UCLA Signs Chantel Horvat to NLI
November 08, 2016 | Women's Basketball
The Australian guard is ranked No. 15 in the 2017 HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings by espnW.
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LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- UCLA head women's basketball coach Cori Close announced today the signing of Chantel Horvat (Geelong, Australia/Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence) to a National Letter of Intent.
Horvat will enter UCLA in the fall of 2017 as a freshman and will become a member of the 2017-18 women's basketball team.
"Chantel is such a great addition to our program," Coach Close said. "On the court, she is tough, versatile, driven and hungry to be coached. Off the court, she is giving, a great team player and she already has a sense of how special it is to be a Bruin. She will be a great Bruin and will make an impact on and off the court."
Horvat, a 6-1 guard, is ranked 15th in the 2017 HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings by espnW. She is also rated No. 3 among all guards and is the highest-rated Australian, either male or female, in the 2017 recruiting rankings.
She is a versatile guard with athleticism, length and a competitive edge that sets her apart from her peers. She wants the tough defensive assignment but still has the skills to put up 20 or more points in a game. She embodies many of the traits of the current Bruins, being selfless, competitive and caring and plays with passion. She also takes pride in her pursuit of elite academic and athletic achievement.
Horvat listed her greatest athletic achievement to date as winning a bronze medal with Australia at the U19 FIBA World Championships in Russia in 2015.
In April of 2015, Horvat had a strong showing at the U18 Australian Junior Championships in Ballarat, Victoria, earning LivOn Basketball's Co-MVP honors. She was outstanding throughout the AJC tournament and is a rising star among the junior women ranks in Australian basketball. Horvat had what was arguably the most impressive game of the tournament against SA Metro, when she shot an incredible 14-for-15 from the field, which included going 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, as she scored 34 points and hauled in 14 rebounds. She also scored 22 points in Victoria Country's Bronze medal win over Queensland South (84-69).
She comes from an athletic family as her father, Steve, played soccer professionally in Australia, Croatia and England throughout his career. He also played for Australia at the Olympics, serving as captain for the Australian Men's Senior National Team, the Socceroos.
Horvat said she chose to be a Bruin because, "UCLA felt like home even before I set foot on campus. It was really due to a combination of academics, sports history, culture and a fantastic women's basketball program."