Elina Aarnisalo's transfer destination brings her back to the old stomping grounds

When Elina Aarnisalo entered the transfer portal with a "do not contact" tag, many believed that she would be heading back to where her college career began.

On Sunday night, Aarnisalo made it official, as she's heading back to UCLA.

Elina Aarnisalo is returning to the UCLA Bruins

After starting her career at UCLA, Aarnisalo elected to transfer to North Carolina, a move that paid off for both sides. Aarnisalo became a full-time starter during her sophomore season, serving as the only Tar Heel to post multiple 20+ point outings during the 2025-2026 season.

A crafty guard, Aarnisalo averaged 10.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game in what will be her lone season as a Tar Heel.

Of course, it's tough to speculate the reasoning behind her decision to return to UCLA. It's possible that the window for more playing time (given the defending champion Bruins are graduating a good chunk of its title team squad), was enough to convince her to return to UCLA.

Maybe it's due to the distance from Finland, as the flight from California is a few hours shorter than it would be from Raleigh/Durham (given the need for connecting flights).

While everyone wishes Aarnisalo well as she returns to UCLA, the news is disappointing given her steady improvement throughout her lone season in Chapel Hill.

We all expected UNC to roll with a backcourt of Aarnisalo and Lanie Grant once again, both of whom gained a ton of experience as sophomores and definitely were on the verge of forming a dynamic duo together. However, things didn't work out that way, as Aarnisalo returned to UCLA while Grant surprised us all when she entered the portal herself (landing at TCU).

It's easy to panic or think there's chaos ensuing in Chapel Hill, but don't worry: Courtney Banghart and the Tar Heels have been doing work in the transfer portal to replenish the lost talent that departed campus during this cycle.

As she's proven year after year, Banghart will find a way to ensure that North Carolina remains among the country's best squads.