It's getting difficult to win a championship in women's college basketball without a little help from transfers. Whether South Carolina's Kaela Davis and Allisha Gray in 2017, Notre Dame's Jessica Shepard in 2018 or Baylor's Chloe Jackson in 2019, fresh starts turned into titles.
The
coronavirus pandemic halted that streak when it wiped out the 2020 NCAA tournament. But a day before the Final Four would have started, Destiny Slocum announced she was leaving Oregon State and entering the transfer portal. And so began a new championship race.
Arkansas: It is a one-person class. But it is a special class. Not only was Slocum the best transfer available, but the new arrival who is immediately eligible brings experience with the process of adjusting to new surroundings. She went through all of this before when she transferred from Maryland to Oregon State. That's no small consideration with all of the added uncertainty transfers will face amidst a pandemic and its effect on university life. Without Slocum, Arkansas might have struggled to duplicate its first winning SEC record in nearly a decade. With the guard, who complements Chelsea Dungee and eases the loss of both Alexis Tolefree's scoring and A'Tyanna Gaulden's playmaking, the Razorbacks can aspire to even more
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Maryland: The caveat is that in former Mississippi State standout Chloe Bibby and former Harvard star Katie Benzan, with Benzan immediately eligible, Maryland has a better incoming transfer class than most programs. Unfortunately, most programs didn't lose a trio like Shakira Austin, Taylor Mikesell and Olivia Owens to the transfer portal. Even with Bibby and Benzan, not to mention prized recruit Angel Reese, that's a lot to replace on top of the expected departure of WNBA draftee Kaila Charles. Austin accounted for 30% of Maryland's blocks a season ago, while Mikesell accounted for 43% of the team's 3-pointers. And losing both Austin and Owens, on top of senior Stephanie Jones, leaves Maryland short-handed, if not just short, in the post.
Ohio State: After missing the NCAA tournament in the 2018-19 season as it adjusted to life after Kelsey Mitchell, Ohio State appeared back on track by the time last season shut down. But that quick rebuilding hit at least a snag with the transfer departures of rotation regulars Kierstan Bell (Florida Gulf Coast) and Janai Crooms (Michigan State), as well as Kaelynn Satterfield and Aixa Wone Aranaz. Bell is the biggest loss after holding her own as a highly touted freshman. The Buckeyes still return four starters, including all-conference forward Dorka Juhasz, and add redshirt freshman Rikki Harris and top signee Kateri Poole. So it isn't as if Kevin McGuff will struggle to put together a lineup. But separating from the Big Ten pack will be more difficult.
Penn State: It starts to feel as if we're picking on the Big Ten. And unlike Auburn's Williams-Flournoy, for instance, Penn State coach Carolyn Kieger is in just her second season. Some degree of roster turnover is to be expected. That's all the more true with a large freshman class expected to earn minutes. Still, five transfers -- including rotation players Mya Bembry, Lauren Ebo, Alisia Smith -- is a lot for one offseason. Kieger also scored a nice addition in graduate transfer Niya Beverly from Wisconsin among a large group of incoming players .
