IImar’I Thomas, Londynn Jones commit to UCLA women’s basketball

It’s been a busy week for coach Cori Close on the recruiting trail.

UCLA women’s basketball picked up commitments from class of 2022 guard Londynn Jones and graduate transfer forward IImar’I Thomas on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

Thomas averaged a career-high 23.7 points per game in her final season at Cincinnati, good for ninth in the entire NCAA. She also became the first woman and just the second player in Cincinnati history – along with NBA Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson – to post 50 points in a game after a 51-point effort against East Carolina in February on 74% shooting.

The forward, who is originally from Oakland, became the first Bearcat to be named the conference player of the year since 1985 and earned first team American Athletic Conference honors for the third straight year. Thomas will most likely slot into the starting lineup next season and provide a much-needed scoring punch right away.

Thomas will help fill an offensive hole left by senior forward Michaela Onyenwere, who has led the Bruins in scoring the past three years and recently declared for the 2021 WNBA Draft. Just one other player averaged double figures this season, with sophomore guard Charisma Osborne posting 17.0 points a night.

Less than 24 hours before Thomas’ commitment, Close also picked up her first 2022 recruit when four-star guard Londynn Jones announced her intention to join the Bruins on her Instagram account. According to 247Sports, other schools in her final list included Mississippi State, Harvard, Arizona, Louisville, Duke and Stanford.

Jones, the No. 15 recruit in her class according to ESPN, will be staying close to home after averaging 26.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game during her freshman year two seasons ago for Santiago High School in Corona, California.

The guard put scouts on notice with her handles and playmaking ability, with CaliforniaPreps writer Erik Woods even comparing her to former NBA MVP Allen Iverson – who Jones said she tries to emulate, along with current NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving – while describing her as a “super humble, yet supremely confident woman-child for the ages.”

UCLA has now earned its first commitments from the 2022 and 2023 classes in the same week with the pledge from class of 2023 guard Jada Williams on Monday and will look to continue gearing up for the future after just two underclassmen received regular minutes this season.