Other B1G Team Notes 2024-25

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Iriafen, rising star at Stanford, to play for USC

Kiki Iriafen, who had a breakout junior season at Stanford, is transferring to join the USC Trojans, she told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Saturday.

www.espn.com

Kiki Iriafen lands at Southern Cal

Kiki Iriafen, who had a breakout junior season at Stanford, is transferring to join the USC women's basketball program, she told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Saturday.

Iriafen, a 6-foot-3 forward, will be returning to her hometown of Los Angeles after three seasons at Stanford. This season she averaged 19.4 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists for the Cardinal (30-6) who advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16. Iriafen was the Pac-12's most improved player and on the All-Pac-12 team.

She was No. 2 in ESPN's transfer rankings list

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Adding height to the Terp rebuild

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

All-Pac-12 guard von Oelhoffen commits to USC

Talia von Oelhoffen, a graduate transfer from Oregon State and two-time All-Pac-12 guard, told ESPN Monday she has committed to USC.

www.espn.com

Talia von Oelhoffen moves to Southern Cal from Oregon State

The rich just got richer.

Two-time all-Pac-12 guard Talia von Oelhoffen, a graduate transfer from Oregon State, has committed to the USC Trojans, she told ESPN Monday.

Her move helps solidify USC's status as a national title contender in 2025, with the Trojans also adding former Stanford post Kiki Iriafen out of the portal, returning superstar JuJu Watkins and senior Rayah Marshall and bringing in the nation's top-ranked freshmen class.

"It's so exciting," von Oelhoffen told ESPN. "I mean, the sky's the limit for how good we can be... I'm super excited to take this team into the Big Ten and beyond."

The 5-foot-11 guard from Washington averaged 10.7 points, 5.0 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game this season as a key playmaker that guided the Beavers to their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2021 and third Elite Eight since 2016. No. 3 seed Oregon State beat No. 2 seed Notre Dame in the Sweet 16 before falling to eventual national champion South Carolina by 12 in the following contest.

Oregon State, which is becoming an affiliate member of the WCC in women's basketball upon the disintegration of the Pac-12, has eight players in the transfer portal.

Von Oelhoffen also considered Colorado, Kentucky and Louisville and took visits to all four schools before choosing USC for her graduate transfer season. After enrolling early amid the 2020-21 campaign, she has a fifth year of eligibility from the waiver the NCAA granted to student athletes amid the COVID-19 pandemic

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Maryland women’s basketball secures Villanova transfer Christina Dalce

The Terps have one remaining scholarship spot.

www.testudotimes.com

Terps continue filling their roster

After losing Rhode Island transfer Mayé Touré to Utah, head coach Brenda Frese and Maryland women’s basketball got right back to work in the transfer portal. On Tuesday, the Terps secured the commitment of Villanova forward Christina Dalce, per her post on Twitter.

The 6-foot-2 junior hails from New Jersey and offers a similar skillset to Touré. She proved to be a relentless rebounder with the Wildcats, pulling down an average of 9.4 boards per game. Her scoring averages have also improved with each passing year, going from 1.7 points per game in her freshman season to 7.3 in her sophomore campaign to 8.3 in 2023-24. Dalce’s shooting percentages have also gone up since her freshman year (40.9 to 44.1). Notably, she averaged 2.3 blocks per game in her junior season.

At the conclusion of the 2022-23 season, Dalce was named Philadelphia Big 5 Most Improved Player and selected to the USA Basketball 2023 women’s 3x3 U21 team. Following the 2023-24 season, she was named to the All-Big 5 second team.


Maryland’s rotations should not change all that much following the addition of Dalce. She projects to slide into a forward rotation that already consists of current Terps Allie Kubek and Emily Fisher, as well as fellow transfers Isi Ozzy-Momodu and Amari DeBerry.

If the Terps can tap into the scoring potential of Dalce, in addition to her strong defensive abilities, the team’s versatility will position them to contend for a top spot in the Big Ten.

