7 fabulous freshmen making plenty of noise in '25-26

• Every Australian in NCAAM basketball in 2025-26
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There are almost 30 Australian women's basketballers playing in their freshman seasons in America's NCAA Division 1 this season.

Here are the top seven players making an impact for their schools in 2025-26.

🇦🇺 Top 7 Australian Freshmen

1. Bonnie Deas — Arkansas Razorbacks │ #22 │ Guard │ Fr │ 1.75 m │ Melbourne, VIC‍

G: 25 │ MP: 27.0 (676) │ PTS: 10.2 (255) │ REB: 9.2 (229) │ AST: 2.5 (63) │ STL: 1.5 (38) │ BLK: 0.3 (7) │ FG: 3.5–11.4 (.310) │ 3P: 0.9–3.3 (.265) │ FT: 2.3–3.3 (.695)

Melbourne guard Bonnie Deas goes after her goals the same way she goes after a rebound. She is the seventh leading freshman rebounder in NCAA Women's basketball.

"I just love to hustle. It’s a see-ball-get-ball mentality,” Deas told the Hog Pod.

"I really want to go to the WNBA for sure, and I want to play for my home country at the Olympics.  

"That would be the biggest dream. And I really do want to go play in Europe as well. I’ve got a lot of goals. But that’s a good thing to have, the goals.

"I am one of those people. I do write them down and I do have a vision board. It just makes me remember where I want to be, and every day I’ve got to show up because these are my goals. They’re big goals and I want to achieve them."

Deas, who won a silver medal with the Australian Gems at the 2025 FIBA Under-19 Women's World Cup, revealed playing college basketball in the US was a primary goal for her as junior basketballer in Australia.

“In Year 9 I started watching D1 basketball videos," she revealed.

"In Year 11 I did an NBA Academy program in Atlanta and really liked the college system, so I knew I wanted to come.”

And the Basketball Australian Centre of Excellence graduate is making the most of her first year at the Razorbacks. She's averaging a near double-double with 10.2 points and 9.2 rebounds for the 11-14 Arkansas in the tough SEC.

2. Lara Somfai — Stanford Cardinal │ #12 │ Forward │ Fr │ 1.91 m │ Adelaide, SA‍

G: 25 │ MP: 25.7 (642) │ PTS: 10.4 (261) │ REB: 9.4 (236) │ AST: 1.3 (33) │ STL: 0.8 (20) │ BLK: 0.8 (20) │ FG: 4.1–10.5 (.392) │ 3P: 1.0–3.7 (.258) │ FT: 1.2–1.6 (.756)

South Australian Lara Somfai is already a crucial piece for the 16-9 Stanford Cardinal in the ACC. She is the fifth leading freshman rebounder in the country and has already been named Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the Week.

“I completely fell in love with Stanford,” she told Jason Cadee on Cut to the Jase.

“Coming to Stanford it definitely opened my eyes to like more than a basketball player and a life outside of basketball for me.

“(But) genuinely, I do not think I’m playing great at all. I have so much to improve on I have so much to work on.

"Just keep controlling what I can control right now and finish off this year at college and then see what comes from it obviously the NBL and Europe I love to love to do," he told Cadee.

“I think I can impact the game other ways other than just shooting so that’s  a factor for me, people start to run me off the line and I can show what else I can do."

3. Hannah Chicken — Portland State Vikings │ #9 │ Forward │ Fr │ 1.83 m │ Taree, NSW‍

G: 23 │ MP: 25.6 (589) │ PTS: 11.2 (257) │ REB: 6.0 (138) │ AST: 1.7 (39) │ STL: 1.3 (31) │ BLK: 0.7 (16) │ FG: 4.2–8.5 (.495) │ 3P: 0.7–1.4 (.469) │ FT: 2.1–2.7 (.787)

NSW forward Hannah Chicken has made an immediate impact at the 6-17 Portland State Vikings in the Big Sky Conference.

"It took a little bit of getting used to at first," Chicken revealed.

"It’s a different ball game here. But it’s been good. I have a good team around me and good coaches that take time with us internationals specifically, to help us understand if we have extra questions and go into extra depth if we need it.

"I love playing under Coach Karlie (Burris). She is one of the best coaches I think I’ve had. She’s very transparent and honest, which I love.

"Whenever I step onto a court, defense is always my main goal. Defense is first, rebounding, and then scoring. That’s what I try to do – defend and rebound."

4. Meg Lucas — Buffalo Bulls │ #24 │ Forward │ Fr │ 1.85 m │ Melbourne, VIC‍

G: 22 │ MP: 29.5 (648) │ PTS: 9.1 (201) │ REB: 9.8 (216) │ AST: 0.8 (18) │ STL: 1.3 (28) │ BLK: 0.2 (5) │ FG: 3.8–7.7 (.494) │ 3P: 0.1–0.4 (.222) │ FT: 1.4–2.5 (.574)

It's been a tough season for Meg Lucas' 2-21 Buffalo Bulls in the MAC but the Melbourne forward has proved she is ready for the challenge. Lucas is averaging a near double-double with 9.1 points and 9.8 rebounds in almost 30 minutes per game.

