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Australian freshman guard Bonnie Deas has transferred to the spiritual home of American college basketball UCLA – and the 2026 NCAA Women’s Basketball National Champions – for her sophomore season in 2026-27.

Deas, 19, was a rebound short of averaging a double-double for the Arkansas Razorbacks during the 2025-26 season while becoming the nation’s second-best rebounding guard in her class with 288 in 32 games.

The Bruins destroyed Dawn Staley’s South Carolina 79-51 in the championship game last weekend, but already the program is looking to 2026-27 after losing six players to graduation, including four guards and two bigs.

Former WNBL development player and 2025 FIBA Under-19 Women’s World Cup silver medallist Deas led the Razorbacks in assists at 2.6 per game while dropping 10.2 points and 9.0 rebounds.

“I just want to start off by thanking you all for the loyalty, passion, and support that you showed us throughout a growth year for the program,” Deas wrote to Razorbacks fans on Instagram.

“Regardless of the results, you still showed up for us and never gave up on us.

“I'm extremely grateful for the love and for the support I have experienced this season.

“However, after a lot of thought and conversations with my family, I have decided to enter the transfer portal in order to continue growing both on and off the court.

“I will be forever grateful to all the coaches and staff at Arkansas for the opportunities and growth I have been blessed with. I'm grateful for my teammates, whom I will always consider some of my best friends. To all the fans, thank you for unwavering spirit and support.”

“Once a Hog, always a Hog.”

UCLA head coach Cori Close has made Deas her first transfer, where she will live in Los Angeles, California, right down the road from Gems teammate Sitaya Fagan, who will be a freshman at arch-rival USC.

She is the second high-profiled Australian freshman to transfer following Stanford's Lara Somfai's move to TCU mid-week.

UCLA is the most famous basketball program in the United States. Both its women’s and men’s programs winning national championships. The men’s program has an extraordinary 11, while the women’s program has two, its first in 1982.

UCLA’s women’s program has produced some of the most influential players in the history of the sport — from pioneers to modern WNBA stars, including Ann Myers, who was the first woman to receive a full athletic scholarship at UCLA, dual Olympian and WNBA All-Star Natalie Williams, WNBA champion Jordin Canada, and 2021 WNBA Rookie of the Year Michaela Onyenwere.

Bonnie Deas

Team: Arkansas RazorbacksLeague: NCAA (SEC)Season: 2025–26Position: GuardHeight: 1.75mHometown: Frankston, Victoria, Australia

Freshman guard Bonnie Deas started all 32 games for Arkansas, averaging a near double-double with 10.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per game while logging 28.3 minutes.

Career Stats

Games: 32 │ Minutes: 28.3 │ Points: 10.2 │ Rebounds: 9.0 │ Assists: 2.6 │ Steals: 1.5 │ Blocks: 0.2 │ Turnovers: 2.6  │ FG: 32.0% │ 3PT: 24.5% │ FT: 68.7% │ eFG: 35.5%

Team Performance

Arkansas finished 12–20, with Deas playing a primary role from Day 1 as a freshman starter in the SEC.

Player Contribution

Deas’ impact was driven by her rebounding from the guard position:

• Ranked 6th in the SEC in total rebounds (288)
• Ranked 6th in the SEC in rebounds per game (9.0)
• Ranked 4th in defensive rebounds (198)

She consistently generated extra possessions and defensive stops despite operating in a high-usage role (24.5% usage rate).

Highlights

• 25 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists vs Louisiana Tech (Nov 4)
• 16 rebounds, 7 assists vs Kansas City (Dec 17)
• 15 rebounds vs Little Rock (Nov 20)
• Multiple double-digit rebounding games from the guard spot

Performance Trends

• Strong start to the season with efficient scoring stretches early
• Shooting efficiency dipped in conference play (32.0% FG overall)
• Rebounding remained consistent across both non-conference and SEC games
• Defensive activity steady (1.5 steals per game, 2.8 STL%)

Impact & Role

Deas functioned as a high-minutes, two-way guard with a rebounding profile more typical of a forward:

• Defensive rebounder initiating transition
• Secondary playmaker (2.6 assists per game)
• High-possession involvement (16.0 FGA per 40 minutes)

Her role leaned toward possession creation and defensive stability rather than scoring efficiency.

Deas is now part of one of America’s most storied college basketball programs and will play in the campus’s world-famous Pauley Pavilion.