1player basketball games6/11/2023 She made 2.3 3-pointers a game last season on 42.4 percent shooting from deep. PaoPao provides experience and an outside threat. The Gamecocks already had starter-caliber players coming off the bench, but they didn’t have enough shooting. The Gamecocks lost Aliyah Boston, Brea Beal, Zia Cooke, Leticia Amihere and Victaria Saxon to graduation, but with Kamilla Cardoso, Raven Johnson and Ashlyn Watkins returning, and three top-25 recruits coming in, those players won’t be as hard to replace as you might think. Iowa exposed a weakness in South Carolina in the Final Four, and Dawn Staley remedied it by bringing in Oregon point guard Te-Hina PaoPao. The former Michigan player also gives Colorado another ball-handler to play alongside Jaylyn Sherrod. That changed thanks to the addition of Maddie Nolan in the portal. One thing that was missing for the Buffs in 2022-23? Aside from Frida Formann, Colorado didn’t have any reliable 3-point shooters. But Colorado’s core, including four starters, is returning from last season’s Sweet 16 run. The Buffs are a Power 5 program without a storied basketball history, making them the kind of team players might transfer from after a strong season. Taylor, a 2023 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year finalist, fits perfectly into Ohio State’s system, joining former Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Jacy Sheldon to create a dynamic backcourt that will spearhead the press.Ī big reason for Colorado winning the transfer portal is that they didn’t lose any major players. The Buckeyes’ identity is tied to their defensive prowess, particularly their press. Taylor, in particular, is a player to get Ohio State fans excited. The Buckeyes lost Taylor Mikesell to the WNBA but gained defensive stopper Celeste Taylor out of Duke and Taiyier Parks, who returns home to Ohio after four years at Michigan State. Add in Charisma Osborne, who chose to skip the WNBA draft in favor of playing one more season with UCLA, and the Bruins are a team that can contend for a title. 2 player Kiki Rice and two other top rising sophomores in Gabriela Jaquez and Londynn Jones. Not to mention they retained the rest of their talented roster, a difficult feat in today’s transfer era. They needed a post presence and they got one in the 6-foot-7 Lauren Betts from Stanford. While teams like LSU and North Carolina added several new players, UCLA added one and made it count. Donarski and Gakdeng also bolster the team’s defense, with Donarski as an on-ball defender and Gakdeng as a rim protector. With Deja Kelly and Alyssa Ustby already on the roster, the Tar Heels now have capable scorers at every position. The Tar Heels lost Kennedy Todd-Williams to Ole Miss and Destiny Adams to Rutgers, but still came out on the winning side of transfer season after securing Lexi Donarski (Iowa State), Indiya Nivar (Stanford) and Maria Gakdeng (Boston College). The Tar Heels have managed to stay under the radar during the chaos of the transfer portal, but Courtney Banghart is building a contender in the ACC. Reese and Morrow each averaged a double-double last year and should clean up on the glass once more. Meanwhile, Morrow adds another offensive threat to the frontcourt and brings even more rebounding to the Tigers’ lineup. Her midrange game and playmaking ability will complement Final Four Most Outstanding Player Angel Reese, and she also gives the Tigers another scoring option. The defending champions needed a point guard after Alexis Morris departed for the WNBA, and they got the best available in Van Lith. The additions of Hailey Van Lith and Aneesah Morrow elevate LSU as the clear winners of the transfer portal. Here are the winners and losers of the hyper-active 2023 transfer portal season. Some teams are thriving in the new landscape, while others are struggling. In addition to high school recruiting, programs now have to worry about losing players to the portal and filling gaps with transfers. Whether coaches like it or not, the NCAA transfer portal has become a crucial part of roster-building in the offseason. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) Louisville transfer Hailey Van Lith makes LSU the clear favorite to repeat as NCAA champions in 2024.
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