UCLA Signs Another Top 10 Recruiting Class

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LOS ANGELES – UCLA head women's basketball coach Cori Close announced today the signing of two highly-rated high school standouts to national letters of intent. It is the highest-rated two-person class in the nation and is currently ranked No. 9 in the country by ESPN’s HoopGurlz. Blue Star Basketball Report has the class ranked at No. 20 while Prospects Nation has it at No. 16. Both players rank in the Top 35 overall and in the Top 10 at their respective position. This marks UCLA’s second-straight Top 10 recruiting class after the Bruins landed their first-ever No. 1 class last year.

The class consists of Ashley Hearn (Rowlett, Texas/Sachse HS) and Kennedy Burke (Northridge, Calif./Sierra Canyon HS). The two newcomers complete the Bruins' early signing class and will enter UCLA in the fall of 2015 as freshmen and will become members of the 2015-16 women's basketball team.

"I’m thrilled to have such amazing and talented young women choosing to join our program and become a part of our Bruin family," Coach Close said. "They are both so excited to become Bruins. Ashley Hearn has been dreaming about this for years and Kennedy Burke always knew she wanted to stay close to home. Both of these young women fit into our “Uncommon” vision and they know what a privilege it is to be a Bruin."

Hearn, a 6-4 power forward, averaged 12.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.8 blocks and 1.0 steals per game in the 2013-14 season, helping lead her Sachse High School team out of Sachse, Texas, to a 19-5 overall record and an 11-1 mark in the 5A Region II District 11. Her junior year statistics rank second in the District 11 in scoring, second in blocks and third in rebounding. The Mustangs won the league title last year. Hearn was named as a second team All-State selection as a sophomore in 2011-12 and as the Defensive Player of the Year in 2013-14. Coached by Donna McCullough, she was a two-sport star, competing in the shot put, discus and high jump in track and field. She has been invited to participate in USA Basketball’s U16 and U17 National Team training camps in each of the past two years. Hearn is ranked as one of the Top 40 players in the country by most recruiting services including No. 12 by ESPN’s HoopGurlz, No. 15 by BlueStar Media, No. 30 by Full Court and No. 34 by Prospects Nation. She is also ranked near the top in the power forward rankings, coming in as the No. 2 rated PF by HoopGurlz, No. 6 by Prospects Nation and No. 11 by Full Court.

"Ashley (Hearn) is just scratching the surface on her potential," Close said. "She is just starting to blossom and will be an even better player next year. She has grown so much every season I have watched her. She is one of the best big athletes in the country. She will impact the game immediately with her ability to play defense, rebound, block shots and run the floor. As she begins to combine her athleticism with her skill set, there is no telling how good she can be."

Burke, a 6-1 guard, led Sierra Canyon High School to its second straight CIF title last year (won Division V in 2012-13 and Division IV in 2013-14). She averaged 15.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game last year as the Trailblazers went 28-4 and averaged 21.0 points, 13.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 3.0 steals per game as a sophomore in 2012-13. Coached by Alicia Komaki, she had 28 points, 24 rebounds, six blocks and four steals as a sophomore in the 2013 state finals. She was on Team USA this past summer when the Americans won gold with a 7-0 record at the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championships in the Czech Republic. She garnered Cal-Hi All-State honors as a sophomore (2013) and junior (2014) and also named to the Los Angeles Times’ and Los Angeles Daily News’ All-Area teams in 2014. She was also named a third team MaxPreps 2013-14 All-State selection and a first team All-Alpha League player last year. Also garnered All-CIF SS accolades in 2014. Burke is ranked as one of the Top 40 players in the country by most recruiting services including No. 16 by ESPN’s HoopGurlz, No. 19 by Full Court, No. 33 by Prospects Nation and No. 41 by BlueStar Media. She is also ranked near the top in the guard/wing rankings, coming in as the No. 5 rated G by HoopGurlz, No. 6 by Full Court and No. 8 by Prospects Nation.

"Kennedy (Burke) is a Kevin Durant-type of player," Close said. "By that I mean she is long, can guard a post player, can score inside, but can also run the point. She is such a long, versatile guard. She’s also a great passer and combined with her size and length, can see over the defense. She can impact the game with her length and rebounding ability on the defensive end and can impact it with her shooting and passing abilities on the offensive end. She is a stat sheet stuffer."