Another impact big from Lithuania? Transfer a ‘pleasant surprise’ for UA women’s basketball

This time on the women’s team.

Gerda Raulusaityte, a native of Varena, Lithuania, and a transfer from USC, has made a positive early impression as the Wildcats gear up for the 2026-27 season. UA coach Becky Burke went so far as to say that Raulusaityte (pronounced roll-a-sheh-tee-tay) could be an all-conference-caliber player.

“The kid is so talented,” Burke said during UA women’s basketball media day Wednesday. “She’s so tough, hard-nosed and so versatile.

“If you look at us, we’re still probably a little bit smaller than maybe most in the Big 12. But we’re much more talented, and we have a much better basketball IQ. Gerda is one of those (players).

“She may be the pleasant surprise of the team. I think she’s gonna be one of the best post players in the Big 12, if I had to make a hot take right now, because she can shoot the 3, she can put it on the floor, she’s versatile defensively (and) she can guard inside-out, which gives us the ability to do a lot of different things.

“I loved her on film when I watched her at USC, and I love her even more in person. If you’re starting (10) games at Southern Cal, you can play some basketball.”

Raulusaityte appeared in all 32 games in her one season with the Trojans. She averaged 2.2 points and 2.8 rebounds in 13.5 minutes per game for a team that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

She described last season as a “great challenge” and conceded that living in Los Angeles was “a little too much” for her at times. L.A. County has a population of nearly 10 million; Lithuania’s population is less than 3 million.

“I just wanted a change,” Raulusaityte said. “I had a conversation with Coach Burke, and she was one of the main reasons why I decided to come here. Just her vision for the season, how she saw my role (on) the team. Also, when I came here and I just saw how everything is (at) McKale, the academic buildings, school in general. I just really liked it.”

Raulusaityte is in the same class as center Motiejus Krivas of the UA men’s team. The two often attended the same national youth-team camps. They aren’t close friends, but they know each other.

“Every time we see each other, we say hi or have a small talk,” Raulusaityte said.

In English?

“No,” she said, laughing. “We say hi in Lithuanian.”

The men’s team added another Lithuanian player this year, Ugnius Jarusevicius. They were preceded by the Tubelis brothers, Azuolas and Tautvilas, as well as Paulius Murauskas (who’s now at Arizona State).

Raulusaityte, who’s listed as a 6-foot-3 senior forward, previously played at LCC International University in Lithuania, where she earned league MVP honors in 2024-25 after averaging 15.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists. She has also represented Lithuania in multiple FIBA competitions.

Raulusaityte worked with the first unit during an open practice Wednesday, serving as the last line of defense as the Wildcats worked on a full-court press. The other unofficial starters were senior Sumayah Sugapong, sophomore Aliyahna Morris and freshmen Jasleen Green and Makayla Presser-Palmer.

‘Puff’ and ‘Simba’

Morris is one of two players on the roster from Southern California’s Etiwanda High School who go by their nicknames.

Morris, a transfer from Cal, is better known as “Puff.” Freshman Arynn Finley goes by “Simba.”

Morris said her dad used to call her “Muffin-Puffin,” which eventually was shortened to “Puff.” She didn’t like it when her teammates called her by her given name. She’s been Puff ever since.

Finley got her nickname while attending a basketball game at USC. As “Circle of Life” from “The Lion King” played during a timeout, her AAU teammates lifted her up.

“I was like the baby on the AAU team,” she said, “and I happened to be wearing my hair down that day.” She might have been the biggest “Simba Cam” participant ever. The nickname stuck.

Morris and Finley were part of three state-championship teams at Etiwanda before Morris graduated and went to Cal. A reunion seemed unlikely as recently as mid-March; Morris was still in Berkeley, and Finley was committed to Florida.

But Finley decommitted after a coaching change and pledged to Arizona on March 25. About a week later, Morris announced she was entering the transfer portal. About a week after that, she committed to the UA.

“I didn't bribe her into doing that,” Finley joked. “I was just telling her, ‘If you ever do plan on entering the portal, maybe you could come here. We’d do really good together.’ ”

They had already proved to be a winning combination, winning an EYBL national championship in addition to the three state titles at Etiwanda.

“It influenced my decision a little bit because we’re former teammates,” Morris said. “She had mentioned that the school was losing their point guard (Noelani Cornfield). They didn't have one. And Arizona is pretty close to home. ... So it just worked out.”

Rim shots

– Finley, fellow freshman Priyanka Ponnam and sophomore Molly Ladwig were the first players off the bench during Wednesday’s practice. Burke believes as many as 10 players could be rotation-worthy.

“This may be the deepest team I’ve ever had,” Burke said. “We’re nine to 10 right now. I’m usually a six-to-eight type of girl. I really think we’re nine- to 10-deep. And I really think this is a team where we’re bringing people off the bench that elevate us and not bringing people off the bench because they’re a last resort type of option.”

– Burke noted that a couple of players are dealing with minor injuries. The staff is playing it safe with those players, with the Nov. 2 opener vs. Stanford still a month away.

“It’s the beginning of October. We're trying to be cautious with some things,” Burke said. “We gotta get those guys healthy. I think they should be ready to go, if I had to guess. But (the) priority right now is not pressing them in practice situations when we need them here in a few weeks.”