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Ex-Oregon State F Gardiner to transfer to UCLA

Former Oregon State forward Timea Gardiner announced on Wednesday that she will transfer to UCLA.

www.espn.com

The Bruins add another All Pac 12 player

All-Pac-12 forward Timea Gardiner has committed to UCLA after entering the transfer portal out of Oregon State, she announced on social media Wednesday.

Gardiner, a 6-foot-3 rising junior, joins a UCLA squad that is reloading by also bringing in another former Pac-12 star in four-time all-conference guard Charlisse Leger-Walker from Washington State.

The Oregon State Beavers saw eight players hit the transfer portal this offseason. Upon the disintegration of the Pac-12, the athletic department will begin a two-year affiliate membership with the WCC for women's basketball and 11 other sports.

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Women's Basketball Adds Transfer Janae Walker - Rutgers University Athletics

scarletknights.com

Kentucky portalist Janae Walker brings her height to Rutgers

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Rutgers women's basketball head coach Coquese Washington announced the signing of transfer forward Janae Walker Thursday morning. The Tyrone, Georgia native joins the Scarlet Knights after playing her first collegiate season at Kentucky.

Walker joins fellow transfer JoJo Lacey (Boston College) in addition to freshmen Kiyomi McMiller and Zachara Perkins as part of the incoming 2024-25 class.

"I am elated that Janae Walker has joined the Scarlet Knight family," Washington said. "Janae is a talented and versatile forward who adds size and depth to our front court. She has tremendous potential and there is no question she can be an impactful force in the Big Ten."

During her rookie season with the Wildcats, Walker played in 28 games and made one start. She netted a season-high six points and three field goals at No. 18/18 Louisville (Dec. 10), while also grabbing four rebounds three times. Walker led UK in blocks four times during the season.

The 6-foot-4 forward played at Sandy Creek High School and Hoop Dreams Athletics before her time in Lexington. She enjoyed a successful high school career, scoring 1,000-plus points. She also averaged 20.3 points and 14.8 rebounds while recording 17 straight double-doubles during her senior season.

Walker capped off an impressive campaign with a Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Region 5 Championship. In addition, she was named the GHSA Class 3A Best Rebounder, GHSA Class 3A Region 5 Player of the Year and Fayette County's All-County Player of the Year. Walker also ranked second in the state of Georgia in scoring and third in double-doubles.

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

BoilerUpload - Purdue lands Akron transfer, All-MAC forward Reagan Bass

The portal success keeps rolling for Katie Gearlds, landing Akron transfer forward Reagan Bass.

purdue.rivals.com

Purdue women's basketball has added another transfer this off-season as Akron forward Reagan Bass announced her commitment to the Boilermakers on the heels of an official visit two weeks ago. She chose Purdue over interest from Iowa State, Mississippi State and others.

Bass becomes the fourth transfer pickup of the off-season for Katie Gearlds and company, joining former Marian guard Ella Collier, former Stephen F. Austin guard Destini Lombard and former UTEP wing Mahri Petree.

The former Zip forward is the most touted of the three as she was named All-MAC first team as a sophomore and All-MAC second team during her junior campaign. For her career, Bass is averaging 15.3 points, 7.9 rebounds and one block per game, while shooting 48% from the field and 77% from the free throw line. The 6-foot-1 forward is developing a perimeter shot as well, shooting a career-high 29% from three-point range on 37 attempts last season.

Bass will be a day one starter for the Boilermakers next season, replacing the now transfer portal bound Mary Ashley Stevenson at the four. Purdue was hoping to form a strong frontcourt presence with the All-MAC selection and co-B1G Player of the Year, but will now bring a veteran post into the mix.

Joining Bass at the four in West Lafayette will be junior Mila Reynolds and incoming freshman Lana McCarthy. The wing tandem of McKenna Layden and Mahri Petree could see time in the frontcourt in smaller, more athletic lineups. That leaves the duo of Alaina Harper and Kendall Puryear at the five, but Bass, Reynolds and McCarthy could all serve in that role as well.

