Who Is Charisma Osborne? Meet Projected 11th WNBA Draft Pick

Many on the Bruins roster define her journey as building trust. However, there is a lot that went into making the Charisma Osborne that the women’s college basketball world knows today. Indeed, she was not one of those freshmen who would trust everyone. In fact, gaining the right to be in her close circle took a lot, even for their head coach, Cori Close. Nevertheless, after defying every odd, this all-rounder player finally built a name and brought the team multiple success stories. As she moves to the WNBA slightly missing the top-10 mark, fans are pooling to know more about her.

Charisma Osborne is a fifth-year senior in the UCLA WBB program. After being an offensive force for the Bruins in her initial years, the 5-ft-9 hooper changed her role to a defensive enforcer. As a result, she is not only a decent scorer but also a defender who can raise the hair for the opponents.

The talented 2019 McDonald’s All-American hails from Moreno Valley, California. Surprisingly, this what-many-would-call-introvert athlete had a humorous manner of choosing UCLA. According to her, she asked her coach Close to dance to the ‘In My Feelings’ songs when she visited her for the first time.

Being as she is, Cori Close understood the assignment and did what she had to, to claw the 5-star recruit from Windward School. Turns out, that was one of the best decisions for her. Let us see her strengths from the previous years and what she can do for her WNBA team.

Charisma Osborne: From past to the future

The 2018 FIBA Under-17 World Cup gold medalist did not waste any breath. In her freshman year, she added 12.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists to the team total. Her performances throughout the season brought her the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team honors. She continued showing her exemplary skills as a sophomore with a career-high average of 17 points. Osborne swept away the All-Pac-12 and Pac-12 All-Defensive Team that year.

In her fifth year, she brought the team to No. 2 in the AP Poll and won 14 games in one season, a first for UCLA. Although her scoring reduced to 13.9 points from 15.9 the previous year, leading the pack as the second-highest scorer, she improved other numbers. Dishing out 4 assists per game while grabbing an average of 5.2 rebounds, she became a true treasure on both ends of the floor. However, her defense is what will make her a significant part of her potential WNBA team– the New York Liberty.

According to ESPN’s latest WNBA mock draft, she is coming in at the 11th spot for the Liberty. However, despite her ranking, she is probably going to be a great team member. New York, who lost the title last year to the Las Vegas Aces in the Finals, had one huge missing point. That was perimeter defense. Seemingly, if Charisma Osborne joins the roster alongside the likes of Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart, the Liberty can again try their hands at the championship with a well-balanced team.

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