The Huskies are going up against some of the top powers in the sport for center Eve Long.
Five-star center Eve Long is ready to let women’s college basketball fans from coast to coast know where she plans to play after her 2027 high school graduation.
Long, a 6-foot-3 center from Olathe, Kan., is set to announce her college choice on Wednesday at 11:15 a.m. CT at the Olathe South Commons.
It’s an announcement that will be watched out west, where UCLA is one of her three finalists. And in the Midwest, where Notre Dame remains under consideration. And to the east in Storrs, Conn., where Geno Auriemma and his Huskies program made the cut.
Based on the overwhelming number of responses from Huskies fans to her social media post announcing her decision timing, it’s clear they have been watching her progress in high school.
So has Notre Dame star Hannah Hidalgo, who chimed in with this comment: “Only 1 correct choice.”
With about 40 schools, almost all Power Four programs, in pursuit of her services, Long originally narrowed her list to five, with Kansas and Duke falling off.
The Eve Long file
Long is ranked by the 247Sports composite as the top player in Kansas, the No. 2 center in the nation and the No. 13 player overall in the Class of 2027.
She stands just behind Caroline Bradley of Oak Grove, La., who is committed to LSU in the center rankings.
Following the 2026 high school season, Long won Gatorade Kansas Girls Basketball Player of the Year honors. At the time of her selection in March, Long had led Olathe South to a 20-5 record and a berth in the Class 6A state tournament quarterfinals. Long averaged 32.7 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.3 steals, 1.4 blocks and 1.0 assists through those first 25 games.
In the state quarterfinal game, she scored a game-high 30 points in a 55-45 loss to Wichita East.
Long also was a Naismith Award Girls Player of the Year Midseason Team selection and the Sunflower League Player of the Year
“Eve Long is on another level,” said Doug Archer, head coach of Shawnee Mission East High School. “Her production is insane. She is extremely hard to stop when she has the ball in her hands because of her size and skill level. She can single-handedly win games.”
National experience
Long was a member of the 2025 USA Women’s U16 National Team, which won the god medal of the 2025 FIBA U16 AmeriCup. She was named to the AmeriCup All-Star Five during the tournament in Irapuato, Mexico.
In six starts, she averaged 11.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals.
UConn’s next class
UConn, the defending national champs, have two players signed to the Class of 2026: Jovana Popovic and Olivia Vukosa.
Popovic is a 5-foot-8 guard from Vrbas, Serbia. She has played with Serbia’s national program since 2021.
"Jovana is a high-level guard with a lot of experience," Auriemma said in November at the time Popovic signed. "She can handle the ball, she's a playmaker, she can score. Jovana is a really nice kid who will fit in great with our team."
Also on board is 6-foot-4 center Olivia Vukosa of Whitestone, N.Y., a five-star prospect named by the 247Sports composite as the nation’s No. 1 center and No. 4 overall player. She was named both the Gatorade New York Girls Basketball Player of the Year and Gatorade’s National Player of the Year.
"We think Olivia is one of those players that we've had so much success with," Auriemma said of Vukosa." She's a big kid who can move, she has skills, she's smart. She works really hard at both ends of the floor. She comes from a great program. I think she's the kind of basketball big kid that the game demands today. She's a terrific kid and comes from a great family. We're really lucky, and we're excited to have her here."
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