2025-26 Women's Basketball Roster
Roster
Kneepkens, Gianna
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/ Women's BasketballG
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/ Women's BasketballG
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/ Women's Basketball
Jersey Number 8
Gianna Kneepkens
- Position:
- Guard
- Height:
- 6-0
- Class:
- Graduate Student
- High School:
- Duluth Marshall HS
- Hometown:
- Duluth, Minn.
- Previous School:
- Utah
Bio
Prior to UCLA…
at Utah (2021-2025)
2024-25 (Senior)
A Cheryl Miller Award Top 10 Candidate, and named to the Naismith Trophy Player of the Year Midseason Team as well as named to the USBWA Ann Meyers Drysdale Player of the Year Midseason Watchlist… Named Big 12 Player of the Week after posting back-to-back 30 point games including a career-high 32 points against BYU (1/25)… Against Kansas, Kneepkens was on the brink of a triple-double as she combined 30 points with 10 rebounds, for her first double-double of the season; also posted a season-high eight assists… Logged three 30 point games this season. Most recently she tied her career-high 32 points against UCF (2/8/25)… Hit nine other 20-point games this season with the most recent when she scored 23 points against Texas Tech (3/6/25)…. Knocked down three or more three pointers in 17 games this season and Utah was 14-3 in those games… Averaged 19.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.03 apg and 1.03 spg… Shot 50.4 percent from the field, 44.8 percent from the three and 89.0 percent from the line… Led the team in made three pointers (94-of-210) and made free throws (121-of-136)… Ranked No. 16 in the NCAA in free throw percentage (89.0)… Finished the season at No. 44 in the nation in scoring with 599 total points on the season and No. 29 in points per game with 19.3… Ended the season in the Top 15 in every three point shooting category… No. 12 in the nation in three pointers made with 94, No. 12 in the nation in three point percentage (44.8) and No. 8 in the nation in three pointers made per game (3.03)… Had 248 total made three pointers in her Utah career… Sits at No. 3 on the school all-time threes made list… Became the seventh Ute in school history to hit the 200 milestone… Hit 1,000 career points when she put up 19 against Carroll College (11/28/23)… She now has 1,621 career points… Has recorded four double-doubles in her career, most recently against Arizona State (2/15/25) with 24 points and a season-high 12 rebounds. Before that against Kansas (1/22/25) she had 30 points and 10 rebounds. Previously, both occurred in the 2022-23 season, against Cal (1/22) with 20 points and 10 rebounds and Washington State (2/12), she recorded a career high 13 rebounds and put up 14 points.
2023-24 (Junior)
Played and started in eight games before suffering a season ending injury… Was a Pac-12 Preseason All-Conference selection… Earned spots on the watchlists for the Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy and Ann Meyers Drysdale Award… Hit 1,000 career points when she put up 19 against Carroll College (Nov. 28)… Against EKU put up 16 points in just the third quarter, going 5-5 from the field, 4-4 from the three and 2-2 from the free throw line… Knocked down three or more three-pointers in all but one game his season, against Mississippi Valley State (4), South Carolina State (4), Baylor (3), Alaska Anchorage (4), EKU (5) and Carroll (3)… Averaged 17.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 3.85 apg and 2.0 spg… Shot 63.3% from the field, 54.0% from the three and 78.9% from the line.
2022-23 (Sophomore)
Earned WBCA Honorable Mention All-American and named to the Pac-12 First Team All-Conference… Earned First Team All-Conference for the second time in her career… Was a Top 5 Candidate for the Cheryl Miller Award… Started in all 32 games and averaged 28.3 minutes, 15.3 points, and 5.2 rebounds per game… Scored in double figures in all but seven games this season… Scored 20 or more points seven times, including a season high 28 points in the 84-78 win over No. 3 Stanford… Hit a three-pointer in 27-of-32 games, including a season high of five made three's on two separate occasions… Finished the season at third in the Pac-12 and 16th nationally at 42.3 percent from three-point range… Recorded her first career double-double against Cal on Jan. 22 and later posted a career high 13 rebounds for her second double-double with 14 points against Washington State on Feb. 12… Led the team in scoring 10 times… Shot 49.8 percent (160-for-321) from the field on the season, the fourth-best mark in the Pac-12… Was an 83.1 percent (98-for-118) from the free-throw line… Named to the Naismith Award Watch List.
