UCLA Women's Basketball Offers Swedish Guard/Forward Tilda Trygger
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The Bruins are doubling down on their recruiting efforts overseas.
UCLA women's basketball sent a scholarship offer to class of 2024 guard/forward Tilda Trygger on Thursday, the Scandinavian College Athletics Agency announced on Twitter. Trygger is a 6-foot-6 wing and has spent most of the summer showing out on the FIBA circuit.
Trygger has also received offers from South Florida, Ohio State, Michigan State and Colorado.
South Florida and Ohio State added Trygger to their respective recruiting boards in June, while Michigan State and Colorado sent their offers at the end of July.
UCLA has consistently recruited international prospects under coach Cori Close, with German forwards Emily Bessoir and Lina Sontag, Australian forward Izzy Anstey and Canadian forward Brynn Masikewich all on the roster for this upcoming season. Guard Chantel Horvat was in Westwood from 2017 to 2022, while Spanish guards Marta Morales and Elena Buenavida were initially committed to the Bruins before electing to turn pro in Europe instead.
Trygga will suit up for Luleå Basket this year, earning a spot on the Swedish club's roster after a successful summer on the international stage.
The 16-year old appeared at Sweden's senior national team's training camp in June, then played as an underage entrant in the U18 Women's European Championship. Trygga averaged 7.7 points and 7.4 rebounds a game while helping Sweden emerge as Nordic Champions, and she strung together multiple double-figure scoring performances in the group stages as well.
Trygga has unique size at her position, showing an ability to handle to ball, shoot the 3, pull up for mid-range jumpers and slash to the rim despite her 6-foot-6 frame. The Bruins have not had a player that tall since Shayley Harris, who appeared in 12 games as a center back in the 2018-2019 season.
Morgan Cheli, Kendall Dudley, Britt Prince and Taliyah Parker are some of the other class of 2024 recruits UCLA has sent offers to this year, but all of them are domestic prospects.
Close and assistant coaches Tasha Brown, Shannon Perry LeBeauf and Tony Newman are diversifying their portfolio by going after Trygger, and they are one of the first five programs to star pursuing the rising wing from Sweden.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF SCANDINAVIAN COLLEGE ATHLETICS AGENCY/TWITTER