The transfer portal was officially closed on Wednesday. There is no deadline for players already participating to make a final decision, and with final exams looming, a lull in announcements is expected as some players and programs pause visits. Masu. Players may also return to their current program as long as their scholarship spots and program preferences are on hold. There is no need to leave just by entering the portal.
Even though so many players are still in the portal, many have already made their decisions, changing the way we think about the team heading into the 2024-25 season.
That means it's time to examine the impact of the past six weeks. Depending on who they acquire and who they lose, teams will emerge from his 2024 transfer portal as winners or losers. There is still time for players to make decisions. Jania Barker's contributions could move the team into the “winner” category, but this is a shake-up of the current situation.
winner
University of Southern California
in: Kiki Iliafen (Stanford University), Talia von Elfhoffen (Oregon State University)
outside: Taylor Bigby (TCU), Kayla Williams (TBD)
The Trojans were the big winners in the Unofficial Transfer Portal Championship. They not only captured the best player in the portal, Ilia Fen, but also managed to fill an important hole in the team, which was already playing at the Elite 8 level last season. Don't get me wrong, losing a sixth woman like Bigby is tough, but with the additions of Iliafen and von Oelhoffen (and a shot at a potentially great starting five) , USC currently looks like South Carolina's biggest threat to repeating as champions. With Raya Marshall and Iliafen, coach Lindsey Gottlieb has a formidable post tandem that can go toe-to-toe with the best players, and von Olhoffen strengthens a backcourt that lost its No. 2 and No. 3 assist makers. There is. This season isn't about “JuJu and The Nerds,” it's about “Holy Smokes USC has a stacked starting core.”
university university
in: Caitlin Chen (Princeton)
outside: Ines Bettencourt (Gonzaga), Amari DeBerry (Maryland)
UW’s health has been the main obstacle to fulfilling its potential over the past three seasons. But Paige Backers and Aliyah Edwards blew away the Huskies, leading six healthy players to the Final Four in 2024. So let's put that debate aside and consider where the Huskies will be in a few months. Special thanks to Geno Auriemma for the backcourt coup he got with Chen's contributions to Collegiate Con. Chen is considered perhaps the best point guard in this portal, and USC, UCLA, and Stanford were also rumored to be interested in her. She strengthens the Huskies, who already had the talent to return to the Final Four. Bettencourt and DeBerry were never part of the rotation in a program plagued by depth and health issues over the past few seasons. DeBerry also battled injuries throughout his three-year career. Chen eased the post-Nika Muhl transition and put the Buccaneers, KK Arnold and Ashlyn Shade in more position to receive passes from another elite court general made even more dangerous by his ability to get buckets. allows you to get a job. (Chen averaged 14 points per game in her three seasons in the Ivy league.)
Officially it's a husky💙
Welcome to UConn, Caitlin Chen! pic.twitter.com/HfTLp5KVSl
— UConn Women's Basketball (@UConnWBB) May 1, 2024
maryland
in: Saylor Poffenberger (Arkansas), Amari DeBerry (UConn), Kaylen Smikle (Rutgers), Sara Tebias (VCU), Christina Dulce (Villanova).
outside: Faith Masonius (Seton Hall), Riley Nelson (Duke), Summer Bostock (TBC), Hawa Doumbouya (Virginia)
The Terrapins needed to reload this offseason, and they did, as the Big Ten added two top-10 teams from Los Angeles. Poffenberger could lead the Big Ten in rebounding next season. Smickle and Tebias provide two scoring options, with Shan'ann Sellers and Bri McDaniel at center, ensuring Maryland has offensive threats at all five positions. The addition of Dulce in the post gives her another rebounder alongside Poffenberger, who is now the Big East Defensive Player of the Year (2.3 blocks per game). Brenda Frese's team will have a lot of new faces on the floor, which could be a good thing considering they hit .500 in league play last season.
in: Talia Scott (Arkansas), Deyona Gaston (Texas)
outside: Sydney Shaw (West Virginia), McKenna Eddings (Southern Georgia), Keona Gaines (TBD)
In three seasons at Auburn, Johnny Harris has already more than doubled the Tigers' win total from 10-18 in 2021-22 to 22-12 last season. Despite that growth, the program still finished in the middle of the SEC, but it was enough for Auburn to make it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019. There were minutes and hours as the Tigers lost their two best players to graduation and Shaw to the portal. It was an alternating production, but Harris got a big win by getting Scott and Gaston involved. Scott averaged 22.1 points per game at Arkansas last season, but dropped 33 points at Auburn in February. Although he has three years of eligibility remaining, Scott appears to be the future of this program. Gaston, a graduate transfer, steps in as a stable veteran presence to help Harris bring in a developing young core. She was a first-team All-Big 12 member as a junior and was named the Big 12's sixth player of the year in 2022-23, making her a consistent double-digit scorer and strong player at Auburn. He should be a great defender.
iowa
in:Lucy Olsen (Villanova)
outside: none
This team won't be better than last season, but with the right additions of a proven scorer and primary ball handler, the Hawkeyes could be in the top third of the Big Ten and establish themselves as an offensive juggernaut. There is a chance to keep it. Olsen will slot in next to Sydney Affolter and Hannah Stuelke, who showed up when their number was called later this year, and should have a chance to return to the power forward position with the addition of 6-foot-4 freshman Ava. . Heiden. Last season at Villanova, Olsen averaged 23.3 points and 3.8 assists per game. Her 3-point shooting percentage was the lowest of her career, but she also stood out defensively as Nova's main threat. With more scorers across the board at Iowa, she should have plenty of room to at least get back to her sophomore level of 36 percent 3-point shooting.