2021-22 (Freshman)
Was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, First Team All-Pac-12, and Pac-12 All-Freshman honors… Just the second player in Utah history to earn Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors… Was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors five times, tied for the most by one player during the 2021-22 season… Appeared in 33 games while making 25 starts and averaged 23.7 minutes, 11.8 points, and 4.4 rebounds per game… Scored a career-high 29 points off the bench against BYU (12/5)… Hit a three-pointer in 29-of-33 games, including hitting at least one three-pointer in 22 straight games (12/21 – 3/18)… Led the team in scoring 11 times during her freshman season while scoring in double-figures in 20 contests… Shot 38.4 percent (56-for-146) on three-pointers on the season, the ninth-best mark in the Pac-12… Was an 87.1 percent (61-for-70) from the free-throw line. This is the ninth-best mark in a single season in school history.
High School
Became just the 12th player in Minnesota Prep girls basketball history to score 3,000+ career points out of Duluth Marshall HS, finishing with 3,704 which ranks fourth all-time… Four-star recruit on Prospect Nation… Prep Girls Hoops Class AA Player of the Year and News Tribune All-Area Player of the Year as a senior… Three-time all-state, and all-area, four-time all-conference… Set the state tournament record for points in a game, dropping 67 in the state tournament in 2021 where she averaged 43.1 points per game… Averaged 31.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5.8 steals and 4.6 assists per game as a junior… Led Duluth Marshall to its first state tournament in 20 years… Played AAU for the Minnesota Fury, winning two state championships while playing second at the AAU Under Armour Nationals… Was also a two-time all-conference and all-state soccer player.
Personal
Daughter of Donald and Betsy … has five brothers … was her high school's class president.
at Utah (2021-2025)
2024-25 (Senior)
A Cheryl Miller Award Top 10 Candidate, and named to the Naismith Trophy Player of the Year Midseason Team as well as named to the USBWA Ann Meyers Drysdale Player of the Year Midseason Watchlist… Named Big 12 Player of the Week after posting back-to-back 30 point games including a career-high 32 points against BYU (1/25)… Against Kansas, Kneepkens was on the brink of a triple-double as she combined 30 points with 10 rebounds, for her first double-double of the season; also posted a season-high eight assists… Logged three 30 point games this season. Most recently she tied her career-high 32 points against UCF (2/8/25)… Hit nine other 20-point games this season with the most recent when she scored 23 points against Texas Tech (3/6/25)…. Knocked down three or more three pointers in 17 games this season and Utah was 14-3 in those games… Averaged 19.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.03 apg and 1.03 spg… Shot 50.4 percent from the field, 44.8 percent from the three and 89.0 percent from the line… Led the team in made three pointers (94-of-210) and made free throws (121-of-136)… Ranked No. 16 in the NCAA in free throw percentage (89.0)… Finished the season at No. 44 in the nation in scoring with 599 total points on the season and No. 29 in points per game with 19.3… Ended the season in the Top 15 in every three point shooting category… No. 12 in the nation in three pointers made with 94, No. 12 in the nation in three point percentage (44.8) and No. 8 in the nation in three pointers made per game (3.03)… Had 248 total made three pointers in her Utah career… Sits at No. 3 on the school all-time threes made list… Became the seventh Ute in school history to hit the 200 milestone… Hit 1,000 career points when she put up 19 against Carroll College (11/28/23)… She now has 1,621 career points… Has recorded four double-doubles in her career, most recently against Arizona State (2/15/25) with 24 points and a season-high 12 rebounds. Before that against Kansas (1/22/25) she had 30 points and 10 rebounds. Previously, both occurred in the 2022-23 season, against Cal (1/22) with 20 points and 10 rebounds and Washington State (2/12), she recorded a career high 13 rebounds and put up 14 points.
