Hailey Van Lith (5-7 JR point guard, Wenatchee, WA) has entered her name into the portal, out of Louisville WBB; 2022-23 stats: 19.7 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 3.2 APG, 55 steals; first-team All-ACC; USBWA and AP honorable mention All-America
Following open tryouts, TCU WBB has added three more preferred walk-ons to its roster for the remainder of the 2023-24 season: Piper Davis, Ella Hamlin, and Mekhayia Moore; the Horned Frogs return to the court on Tuesday, hosting UCF
With the transfer window closing tomorrow, five WBB programs from the Power 5 conferences have so far had no players enter the portal during the 2022-23 cycle:
Florida State (ACC)
Georgia (SEC)
Nebraska (Big Ten)
Notre Dame (ACC)
South Carolina (SEC)
NCAA panel approves flopping rule in WBB; other rules changes include reducing the restricted-area arc and eliminating the lower defensive box rule, as well as allowing players to wear numbers 0-99
Georgetown announces that WBB head coach Tasha Butts "will take time away from the team to focus on her health in her ongoing battle against breast cancer. Associate head coach Darnell Haney will lead the team in her absence."
Te-Hina Paopao (5-8 JR point guard, Oceanside, CA) has entered her name into the portal, out of Oregon WBB; 2022-23 stats: 13.1 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 3.3 APG, 45 steals; honorable mention All–Pac 12; was first-team All–Pac 12 the previous two seasons
The NCAA Division I Council has approved the creation of a College Basketball Academy for girls, with the first girls academy for prospects to take place in the summer of 2023; sites to be announced in January
Stanford WBB head coach Tara VanDerveer has announced her retirement after 38 seasons, 1,216 victories, three NCAA titles, and 14 Final fours; she "will continue to work with Stanford and the Athletics Department in an advisory capacity"
WBB: Brea Beal, 6-0 W, Rock Island HS (IL)—ranked
#13
in the 2019 class by espnW—has announced her commitment to South Carolina. Second 2019 commit for the Gamecocks, joining Zia Cooke, 5-9 PG, Toledo Rogers HS (OH), ranked
#7
.
Iowa State WBB transfer Lexi Donarski (6-0 JR guard, La Crosse, WI) has announced her commitment to North Carolina, who have also landed Boston College transfer forward/center Maria Gakdeng
Nikki McCray is apparently joining Coquese Washington's staff at Rutgers WBB as she appears in the university's staff directory; formerly: head coach at Mississippi State and Old Dominion and assistant coach at South Carolina
Arkansas WBB picks up a commitment from Samara Spencer, 5-9 G, St. Thomas Aquinas HS (Fort Lauderdale, FL), their third 2021 commit, joining Emrie Ellis (OK) and Ashlyn Sage (OK).
Congratulations to our 2021 G Samara Spencer
@slicksaucyyy
on committing to University of Arkansas
@RazorbackWBB
this evening! Extremely excited and proud of you for earning this special moment! Keep pushing, you continue to accomplish amazing things!
#STA
#SEC
Kudos to Mississippi State WBB—for not only keeping the bio pages of transferring players on their website but also noting that they entered the transfer portal (and they will later note where the players transferred, if they do what they did last year)
Oregon WBB transfer Te-Hina Paopao (5-8 JR point guard, Oceanside, CA) has announced her commitment to South Carolina; 2022-23 stats: 13.1 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 3.3 APG, 45 steals; honorable mention All–Pac 12; was first-team All–Pac 12 the previous two seasons
Florida State WBB head coach Brooke Wyckoff underwent successful surgery this morning to remove a mass diagnosed as breast cancer; doctors are optimistic that her long-term prognosis for full recovery is excellent; she anticipates a return by season opener
Joyce Edwards, 6-2 F, Camden HS (SC), has announced her commitment to South Carolina WBB, the third member of their 2024 class, joining Madisen McDaniel and Adhel Tac; Edwards's other finalists were Clemson and LSU
Sarah Strong, 6-2 W/F, Grace Christian School (Sanford, NC), has announced her commitment to UConn WBB (over Duke and North Carolina), joining Morgan Cheli and Allie Ziebell in their 2024 recruiting class
Maryland WBB transfer Ashley Owusu (6-0 JR point guard, Woodbridge, VA) has announced her commitment to Virginia Tech; 2021-22 stats: 14.3 PPG, 3.7 APG, 3.1 RPG; second-team All–Big Ten; honorable mention All-American; 2019 McDonald's All American
Every time former players allege mistreatment/abuse by a coach, there are others who pop up defending that coach. But the bottom line is one abused player is one too many, and just because you had no issues with that coach, doesn't negate how the coach may have treated others.
