UConn women’s basketball received its first 2026 commitment on Tuesday: Olivia Vukosa, a 6-4 post player ranked as the No. 3 prospect in her class by ESPN. A native of Queens, she plays at the legendary Christ The King High School that has produced the likes of Sue Bird, Tina Charles and Chamique Holdsclaw.
Nicknamed “The Big O”, Vukosa has been the Huskies’ top target in the class for awhile. She’s been a frequent visitor in Storrs over the last few years and made her official visit earlier this month.
ESPN’s Shane Laflin described her as “a nimble, new-age post” who “is comfortable facilitating, stepping out to the 3-point line and flashing face-up touch. She still needs to refine her post play and finish in traffic more consistently to reach her ceiling -- all controllable areas of development.”
Vukosa won Gatorade and Max Preps New York Player of the Year last season after averaging 19.2 points, 17.9 rebounds and 5.5 blocks at Christ The King. She helped the Royals capture a New York State Catholic High School Athletic Association AA title in 2024 and has played internationally with Croatia, where her grandparents were born.
With Vukosa in the mix, UConn has two open scholarships remaining. The Huskies are still in the mix for a few more players in the class of 2026: Jerzy Robinson (No. 5), Addison Bjorn (No. 10) and Sara Okeke (unranked out of Spain).
Per Laflin, UConn is one of four finalists for Robinson (LSU, South Carolina and Oregon), one of seven schools in the mix for Bjorn (Iowa, North Carolina, Kansas, Texas, Notre Dame, Duke) and one of four schools after Okeke (Tennessee, LSU and South Carolina), though she could also forgo college and begin her professional career overseas.
Vukosa will join a loaded UConn frontcourt next season that’s projected to feature Sarah Strong, Jana El Alfy, Ice Brady and Gandy Malou-Mamel.
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