Matt Zemek
 | Trojans Wire
In modern college basketball, coaches have to look everywhere for a possible advantage and roster fit. Recruiting is one piece of the puzzle, the transfer portal another. The international market is another. It has hard to avoid noticing that USC women’s basketball and crosstown rival UCLA have both sought — and obtained — roster additions in Europe this offseason. USC added Gerda Raulusaityte from Lithuania not that long ago. Is it pure coincidence that UCLA added a European player shortly thereafter?
It’s not as though UCLA head coach Cori Close saw the USC news and decided to get a European player for herself — of course that’s not how it happened. It is unavoidably fascinating, however, to see these rivals both carve out a path to the same continent for a puzzle piece. This lends more mystery to the offseason.
UCLA Wire’s Dylan McNeill has more on the Bruins’ new European import:
“UCLA women’s basketball added international talent on Tuesday. The Bruins announced the signing of Christina Karamouzi, a six-foot-tall guard from Sweden. The addition of Karamouzi gives UCLA another young option in the backcourt after seeing much of the team’s depth leave in the transfer portal. Bruin head coach Cori Close believes Karamouzi will fit in seamlessly with the program’s ideals, which will be important. The team has championship expectations with Lauren Betts and Kiki Rice entering their senior seasons.
“Christina has got a passion for making winning plays and making people better,” said Close. “If she needs to dive on the floor for an extra possession, she’s going to do that. If she needs to come alongside a teammate who’s struggling, she’s going to do that. If she needs to set a great screen, she’s going to do that. If she needs to hit a big-time three, she’s going to do that.”
It will be intensely interesting to see how these two European adjustments by USC and UCLA work out, and how they will compare by season’s end.