UCLA has a deep, veteran roster this season. Cori Close’s roster features eight seniors, most notably Lauren Betts, Kiki Rice, and Gabriella Jaquez, who spent three and four seasons at UCLA, respectively, and Gianna Kneepkens, who transferred from Utah for her final season of college basketball.
Kneepkens was an excellent get for UCLA in the transfer portal. She is one of five players averaging double-digit points and one of two players shooting over 40% from three. However, Kneepkens isn’t the only transfer who has had an immediate impact on UCLA. Charlisse Leger-Walker has also been very impactful and leads the Bruins in one key category.
On “No Offseason,” The Athletic’s Ben Pickman noted, “Charlisse Leger-Walker has the best on/off split of any UCLA player this season. And especially on the defensive end, UCLA is almost 20 points better per 100 possessions, more than 20 points better per 100 possessions, with her on the floor instead of off of it.”
Charlisse Leger-Walker does a bit of everything for UCLA
Leger-Walker leads UCLA in assists and steals per game with an average of 9.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 1.8 steals in 28.5 minutes. She regularly fills up the stat sheet and has been a reliable role player for UCLA.
Leger-Walker can score if her team needs her to. She proved that with a 20-point performance against Duke and a 16-point game against USF. Even when she doesn’t score much, she still impacts the game, though. In UCLA’s most recent win over Oregon, for example, Leger-Walker went 1-5 from the field for two points, but she also grabbed 10 rebounds, dished out eight assists, and had two steals and one block.
That ability to do whatever her team needs makes her an invaluable asset for a UCLA team hoping to go far in the NCAA tournament. Star power is often the foundation for team success, but having great role players around the stars is what usually makes the difference at the highest level.
UCLA will need Leger-Walker, among others, at her best to find big-time success. So far, the Bruins have played four ranked teams: Oklahoma, UNC, Texas, and Tennessee. UCLA beat Oklahoma, UNC, and Tennessee, but lost to Texas, which is the highest-ranked team in this group.
UCLA lost several players in the transfer portal, but also added two key contributors
Six players from UCLA’s 2024-25 roster transferred after the season. Londynn Jones moved on to USC after three seasons at UCLA, Janiah Barker transferred to Tennessee for her final season, Elina Aarnisalo joined UNC for her second season, Kendall Dudley went to Michigan, Avery Cain transferred to Oregon after her freshman year at UCLA, and Zania Socka-Nguemen now plays for the Indiana Hoosiers.
That’s a lot of turnover, but Cori Close also used the transfer portal to add impactful contributors by bringing in Leger-Walker and Kneepkens.