Lucas has become a a high-usage interior presence for the Bulls, producing consistent rebounding and efficient scoring. She recorded multiple double-doubles, including 16 points and 12 rebounds at Akron (Feb 1), 14 points and 11 rebounds at Western Michigan (Jan 4), and 13 points with a season-high 17 rebounds vs Tarleton State (Dec 20). Lucas also delivered back-to-back high-impact performances in mid-January, posting 17 points and nine rebounds vs UMass (Jan 18) and 12 points, 10 rebounds at Miami (OH) (Jan 22).

Her best scoring night came against ULM (Feb 8), finishing with 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting in 33 minutes. Lucas consistently controlled the glass, recording 15 or more rebounds in four games, and shot nearly 50 percent from the field on the season.

5. Opal Bird — Wake Forest Demon Deacons │ #9 │ Forward │ Fr │ 1.91 m │ Sydney, NSW‍

G: 25 │ MP: 24.5 (612) │ PTS: 4.6 (116) │ REB: 3.2 (79) │ AST: 3.0 (76) │ STL: 0.8 (20) │ BLK: 0.7 (17) │ FG: 1.4–4.0 (.356) │ 3P: 0.3–1.3 (.242) │ FT: 1.4–2.3 (.621)

Sydney forward Opal Bird won gold medals at the FIBA Under-17 Oceania Championship in 2023 and the FIBA Under-17 Asia Cup in 2024. Bird's Wake Forest are 13-12 in the ACC as she works her way into the Demon Deacons' rotation.

She has carved out a valuable two-way role impacting games with playmaking, rebounding and defensive. Her most complete performance came in a road win at Pitt (Jan 2), where she logged 33 minutes and finished with six points, 10 rebounds, nine assists, two steals and two blocks. Bird also handled heavy minutes in big games, playing 51 minutes in a triple-overtime loss to Virginia (Jan 30).

6. Rosie Akot — Long Beach State Beach │ #2 │ Forward │ Fr │ 1.88 m │ Adelaide, SA‍

G: 22 │ MP: 16.1 (355) │ PTS: 6.1 (135) │ REB: 4.6 (101) │ AST: 0.4 (8) │ STL: 1.0 (22) │ BLK: 0.6 (14) │ FG: 2.3–6.5 (.359) │ 3P: 0.7–1.9 (.357) │ FT: 0.8–1.7 (.486)

Rosie Akot delivered her strongest stretches of the season during Big West play for Long Beach State Beach, combining rebounding and scoring with an ability to defend. Her top scoring effort came against UC Irvine (Jan 9), pouring in 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-6 from three, while adding eight rebounds, four steals and two blocks. She followed with 16 points and nine rebounds versus Cal State Fullerton (Jan 23), anchoring the interior with four blocks, then posted an efficient 15 points against UC Riverside (Jan 30) on 55.6% shooting.

Akot has consistently impacted the glass, recording a 13-point, 13-rebound double-double at Oregon State (Nov 24), 11 rebounds against CSUN (Jan 18), and 10 boards at UC Riverside (Jan 16). As her minutes increased through conference play, her role expanded into rim protection, secondary scoring and hustle plays, with multiple multi-steal games and efficient shooting nights highlighting her two-way value.

7. Jelena Savic — Evansville Purple Aces │ #31 │ Guard │ Fr │ 1.80 m │ Melbourne, VIC‍

G: 24 │ MP: 18.4 (441) │ PTS: 5.4 (130) │ REB: 3.3 (80) │ AST: 0.7 (16) │ STL: 0.3 (6) │ BLK: 0.3 (6) │ FG: 2.0–5.0 (.403) │ 3P: 0.9–2.4 (.368) │ FT: 0.5–0.7 (.765)

Melbourne freshman guard Jelena Savic emerged as a reliable perimeter contributor for the 6-18 Evansville Purple Aces in the MVC. She has showed steady growth while her her strongest performances have come on the road, highlighted by a season-high 14 points at UIC (Feb 8) on an ultra-efficient 6-of-7 shooting, and another 14-point outing at Illinois State (Jan 12) where she knocked down four triples on five attempts. Savic also delivered 11 points at Valparaiso (Feb 6), adding three made threes in a decisive road win.

Beyond scoring, she consistently contributed on the glass for a guard, pulling down eight rebounds at Indiana State (Jan 19) and recording multiple five-rebound games. Savic showed touch from deep with several high-efficiency shooting nights and provided secondary playmaking within Evansville’s guard rotation. As the season progressed, her minutes stabilised and her offensive confidence increased, particularly as a spot-up shooter and transition scorer, marking a productive foundation season at the collegiate level.