The No. 11 UCLA women's basketball team is getting a boost from one of its top 2021 recruits who is joining the program early. Dominique Darius has enrolled at UCLA, is on the active roster and is scheduled to be with the team for its next game, Sunday at No. 8 Oregon.
"We are so fortunate to have her," UCLA coach Cori Close said of Darius. "She fills a huge need for our backcourt depth. Athletically, she is ready right now. It will just be a matter of how much she can take in with the crash course we are giving her from the mental side. She will do whatever it takes to adjust as quickly as possible. It is just a lot to ask of someone this time of year."
Ranked No. 26 in the Class of 2021 by ESPN HoopGurlz, the 5-foot-9 guard played for Blair Academy in New Jersey. With the prep season canceled because of the pandemic and having completed her required high school coursework, Darius opted to start college now. That's been more common in men's basketball; at least four Power 5 men's programs have midseason enrollees who finished high school early, although it's not certain all of them will play this season.
Darius will be a boost for the short-handed Bruins, who have used just eight players this season because of injuries, opt-outs due to COVID-19, and the fact that two freshmen from Australia -- Gemma Potter and Izzy Anstey -- are still waiting to be allowed to come to the United States. Both are among a group of athletes involved in a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as they have been prevented from coming to this country because of COVID-19 immigration policies.
"I am thrilled to have Dominique joining our team," Close said. "I am sad for Gemma and Izzy that Dominique is beating them here. They were projected to be major impact players for us this year. You can imagine how hard this is for them to have a 2021 recruit come to UCLA before them."