Tag: Charlisse Leger-Walker

Charlisse Leger-Walker out for season as she recovers from ACL tear

A tough blow for UCLA.

The UCLA Bruins announced that Charlisse Leger-Walker will not return this season, as she continues to recover from an ACL tear that occurred in January while she was playing with Washington State while facing UCLA at Pauley Pavilion. 

In the offseason Leger-Walker joined the Bruins from the transfer portal. Even while being expected to miss start of the season, Leger-Walker was still named still named to the Wooden Award Top-50 Watchlist. 

“Although we would prefer her to be fully health and playing with us right now, we are really excited to announce that Charlisse will be coming back for another year,” UCLA head coach Cori Close said in an announcement on Friday. “She will be redshirting this year, but we’re very excited for our Bruin fans to see her for the entire 2025-26 season.”

In 105 career collegiate games, Leger-Walker has averaged 16.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. 

“I had hoped I would be competing with the Bruins this season, but I’ve decided I need more time to get back,” Leger-Walker said. “I am looking forward to getting fully healthy, training at an elite level, and coming back to the court next year.”

Leger-Walker is originally from New Zealand and attended St. Peter’s Cambridge High School before joining Washington State in 2020.

Three UCLA Bruins named to Wooden Award Preseason Watchlist

Three UCLA women’s players make the watch list.

Three UCLA Bruins women’s basketball playera have earned early-season recognition, with guards Kiki Rice and Charlisse Leger-Walker and center Lauren Betts all being named to the Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 Watchlist on Thursday, per the official release from the school. 

“UCLA’s Lauren Betts, Charlisse Leger-Walker and Kiki Rice have been named to the John R. Wooden Award® presented by Principal Announces 2024-25 Women’s Preseason Top 50 Watch List as released by the Los Angeles Athletic Club Thursday.”

UCLA is one of just four schools to have three players be named to the watchlist, joining USC, LSU and Texas. Notre Dame leads the nation with four players named to the list.

Ohio State and Iowa join UCLA and USC as Big Ten schools with multiple entries on the list.

Betts, the junior Stanford transfer, was named to the John R. Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 Watch List last season. In her first season with the Bruins, she averaged 13.7 points and 8.6 rebounds per game last year to go along with 2.13 blocks. 

Leger-Walker is new to UCLA this season after four seasons as a Washington State Cougar. She appeared in last year’s Top 50 Watchlist and then averaged 13.2 points (her lowest as a collegiate player) and 6.5 rebounds (her most as a collegiate player) before her season ended early with a knee injury against UCLA in January. The New Zealand-born Leger-Walker has now made the list three times, in 2021-22, 2023-24 and 2024-25. 

Rice was the #2 recruit in the 2022 rankings and now enters her third season with the Bruins. Rice averaged 12.8 points per game as a sophomore last season and added 5.7 rebounds and 1.54 steals. 

Only Betts played a factor in the Bruins’ season-opening win in France on Monday over #17 Louisville, as she scored 18 points on 9-12 shooting with four blocks and 13 rebounds. Rice missed the game with an injury and Leger-Walker missed the game after transferring from Washington State. 

The #5 ranked Bruins will look to move 2-0 on Sunday against Colgate in the home opener at 2:00 p.m.

UCLA women’s team lands Washington State transfer Charlisse Leger-Walker

Charlisse Leger-Walker is a Bruin!

The UCLA Bruins men’s basketball team has been incredibly active in the transfer portal, bringing in five big names. The women’s team has been the opposite, awfully quiet, although Charisma Osborne recently heard her name called during the WNBA Draft.

But, the Bruins women’s team got a massive addition in the transfer portal, landing Washington State guard Charlisse Leger-Walker, per her social media account.

She was having a strong season for the Cougars, averaging 13.2 PPG with 6.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists before being ruled out for the year in January due to an injury.

Now, she decided to put off a pro career and play one more year in college.

She will be a big boost to a UCLA program fresh off a Sweet 16 run and getting a ton of players back, including Lauren Betts.

So, Cori Close’s team adds an experienced player looking to make another run at the NCAA Tournament.