UCLA Women's Basketball: Veteran Wing Shortlisted For Major Hardware

As your UCLA Bruins women's basketball team prepares for the start of its 2023-24 NCAA season (the first game tips off on November 6th against Purdue), several pundits seem to believe the team has a serious chance at NCAA Tournament glory this spring.

Accordingly, several players seem to be in line for end-of-year hardware.

Chief among them is 5'9" graduate student guard Charisma Osborne, who for the second straight preseason has been shortlisted by Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for the Ann Meyers-Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year Award, according to a team presser. The honor is named after the 5'9" Hall of Fame UCLA shooting guard who ran roughshod over the NCAA from 1974-78.

Osborne, 22, is a three-time All-Pac-12 honoree already, as well as a 2021 Pac-12 All-Defensive Teamer. Last year, while propelling the Bruins to the Sweet Sixteen amidst a charmed March Madness run under head coach Cori Close, she was named to the 2023 Pac-12 All Tourney team.

Across 36 contests last year, the Moreno Valley, California native averaged 15.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.4 steals per bout for the 27-10 program. The young wing will be a formidable piece of the club's approach to 2023-24. More recently, she helped power Team USA to a silver medal at the 2023 IBA Women's AmeriCup this past summer.

Her 225 career made triples currently rank third all-time for the program, while her 1,798 career points scored slot her ninth all-time for the team.

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