UCLA Guards Charisma Osborne, Gina Conti Declare For WNBA Draft

The Bruins are set to undergo major changes in the backcourt this offseason.

UCLA women's basketball guard Charisma Osborne was on the list of players to declare for the 2023 WNBA Draft, which was revealed by the league on Tuesday. Osborne – who has been the Bruins' leading scorer for the past three seasons – had one year of eligibility remaining.

Guard Gina Conti also declared for the draft, although she had exhausted her collegiate eligibility between her four seasons at Wake Forest and two at UCLA.

Osborne and Conti each played in 36 of the Bruins' 37 games this year, leading the team to its fifth Sweet 16 appearance in the last seven NCAA tournaments. The team's 27 wins were tied for the most in their 12 seasons under coach Cori Close.

From the WNBA: The list of college players who have declared for the 2023 WNBA Draft. Does not include those still playing in the Final Four pic.twitter.com/P6LgmiPV5O
— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) March 28, 2023

Close has the young depth to weather the losses of Osborne and Conti, with freshmen Kiki Rice and Londynn Jones ranking second and fourth on the team in scoring last year, respectively.

Still, Osborne played 32.9 minutes per game for her career, including a team-high 33.1 this season. Conti was also a starter this past season, averaging the third-most minutes on the team with 26.9.

Osborne started at UCLA in 2019-2020, becoming the lone freshman standout on a team built around veterans Michaela Onyenwere, Japreece Dean, Natalie Chou, Lauryn Miller, Lindsey Corsaro and Chantel Horvat. Even with the deep rotation, Osborne averaged 12.2 points per game and she ranked second with 5.8 rebounds per game.

With Dean gone, Osborne had to play out of position at point guard the next two seasons. She took advantage of the increased usage, averaging 17.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game as a junior before putting up 16.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game as a senior.

Osborne averaged 15.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game this past season, climbing up UCLA's all-time scoring list in the process. She moved into the No. 9 spot with 1,798 career points, which is also the fourth-most in the Close era.

A career-best 36-point showing against Oklahoma in the Round of 32 helped Osborne reach that mark. Osborne made the All-Pac-12 Team three times, and although she only made the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team once, she was an honorable mention twice.

Conti's career in Westwood wasn't quite as long or record-breaking as Osborne's, but she still made quite the mark in her limited time on campus.

After four seasons and an All-ACC Selection at Wake Forest, Conti transferred to UCLA in 2021. A foot injury Conti suffered in the preseason cost her the entire year, although she picked up a sixth season of eligibility as a result.

Conti averaged 6.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists with the Bruins, finishing her career with a 13.1 player efficiency rating. Osborne's career PER ended at 23.4.

Mock drafts across the internet have Osborne hearing her name called between the end of the first round and the start of the second. Conti, on the other hand, has not popped up in many of the top mock drafts.

The WNBA Draft will start April 10 at 4 p.m. in New York.

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