Washington State guard Charlisse Leger-Walker commits to UCLA women’s basketball
Former Washington State guard Charlisse Leger-Walker defends sophomore forward Gabriela Jaquez. Leger-Walker announced her transfer to UCLA on Thursday evening.
(Aidan Sun/Daily Bruin)
By Lauryn Olina Wang
April 26, 2024 11:49 a.m.
The Bruins’ backcourt is the first beneficiary of the transfer portal this offseason.
UCLA women’s basketball received a commitment from former Washington State four-year starter Charlisse Leger-Walker, as announced on the guard’s X and Instagram on Thursday evening. The Cougar standout averaged 16.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game in Pullman and climbed to a career-high .406 shooting clip in her final campaign.
The New Zealand native’s senior season was cut short Jan. 28, 2024 after she sustained an ACL tear in none other than Pauley Pavilion. Leger-Walker went down midway through the third quarter, and she eventually watched from the sidelines as her team pulled off a nearly wire-to-wire upset against the then-No. 2-ranked Bruins.
Catch me in Pauley #gobruins 🐻 pic.twitter.com/G9smZJ4Hof
— Charlisse LW (@Char_legerwalks) April 26, 2024
Leger-Walker comprises one of 11 players in the portal from Washington State and Oregon State combined, as the two programs are left reeling in the wake of conference realignment. She is the first of those athletes to officially find a new home for next year.
The veteran will complement the Bruins’ guard rotation and provide the experience missing from graduate student guard Charisma Osborne’s departure to the WNBA.
UCLA is also intimately familiar with Leger-Walker’s versatile skill set and composure in the postseason.
In the 2023 Pac-12 tournament championship, Leger-Walker led then-No. 7 seed Washington State to a victory over then-No. 5 seed UCLA with 23 points and seven rebounds on 5-of-7 3-point shooting.
The historic game marked the first conference championship in Washington State basketball history, and the school’s inaugural Pac-12 championship in any women’s program. For Leger-Walker’s efforts, the then-junior was awarded Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.
Throughout her tenure in the Pac-12, Leger-Walker garnered Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, an All-Pac-12 selection in her sophomore season and an All-Pac-12 Defensive Team selection as a junior.
With the addition of Leger-Walker alongside four high school commits in the No. 3-ranked recruiting class, coach Cori Close is set to welcome at least five new Bruins to Westwood.