Purdue has now added a quartet of veteran contributors to pair alongside a budding core in West Lafayette. The Boilermakers are not expected to pursue any other portal targets following the commitment of Bass.

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Deja Kelly commits to Oregon: Former North Carolina star to give Ducks much-needed scoring punch in 2024-25

Kelly, a three-time All-ACC selection, has one year of eligibility remaining

www.cbssports.com

Deja Kelly is a Duck

Former North Carolina star Deja Kelly has committed to the Oregon Ducks, she announced Monday. Kelly was a three-time first-team All-ACC selection with the Tar Heels, and she leaves Chapel Hill as the program's eighth-leading scorer all-time (1,851 career points).

A 5-foot-8 guard, Kelly has one year of eligibility remaining and averaged 16.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists as a senior last season. Kelly was ranked No. 10 on 247Sports' women's basketball transfer portal rankings.

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

USC headlines the Top 10 women's basketball transfer portal classes

Now that the deadline has expired, we have a much clearer picture of the nation's top-10 women's basketball transfer portal recruiting classes.

247sports.com

247 Sports lists its top ten transfer portal classes. It's Big Ten heavy:

1. Southern Cal with Kiki Iriafen
3. UCLA with Timia Gardiner
6. Ohio State with Ajae Perry
7. Michigan State with Grace VanSlooten
8. Iowa with Lucy Olsen
9. Maryland with Saylor Poffenbarger

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Raterman Named Assistant Coach for Michigan Women's Basketball - University of Michigan Athletics

J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Head Women's Basketball Coach Kim Barnes Arico announced the addition of Justine Raterman as an assistant coach of the Uni...

mgoblue.com

Justine Raterman joins Michigan as an assistant coach.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Head Women's Basketball Coach Kim Barnes Arico announced the addition of Justine Raterman as an assistant coach of the University of Michigan women's basketball program on Tuesday (May 21). Raterman, a standout player at Dayton, has spent the last five seasons (2019-2024) at Marquette.

"Justine is a perfect fit for Michigan women's basketball and everything we stand for," Barnes Arico said. "She is a proven winner, both during her playing days and as a coach. I know that her energy, strong ties in the Midwest, her ability to build relationships and how she approaches the game will help our program. She is passionate about player development, which we have built our program around. I know that Justine will make an immediate positive impact on our players, both on and off the court."

"I am honored to join the Michigan women's basketball program," Raterman said. "Coach Arico has built one of the best programs in the nation with unbelievable student-athletes and consistent success on and off the court. She is a winner and developer of women. I am thrilled to be a part of the success and pursuit to hang banners and cannot wait to help continue to build this program. I could not be more excited to be a part of this prestigious university and athletic department. Go Blue!"

Raterman made the move with former Michigan assistant Megan Duffy to Marquette in 2019 after a pair of seasons at Miami (Ohio). Raterman was an assistant coach for her first four seasons in Milwaukee and was promoted to associate head coach prior to the 2023-24 season while also serving as the recruiting coordinator.

During her time at Marquette, the Golden Eagles made three NCAA Tournament appearances and one WNIT appearance over five seasons. Marquette won 110 games across the five seasons, reaching the 20-win plateau four times.

Marquette made history during the 2023-24 season, starting a program-best 12-0 with an undefeated non-conference season. MU earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament with 23 wins and finished tied for third at 11-7 in the Big East with St. John's and Villanova, while also capturing the title at the Fort Myers Tip-Off over Thanksgiving

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Lady Lions Ink Michigan State Transfer Gabby Elliott - Penn State Athletics

Penn State women's basketball secures Michigan State transfer Gabby Elliott. The graduate transfer played her first two seasons of collegiate basketball at Clemson

gopsusports.com

Gabby Elliott: former Spartan becomes Lady Lion

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Penn State women's basketball secures Michigan State transfer Gabby Elliott. The graduate transfer played her first two seasons of collegiate basketball at Clemson before heading to Michigan State for her junior and senior seasons. Elliott is head coach Carolyn Kieger's fourth transfer portal grab during the offseason.

