewer weeks ago, adding 2 much knowledgeable players to nan depleted starting lineup aft a grounds six UCLA players were selected successful nan WNBA draft.

UCLA besides signed Arkansas sophomore defender Bonnie Deas earlier this month. She is apt to commencement astatine constituent defender for nan Bruins and is 1 of nan champion rebounding guards successful nan nation.

Along pinch returner Timea Gardiner, nan Bruins are starting to shape somewhat of a halfway to take sides their nationalist championship. Gardiner was a starter during UCLA’s 2024-25 Final Four run, but missed each of this past play pinch wounded and has 1 play of eligibility left.

A lineup pinch Deas and Aarnisalo successful nan backcourt, Hunter astatine nan 3 and Gardiner aliases Brown astatine nan 4 and adding different large aliases Sienna Betts astatine nan 5 would beryllium a competitory lineup successful nan Big Ten.

Before going to TCU, Hunter played 2 seasons astatine Oregon State wherever she earned All-Pac-12 Defensive Team honorable mention and All-Pac-12 Freshman squad honors. This past play pinch a Horned Frogs squad that went to nan Sweet 16, she was 3rd successful scoring pinch 10.2 points per crippled and averaged 3.2 rebounds per contest. She besides changeable 45.7% from nan section and was 33.7% from beyond nan arc.

Aarnisalo played her freshman twelvemonth successful Westwood aft she primitively committed to UCLA successful 2025. Due to injuries from constituent defender Kiki Rice astatine nan commencement of nan 2024-25 season, she was forced into action early her freshman play and vanished nan twelvemonth averaging 5.1 points per game.

The Helsinki, Finland, autochthonal averaged 10.2 points per crippled for nan Tar Heels arsenic a sophomore past play while shooting 47.3% from nan section and 40.3% from nan arc. The Bruins will desperately request to switch nan three-point accumulation mislaid pinch nan departure of Rice, Gianna Kneepkens and Charlisse Leger-Walker.

UCLA coach Cori Close said she wanted to motion 5 players from nan portal. She astir apt needs 1 much defender and a small much guardant extent coming disconnected nan chair pursuing nan departures of Gabriela Jaquez and Angela Dugalic.

Lena Bilic and Amanda Muse are returners coming disconnected nan chair who sewage a small spot of playing clip successful nan tourney and should person overmuch larger roles, but they are still comparatively unproven successful late-game situations. They will get a chance to create arsenic backups pinch immoderate much Power Four knowledgeable starters now successful nan fold.