Reinforcements may be on the way for the UCLA women’s
basketball team.
Former Southern California high school standout Ashlee Dunlap
has been granted a release from her scholarship at San Diego State
and is free to transfer to another school, according to a SDSU
official.
One school that’s expected to be in the running for the
6-foot-1 sophomore’s services is UCLA.
“(Dunlap) has asked for permission for UCLA to talk to
her,” Bruin coach Kathy Olivier said. “We know she
wants to talk to us.”
As a freshman at San Diego State in 2002-2003, Dunlap led the
Mountain West Conference in double-doubles and rebounding, pulling
down 8.8 rebounds per game.
This past season, Dunlap averaged 10.7 points a game and led the
Aztecs in rebounding, averaging 7.6 per game.
Dunlap’s release comes on the heels of two frustrating
seasons for San Diego State in which the team compiled records of
9-18 and 8-20.
“We appreciate Ashlee’s contributions to our
program,” Aztec coach Jim Tomey said in a press release.
“We’re sorry to see her go, but respect her decision
and wish her the best of luck in the future.”
With the departure of senior forwards Jamila Veasley and Whitney
Jones, the possible inclusion of Dunlap to the current Bruin roster
would shore up an otherwise thin front line.
Under NCAA rules, if Dunlap transfers to another Division-I
institution, she would be forced to sit out a season before playing
out her remaining two years of eligibility.