The UCLA women’s basketball team added some star power as its revamped roster begins to take shape.
Former Iowa State forward Addy Brown announced Thursday she is committing to UCLA, giving the Bruins one of the top players in the transfer portal.
The 6-foot-2 senior co-starred with Audi Crooks for Iowa State her first three seasons and was part of a mass exodus from the program after the Cyclones’ season ended in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Brown averaged 11.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists last season while shooting 43.1% from the floor and 33.8% from three-point distance. She played just 21 games because of injury but is one of the better players on both ends of the court on the market.
The Bruins also brought back junior guard Elina Aarnisalo, who played at UCLA as a freshman before transferring to North Carolina for last season, and reeled in Texas Christian guard Donovyn Hunter a few weeks ago, adding two experienced players to their depleted roster after a record six UCLA players were selected in the WNBA draft.
UCLA also signed Arkansas guard Bonnie Deas, a sophomore, this month. She is likely to start at point guard and is one of the best rebounding guards in the nation.
Along with returning forward Timea Gardiner, the Bruins are starting to form a core to defend their national championship. Gardiner was a key reserve during UCLA’s 2024-25 Final Four run but missed this past season because of an injury and has one season of eligibility left.
A lineup with Deas and Aarnisalo in the backcourt, Hunter at small forward, Gardiner or Brown at power forward and Sienna Betts or another center in the middle would be a competitive lineup in the Big Ten.
Hunter played two seasons at Oregon State, where she earned All-Pac-12 freshman team honors. Last season with a Horned Frogs team that went to the Sweet 16, she was third in scoring with 10.2 points per game, averaged 3.2 rebounds and was an All-Big 12 defensive team selection. She shot 45.7% from the field and 33.7% from beyond the arc.
Aarnisalo originally committed to UCLA in 2023. Because of injuries to point guard Kiki Rice at the start of the 2024-25 season, Aarnisalo was forced into action early in her freshman season and finished averaging 5.1 points while playing all 37 games.
The Helsinki native averaged 10.2 points for the Tar Heels as a sophomore while shooting 47.3% from the field and 40.3% from beyond the arc. The Bruins will desperately need to replace the three-point production lost with the departures of Rice, Gianna Kneepkens and Charlisse Leger-Walker.
Coach Cori Close said she wanted to sign five players from the portal. She probably needs one more guard and a little more forward depth coming off the bench following the departures of Gabriela Jaquez and Angela Dugalic.
Lena Bilic, a 6-3 sophomore, and Amanda Muse, a 6-4 senior, are returning reserves who got a little playing time in the NCAA tournament and should have much larger roles, but they still are relatively unproven in late-game situations. They will get a chance to develop as backups with some more experienced starters now in the fold.
