UCLA Women's Hoops Make Top Five For Elite 2027 Forward

UCLA women's basketball has started the 2025-2026 season strong, with a 9-1 record through 10 games and ranked as the No. 4 team in the country. Not only are the Bruins succeeding on the court, but head coach Cori Close is also finding success off the court, especially in recruiting.

While the Bruins remain focused on the 2026 recruiting cycle, they are also making progress with some of the top 2027 prospects, including a four-star power forward who recently named UCLA as one of her final five schools.

Four-Star 2027 Power Forward Includes UCLA in Her Top Five

On Dec. 14, Eve Long, a four-star power forward from Olathe South High School in Olathe, Kansas, announced her final five schools on X, naming UCLA alongside Duke, Kansas, Notre Dame, and UConn.

Top ✋🏿🤍 #grateful #excited #trustingtheprocess #lockedin #thejourney pic.twitter.com/g7IY0y16gh
— 𝔼𝕧𝕖 𝕃𝕠𝕟𝕘 (@eve_long23) December 14, 2025

Long is one of the top prospects in the 2027 recruiting class. Rivals' industry rankings list her as the No. 8 overall player nationally, the No. 1 power forward, and the No. 1 prospect from Kansas. Although she's currently rated as a four-star recruit, there's a strong chance she will become a five-star as the cycle progresses.

Shortly after listing her top five, Long spoke with Rivals' Talia Goodman about each option. When discussing UCLA, she explained that the Bruins had recently started recruiting her and that she hadn't talked much with Close. Long also mentioned that while Westwood is far from her home in Kansas, she has visited Los Angeles for camps and enjoyed her time there.

UCLA log — Dec 17, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; The UCLA Bruins logo at midcourt at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

“They [UCLA] started recruiting a little bit later than some of these other schools, and I haven’t really had too many conversations with their head coach," Long told Goodman.

She continued, "We have picked it up a lot more lately, so I’m just getting a connection with her as well as learning more about their school. LA is very far away from Kansas, but I’ve been to LA for some camps, and I love it."

Dec 7, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins center Lauren Betts (51) blocks a shot by Oregon Ducks forward Amina Muhammad (5) during the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

As the Bruins continue to pursue her, Long told Goodman that she wants to ensure she feels comfortable with the program and the staff, but noted that she's excited about UCLA's recruitment of her.

"I just want to feel comfortable there, like I’ve said a lot, but I want to know that if I choose to go to UCLA, I’m setting myself up," Long said to Goodman. "I think that UCLA, their head coach has a lot of faith and that’s really important to me, and I’m just excited to continue my recruiting process with them.”

UCLA Women's basketbal — Dec 7, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Amanda Muse (33) and guard Lena Bilic (9) defend Oregon Ducks forward Mia Jacobs (1) during the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Long is only a 2027 prospect, and there's probably still a long way to go before she makes a decision, but Close and the Bruins have established themselves as serious contenders to land one of the top prospects in the country.

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