even deeper
Iowa State land guard Lucy Olsen transferred from Villanova
loser
oregon
in: Lucia Navarro (Florida)
outside: Regan Beers (Oklahoma), Talia von Olhoffen (USC), Timea Gardiner (TBD), Donovin Hunter (TBD), Lily Hansford (TBD), Dominika Paulova (TBD), Adree. Blackrock (TBD), Martha Pietsch (TBD)
It physically pains me to put Oregon State in the loser category. Because, as I've said before in my long history of West Coast reviews, we're all losers for losing in the Pac-12 Conference. But we can't ignore the fact that this Elite 8 team, like the conference, has completely dismantled itself. I never blame the players for making moves that make sense for them, and remaining in a power conference makes sense for the players, especially those who want to play professionally. But we will be lonely if America's team is scattered across the country. Long live the Pac-12 (she says as she curls up with a bottle of wine, crying quietly).
News: Reagan Beals — No. 1 player in the world @ChantelJenningsShe announced on social media Monday that she has committed to Oklahoma in the transfer portal rankings.
“I'm home.”
🎥 @RaeganBeers | @OU_WBBall pic.twitter.com/8jQJSqzKZc
— The Athletic WBB (@TheAthleticWBB) April 29, 2024
arkansas
in: Izzy Higginbottom (Arkansas)
outside: Talia Scott (Auburn), Saylor Poffenbarger (Maryland), Mariam Dauda (TBD), Samara Spencer (TBD), Jersey Wolfenberger (LSU)
The Razorbacks transferred four starters, including their top scorer (Scott, 22.1 points per game), top rebounder (Poffenberger, 11.2 rebounds per game), and top passer (Spencer, 3.5 assists per game). Lost in portal. To make matters worse, Scott, Poffenberger, Dauda, and Wolfenberger each had more than two years of eligibility remaining. So not only is next year's production gone, but so are many of Arkansas' future plans. Higginbottom averaged 22.2 points and 3.7 assists per game last season at Arkansas State, and has some of that production within reach, and with two years of eligibility remaining, she He's not just a stopgap player for coach Mike Neighbors. However, with Texas and Oklahoma joining next season to strengthen the SEC, the Razorbacks could have had a little more continuity heading into the 2024-25 season.
michigan
in: Allie Vantimeren (Boston University)
outside: Laila Ferrier (Texas), Kyla Evans (Utah), Cameron Williams (TBD), Taylor Williams (Northwestern), Taylor Woodson (Minnesota), Elise Stack (Ball State)
The loss of Feria is significant. She was the Wolverines' leading scorer last season (16.8 PPG) and was expected to be the face of Michigan Athletics (and not just women's basketball) this season as well. Adding Evans and Cameron Williams to the departure list means the Wolverines will be without three of their top four projected returning players, leaving Ann Arbor with just Jordan Hobbs as its cornerstone. Buntymermen, a Michigan product, could still contribute next season, but she doesn't jump off the page as the Wolverines' clear leading scorer or rebounder next season. Last season at Boston University, she averaged 5.7 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.
colorado
in: Naimah Due (Iowa State University), Lior Garzon (Oklahoma State University)
outside: Aaronette Vonleh (Baylor), 6 freshmen and sophomores.
The big personal loss here is Vonleh. The junior averaged 14 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.1 stock (combined blocks and steals) last season, making the most of the departures of Jaylin Sherrod, Quay Miller, and Maddie Nolan (all of whom either exhausted their eligibility or turned pro). ), the Buffaloes' future seemed in jeopardy. It orbits around Vonleh. No more. Beyond Vonleh, six Colorado freshmen and sophomores entered the portal, eliminating players who could potentially play further this season. J.R. Payne still has options (3-point shooting should be solid with Frieda Forman and Garzon), but Colorado will have an almost entirely new roster in its first season in the Big 12.
stanford
in: none
outside:Kiki Iriafen (USC)
Only one player has transferred to Stanford since 2019, so it's not too surprising that no players have transferred to the Cardinal so far this offseason. However, it will be tough to lose Iliafen to the portal without replacing players other than new recruits, and having Cameron Brink and Hannah Jump graduate in the same offseason. First-year coach Kate Paye will have to adjust to a number of changes as Stanford looks for new go-to players in a brand new conference that requires cross-border travel. Even if one veteran moves on, it could help ease that adjustment, but that doesn't seem to be the path for Stanford right now.
Added one of the best star players in the country to the team.
Welcome to the fam, Kiki Iliafen! ✌️ pic.twitter.com/WZxqGE3jCH
— USC Women's Basketball (@USCWBB) May 1, 2024
The verdict is still out
oklahoma
in:Reagan Beer (Oregon)
outside: Kayla Cooper (TBD), Kelby Washington (TBD)
Adding a physical post presence like Beals would be a smart move for the Sooners as they enter the SEC. With her, Oklahoma will be on par with the South Carolinas and Texas of the world on inside defense. But I'm still trying to find my fit offensively. The Beavers played a controlled, slow style with fewer than 68 possessions per game. At Oklahoma, coach Jenny Baranczyk liked to go fast, and the Sooners were on pace to rank in the top 3 percent nationally with at least 77 possessions per game. That's important. It will be interesting to see Beers in a different system and will definitely give WNBA scouts a different take on the 6-4 forward.
(Photos of Kiki Iliafen, Regan Beers and Laila Ferrier: Steph Chambers/Getty Images, Ali Gradischer/Getty Images, Andy Lyons/Getty Images)