"We are thrilled to welcome Gabby to our Penn State Family," said Kieger. "She brings a wealth of experience as well as length and versatility which will fit perfectly into our system. She has proven herself in two of the best conferences in the country and we believe her best basketball is ahead of her. Gabby's competitive nature has always been one of her biggest strengths and we are extremely excited for her to get to State College."

Elliott adds depth and experience to the Lady Lions roster with background at high levels of collegiate basketball in the ACC and the Big Ten. The Michigan native battled injury in her most recent two seasons at Michigan State, only playing in 11 games throughout her junior year and just four in her senior year. In her first season at Michigan State, Elliott started in all 11 games, averaging 9.5 points and 5.5 rebounds before suffering an ACL tear against Ohio State on Dec. 11, 2022. After returning from injury in the 2023-24 season, she played in four, non-conference games where she averaged 7.5 points on 13-of-27 shooting while grabbing a 5.3 boards average. In her fourth game against Evansville on Nov. 19, 2023, Elliott left the contest with an injury and did not return for the remainder of the season.

At Clemson, the graduate transfer excelled during her rookie season. She played and started in 25 games and averaged 13.6 points per game. Elliott scored at the second highest rate on the team as a freshman in 2020-21 and led the starting five in field goal percentage, shooting at a 44.8 clip and steals with 32. After leading her team to an ACC Tournament win over Notre Dame with a career high 25 points, the graduate guard was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team. In her sophomore season with the Tigers, she played in 12 games making 10 starts and turned in a 9.4 points per game average. After her freshman campaign, Elliott was invited to USA Basketball U19 Team Trials.

As a high school athlete, Elliott was the no. 42 athlete on ESPN's Top-100 Recruits list and garnered Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year and Michigan Miss Basketball Honors

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Michigan adds point guard Brooke Quarles-Daniels in transfer portal

The Michigan women's basketball team added transfer guard Brooke Quarles-Daniels from Oakland.

www.michigandaily.com

The Michigan women’s basketball team has added its second transfer piece of the off-season, this time in point guard Brooke Quarles-Daniels out of Oakland. She announced her commitment in an Instagram post on Wednesday, reported first by Talia Goodman on X, over two months after another post signifying her entrance into the transfer portal.

Quarles-Daniels played two seasons with the Golden Grizzlies, with career averages of 12.8 points per game and 2.9 assists per game. She is listed at 5-foot-7, but still averaged 6.0 rebounds per game in her first two years despite being undersized. With her production this past season, she led Oakland in total points, assists, rebounds and steals.

The move from the Golden Grizzlies is not far for Quarles-Daniels, and she is familiar with the Wolverines, having played against Michigan last November and scored 10 points in Ann Arbor despite an Oakland loss.

Quarles-Daniels will bring two years of eligibility with her alongside some veteran security at the lead guard spot. With the departures of many mainstays in last season’s lineup, the Wolverines will need a steady presence like her on the court. Her rebounding ability is also a strong addition for Michigan, as they are left depleted down low with the departures of Chyra Evans and Cameron Williams.

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Texas A&M forward Barker to transfer to UCLA

Janiah Barker, the No. 3-ranked prospect from the Class of 2022, has committed to UCLA out of the transfer portal.

www.espn.com

The Bruins continue to brew:

Janiah Barker, the No. 3-ranked prospect from the Class of 2022, has committed to UCLA out of the transfer portal, she announced on social media Tuesday.

Barker, a 6-foot-4 forward from Georgia, spent her first two seasons at Texas A&M, where she was the highest-ranked recruit in program history. She originally committed to Georgia, when current Texas A&M coach Joni Taylor was still at the helm there but followed Taylor to College Station.

Barker appeared in only 19 games as a freshman due to injury but was the only SEC rookie to lead her team in scoring (12.7 PPG), while also putting up 5.9 rebounds per game and earning SEC All-Freshman honors.

