The transfer portal in women's college basketball has never been more important or a bigger offseason story than it is this year. More than 1,150 players from over 235 Power 5 schools have entered the portal, and it has changed the sport on a daily basis as new players commit to new schools.
The recent one-time transfer with no penalty rule makes it easier to leave a school. Transferring within the same conference is now commonplace. There were a third of the transfers on the top 30 list that involved conference moves.
The Maryland Terrapins, Louisville Cardinals, Tennessee Lady Volunteers, South Florida Bulls, Georgia Lady Bulldog, and LSU Tigers are some of the teams that have been active in acquiring and losing players. Two stars and a part-time starter are no longer with the team. Because of the portal, both the Tigers and the Bulldogs will have almost completely reworked their rosters.
When the 2022-23 season begins in November, how much of a difference will these changes make? We break that down with a list of the most impactful transfers who have found a landing spot, and another 15 players who have yet to make a decision. Our rankings will change a lot when players such as Angel Reese and Ashley Owusu join their new schools.
1. Rickea Jackson is from Tennessee.
Jackson was leading the SEC in scoring when she left Mississippi State. She should be considered an early SEC Player of the Year. When the Lady Vols reached the Sweet 16 for the first time in two years, Jackson was their kind of versatile scorer.
2. Lavender Briggs is from Maryland.
The decision of Reese and Owusu to leave was somewhat lessened by the knowledge thatBriggs was already on her way to College Park. She decided to transfer from Florida six days after she injured her shin. In 2020-21, she averaged 19.5 points per game, and she could form a wing duo with Diamond Miller.
3. Taylor Jones is from Texas.
Jones missed most of last season with a shoulder injury, and her absence was a significant loss for Oregon State, which missed the NCAA tournament for the first time in three years. She gets closer to her hometown of Forney, Texas, by joining the Longhorns and has shown a glimpse of being a dominant post presence in her first three seasons.
4. Diamond Battles is from Georgia.
The reigning AAC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year decided to forgo the NBA for one more college season and followed her coach to Athens. Battles, who averaged 13.9 points, 3.4 assists and 2.1 steals last season at UCF, will be a pivotal piece to major roster turnover at Georgia.
5. Morgan Jones is from Louisville.
Jones has been looked at by Jeff Walz. Jones scored 28 and 26 points against Louisville. She hopes to do it for the Cards. Louisville has some open spots that Jones should help fill, since Kianna Smith, Emily Engstler and Chelsie Hall all used up their eligibility.
6. Kierra is from South Carolina.
This is an example of the need for a perfect match. Destanni Henderson was replaced by a veteran point guard who had championship ambitions for her final season. A four-year starter at Georgia Tech before missing all of last season with a foot injury, he averaged 13.0 points and 3.7 assists in 2020-21.
7. Chrislyn Carr is from Louisville.
While Jones looks to be more of a replacement for Smith, Carr is the shooter to replace him, providing balance to the lineup. Louisville will be Carr's fourth school. She played two full seasons at Texas Tech and was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year before moving on to Baylor midway through the 2020-21 season. Carr never played a game for the Lady Bears, and played for Syracuse last season, where she averaged 14.2 points and was a 37.2% 3-point shooter.
There are 8. Jasmine Franklin is from Tennessee.
If Franklin wasn't coming off a knee injury, this ranking would be even higher. Franklin was on her way to an All-American-type season before tearing her knee in December. Franklin started playing basketball for Tennessee when the coach was in her sixth and final season with the Lady Bears.
There are 9. The girl is 6-1, G, Jr., Indiana.
In order to finish her career in her home state, she leaves Oregon and Eugene for Bloomington, where she will add veteran presence to a program that lost a lot of it. Four of the five players in the 2020 recruiting class have now left. As a sophomore, he averaged 8.4 points and was a 34.7% 3-point shooter.
10. Jasmine Powell is from Tennessee.
The transfer portal might give her the best team she has had. With Jackson as a scorer with size, Franklin as a rebounder and defender and Powell as a pure point guard,Harper has added much more than she lost. Powell averaged 5.7 assists before he left Minnesota last season. She was a double-figure scorer in each of her three seasons at the University of Minnesota.
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11. Sara Scalia is from Indiana.
The Hoosiers have had a lot of success over the past two seasons, but 3-point shooting was one area where they fell short. The addition of Scalia and Parrish should make perimeter shooting a strength. Scalia scored 17.8 points per game at Minnesota last season, good for eighth in the Big Ten, and she made 41.3% of her 3-pointers.
There are 12. The girl is from Maryland.
Maryland coach Frese tried pulling from the Ivy League once, but it didn't work out. After transferring from Harvard, Benzan gave the Terps two very productive seasons. The last season of the Ivy League Player of the Year will be her last as a member of the Terrapins. The 21-point game against Texas was one of two games in which Meyers scored at least 19 points.
