eagle staff report
Sophomore guard Sydney Bowles and freshman guard Kylie Marshall have entered the transfer portal for the Texas A&M women's basketball team.
They join sophomore forward Jania Barker, junior guard Tineya Hilton, junior forward MJ Johnson and senior guard Kay Kay Green, who previously entered the portal.
Bowles and Marshall's presence in the portal was confirmed by A&M officials.
Bowles averaged 4.1 points and 1.9 rebounds last season. Marshall played in just nine games, totaling eight points and seven rebounds in 39 minutes.
The 6-foot Bowles averaged 9.1 ppg and 3.2 rpg as a freshman. She started all 29 games for a 9-20 team under first-year head coach Joni Taylor. Bowles led the team in minutes played, making 52 of 181 (28.7%) 3-point shots. She scored 22 points, her career high, in a win over Vanderbilt in the 2023 Southeastern Conference Tournament. Bowles, along with Barker, made the SEC all-freshman team.
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Last season, Bowles' playing time decreased as A&M added Southern California guard Endia Rodgers and Auburn winger Aisha Koulibaly through the transfer portal, both of whom became starters. They teamed with returning starters Sahara Jones and Barker, along with junior forward Lauren Ware, a transfer from Arizona, to help A&M improve to 19-13 with 10 wins. The Aggies also appeared in the NCAA Tournament, ending a two-year hiatus.
Bowles, the No. 37 player in the 2022 class, signed Taylor during his time at the University of Georgia. Bowles followed Taylor to A&M, along with Barker and Hilton, who also signed with Georgia. Barker was rated No. 3 in the 2022 class, and Hilton joined the Georgia program in the spring of 2022 after being moved from the 2021 Sign Language class to 2022 due to COVID-19.
This trio ranks Georgia in a top-10 recruiting class.
Marshall, who played at Mansfield Lake Ridge, was the top-ranked player in the state and No. 35 overall by ESPN's Hoop Guards.