UCLA Signs Kayla Owens to NLI
November 09, 2016 | Women's Basketball
The 6-foot-1 guard is ranked No. 36 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 Kayla Owens (Houston, Texas/Langham Creek HS) to a National Letter of Intent. Owens will enter UCLA in the fall of 2017 as a freshman and will become a member of the 2017-18 women's basketball team. She joins 6-foot-1 guard Chantel Horvat (Geelong, Australia/Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence) who signed yesterday.
"Kayla is a spectacular student-athlete with a versatile skill set and unlimited potential," Coach Close said. "She can stroke the three, attack the basket and guard any position. I already smile more because she's in my life. Her sense of humor and adventurous spirit are infectious. She is very coachable and she will make a wonderful impact on the UCLA community on and off the court."
Owens, a 6-1 guard, is ranked 36th in the 2017 HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings by espnW and the sixth-rated guard in the country. She is also rated No. 38 by Blue Star Media, No. 45 by Prospects Nation and No. 58 by Premier Basketball Report.
She had 11 points and seven rebounds in her first game of her junior year (2015-16) before an injury sidelined her for the remainder of the season. The Lobos finished 22-10 overall and 10-5 in 6A Region III, District 17 action under the tutelage of head coach Annette Steward.
Owens averaged 9.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.6 blocks per game as a sophomore in 2014-15 as LCHS went 18-12 overall. She posted nearly identical numbers of 9.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.1 steals, 1.3 assists and 1.2 blocks per game her freshman campaign (2013-14) as the Lobos went 21-10 at the 5A level. She was named First Team All-District 17 after her sophomore season in 2014-15 and was also invited to participate in the Team USA U17 trials this past summer and the U16 trials in 2015.
Owens said she chose to be a Bruin because, "UCLA has a beautiful campus with a great basketball team and coaching staff."