13 Collins is a member of the NC State Wolfpack.
Collins will be welcomed in Raleigh because of herVersatility and her 38.3% 3-point shooter in her career, but her Statistically, the 2021-22 season at Maryland took a step backwards, but herVersatility and her 38.3% 3-point shooter in her career will be welcomed in Raleigh. The Wolfpack will have a solid frontcourt with River Baldwin joining Collins as a transfer and Jada Boyd and Camille Hobby returning. Two more years of eligibility remain for Collins, who began her career at Tennessee.
There are 14. Esmery Martinez is from LSU.
In 2020-21, he averaged a double-double. The numbers fell off slightly at West Virginia last season, but with the addition of LaDazhia Williams and Hannah Gusters, the Tigers will have the size necessary to compete with South Carolina and Tennessee in the SEC.
15. Pinzan is from Maryland.
Pinzan was secured to play the point because of the departures of Benzan and Owusu. Pinzan is a pure point guard who averaged 5.0 assists in her four seasons at South Florida, but she is not a shooter like Benzan.
16. Haley Cavinder is from Miami.
It makes sense to rank the twins together because they are so identifiable as a pair and in their enormous social media presence. They should give the Hurricanes a boost in their national reputation and help replace their top two scorers. Haley was an All-Mountain West selection all three of her seasons at Fresno State and was the conference's player of the year as a sophomore. She averaged 15 points and 3.8 assists in 85 games.
17 Myah Taylor is from Ole Miss.
With 10 players either finishing their eligibility or transferring, Yolett McPhee-McCuin needed an injection of talent. Taylor is a three-year starter at Mississippi State. Taylor averaged 8.0 points and 5.4 assists per game last season. The core McPhee-McCuin rebuilds will be formed by her, Madison Scott and Angel Baker.
18. The girl is 6-0, G, so she's from Gonzaga.
The Zags were the favorites to win the conference next season. Adding a shooter like Maxwell to replace Cierra Walker makes it hard to choose. As a freshman, he was a 47.3% 3-point shooter. She made 42% of her 3s last season. She graduated from Utah in three years.
19 LaDazhia Williams is from LSU.
Kim Mulkey continues to rebuild the program while Williams is part of a trio of transfers who should allow the Tigers to keep winning. Williams, who spent two years at South Carolina and then two more at Missouri, averaged 9.1 points and 4.1 rebound last season. She is joined by two other people in Baton Rouge.
20. Lou Lopez-Senechal is a graduate of the University of Connecticut.
The 2022-23 season will be an interesting one because of how the skills of a highly productive and dominant MAAC player translate to a program competing with the nation's elite. Lopez-Senechal was 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 Over the past three seasons, she shoots better than 40% from 3-point range.
21. Georgia Tech has a 5-11 G named CAMERON SWAP.
Another example of a player going home for her final season is the case of Swartz, who will be a welcome addition in Atlanta. This season, the Yellow Jacket has made more 3-pointers than any other team. She will join Sarah and Bianca in Georgia Tech's backcourt.
22. South Dakota State Jackrabbits' Dru Gylten.
Gylten might be the perfect addition to the ball-sharing system. Gylten started all 104 games of her Utah career and averaged over five assists per game. She had a 5.2 APG this season.
There is a new date for this. Sam Brunelle is from Virginia.
Brunelle went from a starter to a role player in three seasons at Notre Dame, and his minutes and production continued to decrease. Brunelle, who grew up in the area, will try to help revive the program.
24. Hanson is from Oregon.
The loss of Parrish as a wing shooter should be offset by the arrival of Hanson from Arizona State. Her 3-point accuracy went down this season to 28.4%, but Hanson didn't have Te-Hina Paopao or Endyia Rogers to get her the ball like she will in Eugene. Graves needed to add some experienced guard depth. The Ducks seemed to be missing a hard-nosed approach this season.
25. Williams is from South Florida.
After deciding to stay at Syracuse despite a mass player exodus, and then not playing all season due to an undisclosed injury, Williams has now decided to head south. She averaged 8.7 points and 3.2 assists as a freshman. The Bulls ranked 206th in the country in the area of 3-point shooting.
26. Anaya Peoples is a student at the DePaul University.
Peoples found her playing time decreasing at Notre Dame. She played in 17 games this season and averaged just 3.8 points per game. As a freshman, this came after averaging 12.6 points and 8.1 rebound. Peoples will get more playing time now that Sonya Morris and Lexi Held are gone.
27. Saylor Poffenbarger is from Arkansas.
Poffenbarger was rated 30 in the recruiting class of 2021, but never seemed to fit in at the University of Connecticut. She left the team in November after playing just 12 games. With four years of eligibility remaining, Poffenbarger is expected to be a big part of the Razorbacks future. She is a freshman on the Arkansas roster.
There is a new date for this. Sarah Barker is from Alabama.
Barker was the top scorer among Georgia's four transfers and was the first to leave after the announcement of Taylor's move to Texas A&M. The player of the year was from Alabama.
