UCLA women’s basketball coach Cori Close adds Lina…
As half of her efforts to get back to a acquainted place, Cori Close has gone abroad.
The UCLA women’s basketball coach on Sunday imported an worldwide prospect in Lina Jerkovic, a 5-foot-9 Slovenian guard who may speed up the Bruins’ attempt to repeat as national champions.
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Jerkovic has shown important promise on the worldwide stage, averaging 10.4 factors, 5 assists and 4.7 rebounds in seven video games for Team Slovenia in the FIBA under-18 women’s EuroBasket. She’ll flip 19 this month, placing her in line with a typical faculty freshman.
With Close largely turning to the switch portal as her major means of reloading her roster, Jerkovic turns into only the second freshman on the crew, becoming a member of Spanish guard Somto Okafor.
Those freshmen will probably be joined by transfers Elina Aarnisalo (beforehand of North Carolina), Bonnie Deas (Arkansas), KK Bransford (Notre Dame), Donovyn Hunter (TCU) and Addy Brown (Iowa State).
UCLA coach Cori Close’s women’s basketball crew is anticipated to start next season nationally ranked. ISI Photos via Getty Images
The newcomers will supplement a returning group that consists of middle Sienna Betts, guard Christina Karamouzi and forwards Timea Gardiner, Lena Bilic and Amanda Muse.
Aarnisalo will embark upon her second stint as a Bruin after having been Kiki Rice’s backup during the 2024-25 season before spending one season as a Tar Heel.
Close’s aggressive recruiting efforts have her crew poised to start next season nationally ranked and among the favorites in the Big Ten Conference, though rival USC is widely thought of the crew to beat with famous person JuJu Watkins returning from injury to be part of star Jazzy Davidson and five-star freshman Saniyah Hall.
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