UCLA Makes Top Five for Top-15 Class of 2026 Prospect

No. 2 UCLA women's basketball has been dominant this season, holding just one loss as it looks to clinch the Big Ten title with a win over No. 4 USC on Saturday.

But the Bruins are excelling off the court as well, as the program received some promising news on Thursday.

Long Island Lutheran Girls Basketball announced on Thursday that its own Savvy Swords, a class of 2026 five-star small forward, has cut her recruiting down to five schools: UCLA, Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina and Kentucky.

5⭐️ Junior, Savvy Swords’ Top 5.

She’s been arguably one of the best high school players in the country since she took the court as a freshman at LuHi. Unfortunately missed the majority of this season with an injury, but is currently rehabbing and will be ready to put on a show… pic.twitter.com/XIOwAXXtEr
— LuHi Girls Basketball (@LuHiGBasketball) February 27, 2025

Swords is ranked the No. 2 class of 2026 recruit in New York, the No. 5 small forward in her class and the No. 14 overall player in her class, per the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Below is 247Sports women's basketball national recruiting analyst Brandon Clay's evaluation of Swords:

"Swords, who plays for the Canadian national team in the offseason, has blossomed into one of the premier swing forward threats in North America. She has been successful while spending two seasons playing with and against some of the best competition in the United States during the school season. As a result, Swords is considered among the nation's elite. Her ability to make shots, rebound, and play with toughness on the perimeter sets her apart from most of her peers nationally. Swords is a floor-spacing option with legitimate range to the three-point line."

Swords and the Team Canada U17 team won silver at the 2024 World Cup.

Michigan may have the ultimate advantage, as Swords' older sister, Syla Swords, is a star freshman for the Wolverines, tied for first on the team in scoring at 15.9 points per game, first in rebounding with an average of 6.3 and third in assists with 2.4.

Syla was also a five-star recruit and played with her sister at Long Island Lutheran.

Perhaps a defending national champion would sway the prospect, and as the second-best team in the nation still fighting for the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, UCLA could certainly end up holding that title.

But of course, there's a lot of basketball to be played until then.

UCLA coach Cori Close has had much success recruiting in the past -- we'll see if she's able to land what would be another massive commitment.

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