Virginia Tech WBB transfers Georgia Amoore (5-6 SR point guard, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia) and Clara Strack (6-5 FR center, Buffalo, NY) have both announced their commitment to Kentucky
Utah WBB coach Lynne Roberts not happy with how other teams are playing against Alissa Pili: "We’ve got WNBA people here to watch her and she gets hurt because they’re just kicking the crap out of her. That’s not right. That’s got to get fixed."
Lauren Betts (6-7 FR center, Centennial, CO) has entered her name into the portal, out of Stanford WBB; see her WBB Blog page () for a rundown of her original recruitment
Perhaps some of these coaches need to go back to recruiting more high schoolers instead of building SR/GR-heavy rosters replenished every year from the portal—can't blame younger players for hitting the portal if they aren't playing and are getting recruited over
The top two scorers at DePaul WBB into the portal:
—Aneesah Morrow, 6-1 SO wing/forward, Chicago, IL (25.7 PPG, 12.2 RPG, 87 steals, 42 blocks)
—Darrione Rogers, 5-11 JR guard, Chicago, IL (16.8 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 5.1 APG)
Jaden Owens (5-8 FR point guard, Plano, TX) is in the transfer portal out of UCLA WBB; as a top-15 ranked player in the 2019 class, she chose UCLA over Baylor, Louisville, Mississippi State, Ohio State, and Texas
A "do not contact" designation in the portal doesn't automatically mean the player has already decided on a new school. They may not want to have numerous coaches contacting them from schools they aren't interesting in; instead, they'll reach out to the schools of their choosing.
Mississippi State WBB transfer Rickea Jackson (6-2 JR wing, Detroit, MI) has announced her commitment to Tennessee WBB, which earlier received a commitment from Minnesota transfer Jasmine Powell, a 5-6 JR point guard also hailing from Detroit
Ashley Owusu (6-0 JR point guard, Woodbridge, VA) has announced that she's entering her name into the transfer portal, out of Maryland WBB; 2021-22 stats: 14.3 PPG, 3.7 APG, 3.1 RPG; second-team All–Big Ten; honorable mention All-American; 2019 McDonald's All American
The NCAA official visit rules are changing on July 1: prospects will no longer have a limit to the number of official visits they can take. Prospects can take one OV per school, unless there is a head coaching change after an OV—then a 2nd can be taken.
WBB: Aliyah Boston, 6-4 C, Worcester Academy (MA), ranked
#3
in the 2019 class by espnW, has announced her choice: South Carolina.
The Gamecocks’ 2019 class also includes three other top-15 prospects:
#7
Zia Cooke,
#10
Laeticia Amihere, and
#13
Brea Beal.
And then there are players who enter the portal, sign with a new program, and then the head coach leaves. Spare me your portal hot take if you're complaining about player "loyalty" and ignoring all the job-hopping in the coaching ranks.
Seton Hall WBB grad transfer Lauren Park-Lane (5-3 SR point guard, Wilmington, DE) has announced her commitment to Mississippi State; 2022-23 stats: 20.8 PPG, 6.3 APG; first-team All–Big East
Turns out Lindsay Whalen didn't step down as Minnesota WBB head coach—she was terminated without cause; and she hasn't stayed on as a special assistant as originally reported—she declined that offer and took a $215,000 termination fee
Syracuse WBB coach Felisha Legette-Jack reveals why she had to step away at the start of the season: she had a noncancerous brain tumor removed at the end of September (which involved three surgeries); she's now "ready to go"
Wake Forest WBB transfer Jewel Spear (5-10 JR combo guard, The Colony, TX) has announced her commitment to Tennessee, who have also landed Pitt transfer wing Avery Strickland and Belmont transfer point guard Destinee Wells
NC State WBB transfer Jakia Brown-Turner (6-0 SR wing, Oxon Hill, MD) has announced her commitment to Maryland; 2022-23 stats: 9.1 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.8 APG; over four years: 1,273 points, 526 rebounds
Duke WBB grad transfer Celeste Taylor (5-11 SR guard, Valley Stream, NY) has announced her commitment to Ohio State; she started her college career at Texas
Pierre Curtis has been named the new Furman WBB head coach; he's been on the staff there are for ten years and was promoted to associate head coach in 2019
Belmont WBB transfer Destinee Wells (5-6 JR point guard, Lakeland, TN), first-team All-MVC in 2022-23 (19.5 PPG), has announced her commitment to Tennessee
Senior forward Maddy Westbeld has announced she's returning to Notre Dame WBB for the 2024-25 season, using her COVID extra year of eligibility; 14.4 PPG and 8.7 RPG in 2023-24; second-team All-ACC
Georgia Tech WBB grad transfer Kierra Fletcher (5-9 SR guard, Warren, MI) has announced her commitment to South Carolina; she redshirted the 2021-22 season following foot surgery; 13.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 3.7 APG in 2020-21
NC State WBB transfer Diamond Johnson (5-5 JR point guard, Philadelphia, PA) has announced her commitment to Norfolk State; 2022-23 stats: 12.3 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 3.5 APG; she spent her freshman year at Rutgers
WBB: Treasure Hunt, 6-1 W, Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Chattanooga, TN), has announced her commitment to Kentucky, joining Nyah Leveretter (SC) and Erin Toller (KY) in their 2020 class. Her other finalists were Auburn, Baylor, and South Carolina. Ranked
#28
by espnW.
