Izzy Anstey of UCLA women’s basketball announces retirement
Senior forward Izzy Anstey pulls up for a jumper against two defenders. Anstey announced her retirement from basketball Monday afternoon. (Jeremy Chen/Daily Bruin senior staff)
By Alexis Hinkle
Feb. 5, 2024 7:03 p.m.
This post was updated Feb. 6 at 11:32 p.m.
Izzy Anstey is retiring from basketball.
The UCLA women’s basketball forward announced Monday night via Instagram that she is hanging up her jersey. The senior will remain with the team, but is retiring from the sport because of medical reasons.
“My teammates and Bruin family are still so important to me, and I will be right by their side cheering them on through the rest of this season,” Anstey said in her post.
In a statement following Anstey’s announcement, coach Cori Close said she is proud of Anstey’s perseverance throughout her career.
“Basketball has not been what she or we hoped and of no fault of her own, but she has optimized being more than a basketball player and being an elite teammate at the same time,” Close said. “She has handled this so well, and I am totally supportive of her decision.”
Anstey spent nearly four years on the team, but most of it was riddled with injuries and limitations. In her first year, she was unable to join the team at all because of COVID-19 travel restrictions.
When the restrictions were lifted, the Australian forward played in 27 of the Bruins’ 31 games as a sophomore. She led the team in blocked shots while carrying a .347 shooting percentage and notching four rebounds per game.
But after her sophomore season, she underwent hip surgery before the start of her junior campaign. She missed 15 games before returning to the court with limited playing time, totaling just 18 minutes across six games in the middle of the season.
Yet after just a taste of basketball, Anstey underwent a third surgery in April, according to her Instagram. She recovered over the summer break, just in time for the start of the 2023-2024 nonconference slate.
This year, the forward appeared in 13 games, averaging 1.5 rebounds per game while scoring 10 total points and tallying four steals. In total, Anstey played in 46 games across three seasons as a Bruin.
With senior forward Emily Bessoir already out for the season with an ACL injury, the Bruins are now left with five forwards following Anstey’s retirement.