2023-24 (Junior)
Played and started in eight games before suffering a season ending injury… Was a Pac-12 Preseason All-Conference selection… Earned spots on the watchlists for the Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy and Ann Meyers Drysdale Award… Hit 1,000 career points when she put up 19 against Carroll College (Nov. 28)… Against EKU put up 16 points in just the third quarter, going 5-5 from the field, 4-4 from the three and 2-2 from the free throw line… Knocked down three or more three-pointers in all but one game his season, against Mississippi Valley State (4), South Carolina State (4), Baylor (3), Alaska Anchorage (4), EKU (5) and Carroll (3)… Averaged 17.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 3.85 apg and 2.0 spg… Shot 63.3% from the field, 54.0% from the three and 78.9% from the line.
2022-23 (Sophomore)
Earned WBCA Honorable Mention All-American and named to the Pac-12 First Team All-Conference… Earned First Team All-Conference for the second time in her career… Was a Top 5 Candidate for the Cheryl Miller Award… Started in all 32 games and averaged 28.3 minutes, 15.3 points, and 5.2 rebounds per game… Scored in double figures in all but seven games this season… Scored 20 or more points seven times, including a season high 28 points in the 84-78 win over No. 3 Stanford… Hit a three-pointer in 27-of-32 games, including a season high of five made three's on two separate occasions… Finished the season at third in the Pac-12 and 16th nationally at 42.3 percent from three-point range… Recorded her first career double-double against Cal on Jan. 22 and later posted a career high 13 rebounds for her second double-double with 14 points against Washington State on Feb. 12… Led the team in scoring 10 times… Shot 49.8 percent (160-for-321) from the field on the season, the fourth-best mark in the Pac-12… Was an 83.1 percent (98-for-118) from the free-throw line… Named to the Naismith Award Watch List.
2021-22 (Freshman)
Was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, First Team All-Pac-12, and Pac-12 All-Freshman honors… Just the second player in Utah history to earn Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors… Was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors five times, tied for the most by one player during the 2021-22 season… Appeared in 33 games while making 25 starts and averaged 23.7 minutes, 11.8 points, and 4.4 rebounds per game… Scored a career-high 29 points off the bench against BYU (12/5)… Hit a three-pointer in 29-of-33 games, including hitting at least one three-pointer in 22 straight games (12/21 – 3/18)… Led the team in scoring 11 times during her freshman season while scoring in double-figures in 20 contests… Shot 38.4 percent (56-for-146) on three-pointers on the season, the ninth-best mark in the Pac-12… Was an 87.1 percent (61-for-70) from the free-throw line. This is the ninth-best mark in a single season in school history.
High School
Became just the 12th player in Minnesota Prep girls basketball history to score 3,000+ career points out of Duluth Marshall HS, finishing with 3,704 which ranks fourth all-time… Four-star recruit on Prospect Nation… Prep Girls Hoops Class AA Player of the Year and News Tribune All-Area Player of the Year as a senior… Three-time all-state, and all-area, four-time all-conference… Set the state tournament record for points in a game, dropping 67 in the state tournament in 2021 where she averaged 43.1 points per game… Averaged 31.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5.8 steals and 4.6 assists per game as a junior… Led Duluth Marshall to its first state tournament in 20 years… Played AAU for the Minnesota Fury, winning two state championships while playing second at the AAU Under Armour Nationals… Was also a two-time all-conference and all-state soccer player.
Personal
Daughter of Donald and Betsy … has five brothers … was her high school's class president.
Bruins Beyond Basketball: Charlisse Leger-Walker x Angela Dugalić
Tuesday, June 24
UCLA W. Basketball Postgame, Final Four – vs. UConn (April 4, 2025)
Friday, April 04
UCLA W. Basketball, Final Four Media Availability – Players (April 3, 2025)
Thursday, April 03
UCLA W. Basketball, Final Four Media Availability – Coach Close (April 3, 2025)
Thursday, April 03
