UCLA Women’s Basketball Loses Four-Star Commit to Texas

UCLA women’s basketball is preparing for the loss of the majority of its starting lineup after this season.

Lauren Betts, Kiki Rice, Gabriela Jaquez, Charlisse Leger-Walker, Gianna Kneepkens and Angela Dugálic are all either seniors or graduate students playing on their last seasons of NCAA eligibility. Therefore, recruiting top talent for next season will be crucial for the Bruins to remain one of the nation’s top women’s basketball programs.

UCLA had successfully recruited four-star center Joyce Isi Etute in October. Although she would not be able to replace Betts’ 6-foot-7 frame on the court, the 6-foot-1 IMG Academy product is ranked as the No. 1 center in her class by Rivals Industry Rankings.

Etute announced her commitment to UCLA in October but then removed her commitment post and any indication of affiliation with the Bruins from her social media account in December.

2026 recruit Joyce Isi Etute, who had previously committed to UCLA, no longer has her commitment post or anything showing she’s committed to the Bruins on her Instagram. pic.twitter.com/T6iMT9wtAP

— Talia Goodman (@TaliaGoodmanWBB) December 31, 2025

And now, Etute has reportedly de-committed from UCLA and committed to Texas, according to reporter Talia Goodman on X.

NEWS: Top recruit Joyce Isi Etute has de-committed from UCLA and committed to Texas, she announced.

The 6-1 center had originally committed to UCLA in October, but has since flipped her commitment to the Longhorns. https://t.co/2WM6yRqIpMpic.twitter.com/WPbcfzDoA6

— Talia Goodman (@TaliaGoodmanWBB) January 21, 2026

Texas has been one of UCLA’s biggest competitors over the past few seasons. Both the Longhorns and Bruins made it to the NCAA Final Four last season before ultimately being eliminated in the semi-finals by South Carolina and UConn, respectively.

This season, UCLA is ranked No. 3 in the nation while Texas is ranked No. 4. The programs will not play against each other in the regular season but could meet at some point during March Madness, as they both seek to win national championships.

Losing Etute is a major blow to UCLA’s roster for next season. The Bruins are already losing a stacked senior class, and Etute was a top commit that could have helped UCLA rebuild.

Without Etute, UCLA has one international commit for 2026 in 5’9″ guard Somto Okafor from Barcelona, Spain. Okafor and the Bruins announced the commitment on Instagram in October.

Photo Credit: Basketball Eurobasket, Joyce Isi Etute 18.11.2025. | IMAGO / Gerry Schmit

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