Five-star basketball recruit Olivia Vukosa hints at her 'Final 7' colleges countdown amid recruitment rumors

By Insiya Johar

Modified Feb 18, 2025 13:44 GMT

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Class of 2026 five-star recruit Olivia Vukosa plays as a power forward for Christ The King Regional High School in Whitestone, New York. On Saturday, Olivia revealed in an Instagram post that she is narrowing her college list from 16 programs to the "Final 7," with the list "coming soon."

"The final countdown….," Vukosa captioned the post.

Last year in September, she revealed the 16 college programs that had recruited her.

"The tickets have been punched...Thank you to all the schools that have recruited me and I can't wait to continue the process!!" Vukosa wrote.

The list consists of: Ohio State, South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucky, Louisiana State, Louisville, Texas, Tennesse, Miami, UConn, Notre Dame and Iowa, among others.

Olivia Vukosa bags the CHSAA Player of the Year award

On Saturday, Olivia Vukosa was named the Catholic High School Athletic Association Girls Player of the Year. Per its Facebook page, "CHSAA is a high school athletic association made up of Catholic high schools based in New York City, Long Island, Westchester and Buffalo."

Christ The King Regional High School shared the news on Instagram and wrote:

"Congratulations to @olivia.vukosa on being selected as the Girls CHSAA Player of the Year."

Last year at the U17 World Cup in Mexico, Vukosa became the first player to record 50 in performance efficiency valuation and was named the Best Defensive Player. Her splendid performance was recorded in the "Top 10 Stories of the FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup 2024" by FIBA Basketball.

"The Croatian center achieved the feat on the last day of the competition,"FIBA Basketball wrote. "She harvested a jaw-dropping double-double of 31 points and 24 rebounds, while also blocking an outstanding six shots, snapping up three steals and dishing out two assists. She was also named as the Best Defensive Player at the Event."

On Jan. 17, the Royals went up against Ontario Christian at Springfield College's Blake Area. Vukosa recorded 25 points, nine rebounds and three assists as the Royals landed an 87-75 win. The 6-foot-5 center was awarded the MVP honor.

In an interview with Mass Live, Olivia Vukosa spoke about the game and said she felt confident in her team's spirit, especially in the second half.

"Our bench energy was great today, especially picked up in the second half. And I think that’s what we needed the most,” Vukosa said. “If we couldn’t win, we knew we (were) going to make it a lot closer than it was.”

Coach Bob Mackey also praised her and called her multi-talented:

"She’s improved her coordination, both left and right side. She’s not one-dimensional where all it is is just one move. She’s multi-talented either side – she can shoot it, she can put it on the floor, she can get to the rim. She really has matured as a young woman just finishing.”

In her high school basketball career with the Royals, Olivia Vukosa has registered 1,000 points, 600+ rebounds and more than 65 double-doubles, per SI.