CHICAGO – UIC women's basketball announces
Laila Darden as its lone signee for National Signing Day. Darden will be joining the Flames for the 2027-28 season.
A 5-11 combo guard for McEwen (Tennessee) High School, Darden has had a stellar career, helping lead her team to two district championships, two regional runner-ups, and two substate games. Overall, Darden has played in 61 games for McEwen, averaging 30.8 points, 4.7 assists, 13.2 rebounds, 4.7 steals, and 1.9 blocks per game.
"We are thrilled to announce the signing of Laila Darden to our program," said head coach
Ashleen Bracey. "Laila is a tremendous addition to our family. She is a fierce competitor, plays the game with physicality on both ends, and has great size at her position to impact our team at multiple different positions. Laila is a multi-level scorer and elite defender with leadership qualities that will have an immediate impact on our roster. Laila is a high-character young lady with a team-first mentality. She is aligned with the shared values of our program and will be an incredible ambassador for our athletics program and university as a two-sport athlete."
Throughout her career, Darden has accumulated the following accolades: District II AAA All-District, District II AAA All-Tournament, Region 6 AAA All-Region, 2x District 12A All-District MVP, 2x District 12A All-Tournament, 2x Region 6A All-Region, 2025 16U Nike National Champion, 2026 BCAT Player of the Year, BCAT Girls All-State Team D1 Class A, and was a 2025 & 2026 Tennessee Class A Miss Basketball Finalist.
Darden has etched her name into the 2000-point club and the 500-rebound club while leading her team in points, rebounds, steals, assists, and blocks. She holds the record for most points in a single game with 50, in which she led her team to an 80-32 victory her sophomore season. In her junior season, Darden averaged 32.4 points, 14.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 4.8 steals, and 2.4 blocks per game.
Darden, a multi-sport athlete, will also be signing with the UIC softball team for the 2028 season.
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