In-State '25 Forward Grace Mbugua Commits to Louisville

The 6-foot-5 forward ranked in the top-five in the state in both scoring and rebounding last season.

Danville (Ky.) Christian forward Grace Mbugua / University of Louisville Athletics

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - On the heels of signing a top-ten 2024 recruiting class, the Louisville women's basketball program is now on the board in the Class of 2025 - and they've landed one of the top prospects in the state.

Grace Mbugua, a standout forward hailing from Danville (Ky.) Christian, announced Friday that she has given her verbal pledge to the Cardinals. She chose Louisville over Baylor, Duke, Florida, Kentucky, LSU, NC State and West Virginia.

The 6-foot-5 power forward had formerly been committed to Liberty, but after decommitting this past March, multiple power conference programs got involved in her recruitment over the summer. She took visits to Kentucky, NC State, LSU and Baylor before taking one to Louisville this past weekend.

A native of Kenya who moved to the Bluegrass State when she was 12, Mbugua has developed into one of Kentucky's top women's high school basketball players. In three years at Danville (Ky.) Christian, she has scored 2,007 points and grabbed 1,527 rebounds, the latter of which puts her in striking distance of breaking the state record of 1,978.

Last season as a junior, Mbugua averaged 25.7 points and 15.4 rebounds a game, which ranked fifth and second in the state, respectively. She also helped guide the Lady Warriors to a 29-3 record, as well as the 12th Region championship. She is unlikely to be ready for the start of her upcoming senior season due to suffering a torn ACL during the summer.

(Photo of Grace Mbugua via University of Louisville Athletics)

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