For a while, UCLA looked like one of the great losers of the Women’s University Basketball Transfers Season.
After arriving at the Final Four for the first time, the Bruins saw several key players leave Los Angeles through the portal, including the initial guard Londynn Jones and crucial taxpayers outside the bank in Janiah Barker and Elina Aarnisalo. Jones went to UCLA’s rival, USC, while Barker landed in Tennessee and Aarnisalo ended in North Carolina. Young players such as Avary Cain (Oregon), Kendall Dudley (Michigan) and Zania Socka-Nguemen (Indiana) also left and ended in other Big Ten programs. Suddenly, the very promoted signature class of 2024 of UCLA was gone.
The Exodus justified some cause for the Cori Close team, but the Bruins are still bringing four headlines, including All-American and Big in the defensive player of the year Lauren Betts. They will also have Charlisse Army-Walker.
For the crowd full of glass of half of UCLA fans, more good news came on Friday. For people with half of the glass, some concerns were dragged.
The Bruins possibly achieved the best 3 -point shooter on the Transfer Portal in Gianna Knepkens of Utah.
A Fifth Year wing of Duluth, Minnesota, squeezed the ninth place nationally in triple made by game last season with 3.1. Among the players who tried at least five 3 per game, Knepkens had the ninth best percentage of Deep Range, demolishing 44.8 percent of their attempts from behind the arch.
He was almost a member of the 50-40-90 club, firing 50.4 percent from the floor and 89 percent from the charity strip to combine with his 3-point land success. His 19.3 points per game were 31 in the country.
In a nutshell, Kneepkens has long been one of the best snipers in women’s university basketball, shooting 43.2 percent from Deep for his career. Last season, he led Big 12 in a percentage of effective field goal with a brand or 62.7.
Kneepkens shooting skills should add a new wrinkle to the Bruins is next season. Although they dominated in the painting with Betts, they occupied only the 165º nationwide at a rate of 3 points and 79º in a percentage of 3 points. In his last defeat in the four against UConn, UCLA shot only 4 of 16 from a country of 3 points.
A 6 -foot 1 versatile guard that will probably be a WNBA draft selection next year, Kneepkens also averaged five rebounds, three assists and a game robbery last season while helping the NCAA tournament. It was a selection of the first All-Big 12 team while playing for the high octane offensive of Gavin Petersen.
She was a very wanted player on the portal. He had reduced his elections to Texas, Oklahoma, South Carolina and UCLA before choosing the Bruins.
With the oxen on the fold, the healthy army shepherd and the youngest betts along the way, UCLA should have enough talent to keep in touch for a second trip to the last four next season.
