Samoan baller Charlisse Leger-Walker Makes History with NCAA Basketball Title

Today will surely go down as one of the great days in New Zealand basketball, with Charlisse Leger-Walker becoming the first woman from Aotearoa to win an NCAA basketball title in the United States.

Leger-Walker's UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) has beaten South Carolina in the championship game 79-51.

The 24-year-old was a key figure in the win. She was in the starting five and was on court for 26 minutes, scoring ten points, including two three pointers.

She also claimed four rebounds and two assists.

Leger-Walker, who is from Hamilton, is from a basketball-rich family, with she, her sister Krystal and their mother Leanne having all played for New Zealand.

In 2018, she became the youngest player to play for the Tall Ferns, when she debuted as a 16-year-old at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

She's had a lengthy American college career. She spent several years with Washington State, before transferring to UCLA after being granted a fifth season of eligibilty due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Leger-Walker has had her challenges - she was redshirted for the 2024/2025 season after an ACL injury.

But she's recovered from that superbly, averaging eight points, four rebounds and 5.7 assists per game this season.

"Reflecting back on the past two years, coming back from an injury, everything I've had to do to get to this point is surreal," Leger-Walker told ESPN in the post-match coverage.

"I could not be prouder of the group of girls that I get to celebrate this with, because everbody has sacrificed so much to be here and they're amazing," she said.

In all, Leger-Walker featured in 38 of UCLA's games, only suffering a defeat on one occasion, when they lost to 76-65 to Texas in November.

Interest now turns to the mens' championship game tomorrow, to see whether Taranaki's Oscar Goodman can also claim a title. He plays for the Michigan Wolverines who are favoured to beat UConn for the national crown.

If Goodman, 19, and his team mates can do it, he will become just the second New Zealand man to win a title, following Jack Salt's success with Virginia in 2019.

Via RNZ