Talaysia Cooper (6-0 FR point guard, Turbeville, SC) has entered her name into the portal, out of South Carolina WBB; see her WBB Blog page for a rundown of her original recruitment
Kentucky WBB transfer Dre'una Edwards (6-2 RS JR forward, Compton, CA) has announced her commitment to Baylor; 2021-22 stats: 16.8 PPG, 8.4 RPG; started her college career at Utah
WBB: Jordan Horston, 6-1 G, Columbus Africentric HS (OH)—ranked
#2
in the 2019 class by espnW—has announced her commitment to Tennessee; her other finalists were UCLA, UConn, Louisville, North Carolina, Ohio State, and South Carolina
Senior center and All-American Elizabeth Kitley has announced that she'll return to Virginia Tech WBB for the 2023-24 season, using her COVID extra year of eligibility
MacKenly Randolph, 6-1 F, Sierra Canyon School (Chatsworth, CA), has announced her commitment to Louisville WBB (over Michigan State & Notre Dame); Randolph is the 5th member of Louisville's 2024 class, joining Izela Arenas, Anaya Hardy, Isla Juffermans, and Tajianna Roberts
There are dozens of head coaching changes every year and assistant coaches constantly moving from one staff to another, yet it's player movement that gets harped on, over and over again
Have seen a number of programs acknowledge all their graduating players, including players who decided to enter the portal. Hope people are noting those that don't do so—especially those who at the same time are signing grad transfers from other programs.
Kentucky WBB transfer Jada Walker (5-7 SO point guard, Richmond, VA) has announced her commitment to Baylor; 2022-23 stats: 12.9 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 3.1 APG, 81 steals. Third portal pickup for Baylor, joining Madison Bartley (6-3 F from Belmont) and Yaya Felder (5-8 PG from Ohio).
It now appears that South Carolina won't owe BYU anything for backing out of their home-and-home WBB series because the contract was signed only by South Carolina
Madisen McDaniel, 5-5 PG, Bishop McNamara (Forestville, MD), has announced her commitment to South Carolina WBB, their first 2024 commit; her other finalists were Duke, Georgia, and Tennessee
Louisville WBB coach Jeff Walz rips officiating after late-game intentional foul call in 73-72 loss to Syracuse: "That call was the worst call I've seen in my 29 years of coaching."
Have probably said this before, but when you're writing your commitment announcement, double-check the official name of the school you've chosen—not every school is University of ______________
2024 WBB prospect MacKenly Randolph, 6-1 F, Sierra Canyon School (Chatsworth, CA), has announced her top five schools—Duke, Louisville, Michigan State, Notre Dame, South Carolina; daughter of Zach Randolph, who played at Michigan State and in the NBA
Taliah Scott (5-9 FR shooting guard, Orange Park, FL) has announced that she's entering her name into the portal; 2023-24 stats: 20 games (started 19), 36.4 MPG, 22.1 PPG, 3.3 RPG
Buffalo WBB transfer Dyaisha Fair (5-5 JR point guard, Rochester, NY) has announced her commitment to Syracuse; 2021-22 stats: 23.4 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 4.4 APG, 71 steals; 1st-team All-MAC; AP honorable mention All-American; finalist for the Becky Hammon Mid-Major POY Award