{"id":707124,"date":"2026-04-10T04:27:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T04:27:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/707124\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T04:27:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T04:27:29","slug":"rising-star-bonnie-deas-transfers-to-ucla-bruins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/707124\/","title":{"rendered":"Rising star Bonnie Deas transfers to UCLA Bruins"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bonnie Deas transfers to UCLA after standout freshman season with Arkansas Razorbacks.<\/p>\n

Australian freshman guard Bonnie Deas<\/a> has transferred to the spiritual home of American college basketball UCLA \u2013\u00a0and the 2026 NCAA Women\u2019s Basketball National Champions \u2013 for her sophomore season in 2026-27.<\/p>\n

Deas, 19, was a rebound short of averaging a double-double for the Arkansas Razorbacks during the 2025-26 season while becoming the nation\u2019s second-best rebounding guard in her class with 288 in 32 games.<\/p>\n

The Bruins destroyed Dawn Staley\u2019s South Carolina 79-51 in the championship game last weekend, but already the program is looking to 2026-27 after losing six players to graduation, including four guards and two bigs.<\/p>\n

Former WNBL development player and 2025 FIBA Under-19 Women\u2019s World Cup silver medallist Deas<\/a> led the Razorbacks in assists at 2.6 per game while dropping 10.2 points and 9.0 rebounds.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just want to start off by thanking you all for the loyalty, passion, and support that you showed us throughout a growth year for the program,\u201d Deas wrote to Razorbacks fans on Instagram<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cRegardless of the results, you still showed up for us and never gave up on us. <\/p>\n

\u201cI’m extremely grateful for the love and for the support I have experienced this season. <\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, after a lot of thought and conversations with my family, I have decided to enter the transfer portal<\/a> in order to continue growing both on and off the court.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will be forever grateful to all the coaches and staff at Arkansas for the opportunities and growth I have been blessed with. I’m grateful for my teammates, whom I will always consider some of my best friends. To all the fans, thank you for unwavering spirit and support.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce a Hog, always a Hog.\u201d<\/p>\n

UCLA head coach Cori Close has made Deas her first transfer, where she will live in Los Angeles, California, right down the road from Gems teammate Sitaya Fagan<\/a>, who will be a freshman at arch-rival USC.<\/p>\n

She is the second high-profiled Australian freshman to transfer following Stanford’s Lara Somfai’s move to TCU\u00a0mid-week<\/a>.<\/p>\n

UCLA is the most famous basketball program in the United States. Both its women\u2019s and men\u2019s programs winning national championships. The men\u2019s program has an extraordinary 11, while the women\u2019s program has two, its first in 1982.<\/p>\n

UCLA\u2019s women\u2019s program has produced some of the most influential players in the history of the sport \u2014 from pioneers to modern WNBA stars, including Ann Myers, who was the first woman to receive a full athletic scholarship at UCLA, dual Olympian and WNBA All-Star Natalie Williams, WNBA champion Jordin Canada, and 2021 WNBA Rookie of the Year Michaela Onyenwere.<\/p>\n

Team: Arkansas RazorbacksLeague: NCAA (SEC)Season: 2025\u201326Position: GuardHeight: 1.75mHometown: Frankston, Victoria, Australia<\/p>\n

Freshman guard Bonnie Deas started all 32 games for Arkansas, averaging a near double-double with 10.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per game while logging 28.3 minutes.<\/p>\n

Career Stats<\/p>\n

Games: 32 \u2502 Minutes: 28.3 \u2502 Points: 10.2 \u2502 Rebounds: 9.0 \u2502 Assists: 2.6 \u2502 Steals: 1.5 \u2502 Blocks: 0.2 \u2502 Turnovers: 2.6 \u00a0\u2502 FG: 32.0% \u2502 3PT: 24.5% \u2502 FT: 68.7% \u2502 eFG: 35.5%<\/p>\n

Team Performance<\/p>\n

Arkansas finished 12\u201320, with Deas playing a primary role from Day 1 as a freshman starter in the SEC.<\/p>\n

Player Contribution<\/p>\n

Deas\u2019 impact was driven by her rebounding from the guard position:<\/p>\n

Ranked 6th in the SEC in total rebounds (288)Ranked 6th in the SEC in rebounds per game (9.0)Ranked 4th in defensive rebounds (198)<\/p>\n

She consistently generated extra possessions and defensive stops despite operating in a high-usage role (24.5% usage rate).<\/p>\n

Highlights25 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists vs Louisiana Tech (Nov 4)16 rebounds, 7 assists vs Kansas City (Dec 17)15 rebounds vs Little Rock (Nov 20)Multiple double-digit rebounding games from the guard spotPerformance TrendsStrong start to the season with efficient scoring stretches earlyShooting efficiency dipped in conference play (32.0% FG overall)Rebounding remained consistent across both non-conference and SEC gamesDefensive activity steady (1.5 steals per game, 2.8 STL%)Impact & Role<\/p>\n

Deas functioned as a high-minutes, two-way guard with a rebounding profile more typical of a forward:<\/p>\n

Defensive rebounder initiating transitionSecondary playmaker (2.6 assists per game)High-possession involvement (16.0 FGA per 40 minutes)<\/p>\n

Her role leaned toward possession creation and defensive stability rather than scoring efficiency.<\/p>\n

Deas is now part of one of America\u2019s most storied college basketball programs and will play in the campus\u2019s world-famous Pauley Pavilion.<\/p>\n