29. Warren is from Georgia.
The Lady Dogs lost four players to the portal after Taylor left, and three recruits withdrew their commitments to the program. New coach Abrahamson-Henderson is building her first Georgia team largely with transfers. Warren, who averaged 8.3 points and 4.2 rebound, should fit right into Abrahamson-Henderson's defensive philosophy. She joins Battles, Smith, and Niblack as the cornerstones of the team.
30. Bartram is from the Florida Gulf Coast.
After two stops in the SEC, Bartram might have found a program where she can excel. Bartram holds the national high school record for the most made 3-pointers and she now joins an Eagles team that has led the country in that category for two straight years. Karl Smesko has won 11 of the past 12 A-Sun regular-season titles. Bartram helped him do that again after the departures of Bell and Spray.
1. Angel Reese is from Maryland.
Reese's decision to enter the portal caused the most shock waves. Her next move will affect the fate of next season the most. Reese was the highest-rated recruit in Maryland's history, and she averaged 17.8 points and 10.6 boards for first-team All-Big Ten and third-team All-America honors.
2. Owosu is from Maryland.
Reese's announcement came just after Owusu's. Within a day, the top two scorers were gone. He averaged 14.2 points and 3.7 assists despite being injured most of the season. She scored over 20 points in three of Maryland's last four games. Any of the nation's top programs could benefit from Owusu.
3. Aijha Blackwell is from Missouri.
After two suspensions and inconsistent usage toward the end of the season, it seemed like Blackwell was leaving Missouri. Less than a week after the opening-round WNIT loss to Drake, she entered the portal. Despite the troubles, Blackwell was the team's leading scorer and second in the country in grabbing 13 rebound per game.
4. Lauren Fields is from Oklahoma State.
Fields decided to leave Oklahoma State after the coaching change from Jim Little to Jacie Hoyt. Fields was a two-way guard who averaged 15.4 points and 2.4 steals per game. She shot just 32.9% from the field, but her efficiency is likely to improve with a more talented supporting cast.
5. Saniya Rivers is from South Carolina.
Injuries, sporadic playing time and a feeling like she just didn't fit in with the team led to her leaving Columbia. In the Final Four against Louisville, Rivers played one of her best games of the season, seeing 20 minutes of action. She played more than twice as much as the rest of the NCAA tournament combined.
6. DreunaEdwards is a 6-2, G, Jr., Kentucky.
One of four Kentucky veterans who entered the portal was the hero of the SEC tournament. Rhyne Howard was the team's leading scorer with 16.9 points per game and was second in the team in rebound with 8.2RPG. She was the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2019.
7. Sonya Morris is a senior at DePaul.
Morris has averaged over 15 points per game in the past three seasons. She can play with the ball or not. Morris gets 71.9% of her points inside the 3-point line.
There are 8. The girl is from Oregon State.
After showing promise that made her a McDonald's All-American, Kampschroeder struggled once the Beavers hit Pac-12 play. She scored just 5.2 points per game on the season. She considered both Iowa and Iowa State during her recruiting process.
There are 9. Dyaisha Fair is from Buffalo.
She is a skilled scorer who can be dynamic in spurts, which might cause Power 5 coaches to pause about adding her. Fair's 23.4 points per game were fourth highest in the country, and she improved her field goal percentage from 36.5% as a sophomore to 40.4% this season.
10. Lauren Ebo is from Texas.
The extra year granted by the NCAA will be used by Ebo, but she will not use it in Austin. Ebo, who played her first two seasons at Penn State, averaged career highs of 8.0 points and 6.7 rebounds this season, and was a big part of two Longhorns Elite Eight appearances.
11. Deans is from West Virginia.
Six people entered the portal after Mike Carey's retirement. Deans was the top scorer. She averaged 14 points per game this season and 13 points per game in 2020-21, despite being limited to 18 games because of a knee injury. She can play either guard spot.
There are 12. The daughter of Stephen F. Austin is 6-0.
The Ladyjacks have made the NCAA tournament in each of the past two seasons, once out of the Southland and once from theWAC. She failed to shoot over 50% from the field for the first time in her career. Visscher has the size and skill set to make the jump to the Power 5 level.
13 Alyza Winston is from Michigan State and is a graduate of Mississippi State.
After leaving the Spartans, he went to Mississippi State, but hasn't played a game in Starkville since. She started the first 10 games of the season for Michigan State and averaged 12.2 points.
There are 14. Koi Love is from Arizona.
After making the SEC All-Freshman team in 2020 at Vanderbilt and then scoring 20.3 points in a shortened season for the Commodores in 2020-21, Love moved to Tucson. She scored just 4.7 points in two games. Love will have to petition the NCAA to play in 2022-23 as a two-time transfer who hasn't graduated.
15. Massengill is from Kentucky.
Massengill will be able to help any team with her experience at either guard spot, as a graduate transfer who began her career at Tennessee, she will be allowed to play immediately. Her career highs were her 7.0 PPG, 4.7 APG and 33.6 minutes per game.
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