Laksa makes draft decision, but future at USF still unclear
Kitija Laksa waves to the crowd on senior night at the Yuengling Center. Laksa announced Sunday she will not be enterting this year's WNBA Draft, however her future at USF remains unknown. ORACLE PHOTO/BRIAN HATTAB
Not much had been known about USF women’s basketball star Kitija Laksa’s future heading into Sunday.
Now, it’s at least known where the immediate future won’t take her — the WNBA.
Laksa announced via Instagram on Sunday that she would not be entering this year’s WNBA Draft, instead choosing to focus on rehabbing her knee. Laksa missed almost the entire 2018-19 season after tearing her ACL and meniscus in the third game of the season.
“I have decided not to enter this year’s WNBA Draft,” Laksa wrote. “I will be focusing on my knee’s rehabilitation and taking it day by day.”
However, Laksa did not specify whether she would declare a medical redshirt and return to USF for a fifth year. USF Associate Director of Communications Lorie Garnett could only confirm Laksa’s decision to not enter the draft but nothing beyond that.
Should Laksa decide to return to USF, she would stand to set the program’s all-time scoring record. Laksa, who currently sits at No. 6 all-time, would need 638 points to pass Jessica Dickson for the top spot.
Coach Jose Fernandez reportedly has spoken with Laksa and said she is keeping all her options open at this point, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Laksa had until Monday to declare for the WNBA Draft.
Laksa is scheduled to graduate in May with a bachelor’s in psychology.
More Stories
USF men’s basketball rounds up roster with latest commits
USF men’s basketball officially has a full house, finalizing its revamped roster with all 15 scholarship spots now filled. New head coach Bryan Hodgson has wasted no time building a new roster. After Hodgson was hired in March, he began his tenure by securing three high school recruits and five players out of the transfer […]
USF beach volleyball balances summer training away from campus
In the summertime, while some USF students are having fun in the sun, athletes don’t stop their training. USF beach volleyball players Morgan Anderson and Sasha Pasloski know all too well what goes into a Division I athlete’s summer routine. Although the Bulls won’t play their inaugural season until the spring, they have been preparing […]
Kelly says USF will be an ‘aggressive’ House v. NCAA settlement adopter
As the House v. NCAA settlement reshapes the financial architecture of college sports, outgoing USF athletic director Michael Kelly said the university plans to be among its “most aggressive” adopters. The settlement, finalized on June 6, allows schools to directly pay athletes for the first time, with a national cap set at $20.5 million per […]
USF races into NCAA history with relay title
USF track and field had ventured over 3,000 miles to compete in the NCAA outdoor national championships in Eugene, Oregon. With the lights high on Saturday evening, four men in black and green stepped onto the track with program history within reach. The Bulls’ men’s 4×400 relay team contended for a national title in the […]
Michael Kelly leaves USF with legacy of growth amongst change
Michael Kelly navigated a turbulent yet prosperous time in his eight-year tenure as USF’s athletic director, culminating in the genesis of one of the biggest developments in university history. Kelly, 54, made a lateral move to intraconference for Navy on June 4, becoming the school’s third civilian athletic director. Kelly oversaw significant advancements in USF’s […]
USF’s Vincent Ugwoke chases NCAA glory
Vincent Ugwoke stepped off a plane into a snowstorm just after midnight in Concordia, Kansas, in 2022. He’d just flown over 6,000 miles to the U.S. from Nsukka, Nigeria — alone and carrying nothing but a bag full of clothes made for the wrong weather. Three years later, the senior is one of the […]