February 3, 2025
Meet Elina Aarnisalo, UCLA’s impact freshman
Cori Close: 'When she gets the opportunity and the light, she will shine'
LOS ANGELES — Last season, the UCLA Bruins had only one freshman on their roster in Amanda Muse. This season, they brought in a recruiting class of four: Elina Aarnisalo, Avary Cain, Kendall Dudley and Zania Socka-Nguemen. With national championship aspirations and a roster heavy with upperclassmen, it wasn’t a stretch to think that none of the freshmen would get regular minutes this season.
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However, an early-season shoulder injury to junior guard Kiki Rice changed that. With Rice sidelined for a few games, head coach Cori Close turned to Aarnisalo. And the freshman point guard responded.
Aarnisalo, who hails from Finland, was a major factor in the Bruins’ 5-0 start in November. Across those five games, she averaged 12.6 points, 6.8 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game while shooting 60.1% from the field and 43.3% from 3-point range.
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In the Bruins’ win over then-No. 1 South Carolina to cap off that stretch, Aarnisalo had 13 points, four assists and three rebounds. Following that game, Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley pointed to Aarnisalo as one of the biggest factors in UCLA’s win.
Aarnisalo also had a big performance in UCLA’s 79-53 win against Minnesota on Sunday with 15 points, five rebounds and two assists. Following the win, Close spoke about how impressive Aarnisalo has been not only on the court, but in terms of her maturity as well.
“She’s been tremendous all year long,” Close told reporters. “Elina’s IQ is elite. Her understanding of purpose is elite. Her selflessness, her work ethic. She has earned the right, by the work done in the dark, that when she gets the opportunity and the light, she will shine.”
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Adjusting to college basketball is no easy task for freshmen. It’s even more difficult for point guards, who are tasked with running the offense, handling the ball and leading on the court.
But thankfully for Aarnisalo, she’s able to learn from one of the best in the country in Rice. Since Rice returned to the lineup, Aarnisalo has mostly moved to a bench role. But she’s still been tasked with steadying the second unit and keeping the offense flowing. As she continues to adjust to the college level, she’s leaned on Rice as someone to observe and follow.
“I think it’s been really cool to watch Kiki play and practice every day, how she comes to practice every day [with] the same mentality and work ethic. There’s never big ups and downs; it’s very consistent, which is really inspiring to see,” Aarnisalo told reporters following the Minnesota win. “Seeing the difference between European basketball and college basketball, it’s been fun watching Kiki play and take all the details and try to add [them] to my game, too.”
When Rice returned to the lineup, she started alongside Aarnisalo for three games in late November and for three more games at the end of December. Having been in Aarnisalo’s shoes before, Rice understands the challenges that come with adjusting to college as a lead guard. She’s taken Aarnisalo under her wing and been impressed with how impactful she’s been in Year 1.
”One of the things that really impresses me the most about E is … the maturity that she plays with,” Rice said after the Minnesota win. “I think it’s hard to come in as a freshman and assume that point guard role. For any freshman, regardless of how good you are at college basketball, there’s going to be an adjustment and just having to go through the ups and downs of just getting used to being out there and playing those different games every night.”
”I think she’s done a great job just weathering that storm and figuring out her game within this team,” Rice continued. “I just think how consistent she’s stayed in terms of her work ethic and her leadership, her communication, all while everyone’s challenging her and encouraging her every day, and it’s something that I’m really proud of her for.”
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Following the South Carolina win on Nov. 24, Aarnisalo’s scoring tailed off a bit until the Minnesota game. Overall this season, she is averaging 6.6 points, 4.3 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 23.6 minutes per game.
But Sunday’s game was a reminder that when called upon, she’s a capable scorer as well. For her, it’s been a lot of work with the coaching staff and film sessions to help identify where she can best get her points.
”It’s been a lot of work, individual work with the assistant coaches,” Aarnisalo said. “Trying to focus in every practice, stay aggressive. I’ve watched all the film, and I think it just showed in this game the work that I’ve put in.”
Related reading: Gabriela Jaquez could be the key to UCLA’s national title dreams
Before coming to the United States, Aarnisalo played in Finnish and Belgian leagues as well as for youth national teams. That experience has helped with her transition to college basketball. But the one thing about the United States that has caught her by surprise is the energy people have around women’s college basketball.
As the Bruins have embarked on Big Ten road trips taking them all across the country, they have drawn plenty of attention as the nation’s top-ranked team.
”It’s been awesome,” Aarnisalo said. “I didn’t know college basketball is that big in America. … Everybody follows college basketball.”
If the Bruins keep winning and Aarnisalo keeps contributing, she too could soon be among the most recognized players in the sport.
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Written by David Mendez-Yapkowitz
David has been with The Next team since the High Post Hoops days when he joined the staff in 2018. He is based in Los Angeles and covers the LA Sparks, Pac-12 Conference, Big West Conference and some high school as well.