As a sophomore in 2023-24, Barker's 12.2 points per game were tied for second on the Aggies, and she also averaged 7.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.3 steals per contest.

UCLA -- which fell in the Sweet 16 to LSU this past NCAA tournament and finished 27-7 on the season -- had an aggressive offseason in the transfer portal, also adding former Washington State guard Charlisse Leger-Walker and Oregon State forward Timea Gardiner.

With forward Lauren Betts and guard Kiki Rice already on the team as rising juniors, coach Cori Close has ESPN HoopGurlz's No. 1 (Betts), No. 2 (Rice), No. 3 (Barker) and No. 6 (Gardiner)-ranked recruits from the class of 2022 on her roster.

The Bruins -- who are entering the Big Ten this upcoming season upon the disintegration of the Pac-12 -- figure to be a top-two preseason favorite in their new league as they eye the program's first NCAA Final Four appearance

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Top-60 2025 recruit McKenzie Mathurin decommits from Nebraska women's basketball

Four-star guard McKenzie Mathurin, Nebraska women's basketball's lone 2025 commit, has opted to re-open her recruitment.

huskerextra.com

Nebraska women's basketball's lone 2025 commit has opted to re-open her recruitment.

McKenzie Mathurin, currently ranked as the No. 55 recruit in her class by ESPN, has decommitted, according to a post Tuesday from ESPN's Shane Laflin.

The 5-foot-10 four-star guard from Oklahoma committed to Nebraska last May, at the conclusion of her sophomore high school season.
Nebraska lost three senior guards — Jaz Shelley, Darian White and Maddie Krull — at the end of this past season, only Krull having the option to return for one more year.

The Huskers maintain significant young guard talent, including incoming five-star Britt Prince. Logan Nissley made the Big Ten all-freshman team this past season. Still, Mathurin was expected to be a talented addition to that group.

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

5-star Iowa women’s basketball target Brynn McGaughy commits to Washington

Best of luck, Brynn. Five-star target Brynn McGaughy chose to stay close to home, committing to Washington over Iowa.

sports.yahoo.com

Though Iowa was among the finalists, five-star forward Brynn McGaughy chose to commit to the Washington Huskies instead.

Rated as the No. 17 player in the 2025 class per ESPN, the 6-foot-3 forward chose Washington over fellow finalists Iowa, Connecticut, Duke, Florida, Indiana, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, UCLA, Utah and USC.

Ultimately, McGaughy chose to stay home. A native of Colfax, Washington, McGaughy made SB Live’s Class 2B all-state Washington first team this past season. As a sophomore the year before, McGaughy led Colfax to a state championship while averaging 21.5 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Illini Add Sophomore Transfer Lety Vasconcelos - University of Illinois Athletics

Fighting Illini women's basketball head coach Shauna Green has announced the addition of Lety Vasconcelos.

fightingillini.com

The Illini add height

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Fighting Illini women's basketball head coach Shauna Green has announced the addition of Lety Vasconcelos (LET-ee VASS-con-SELL-os) to the program. Vasconcelos – a rising sophomore transfer from Baylor – has signed a Big Ten Tender of Financial Aid with the University of Illinois and is set to join the program beginning with the 2024-25 season.

Vasconcelos is a 6-foot-7-inch center from Miguel Calmon, Bahia, Brazil. She appeared in 17 games off the bench for the Bears last season while averaging 1.1 points and 2.1 rebounds across 99 minutes of action as a true freshman. She was the lone freshman on Baylor's squad last season.

During her season in Waco, Texas, Vasconcelos and the Baylor squad posted a 26-8 overall record, including an 12-6 mark in Big 12 play. The Bears advanced to the Sweet 16 before bowing out to top-seeded USC

 

[BigTenGuy]

5-star Iowa women’s basketball target Brynn McGaughy commits to Washington

Best of luck, Brynn. Five-star target Brynn McGaughy chose to stay close to home, committing to Washington over Iowa.

sports.yahoo.com

Iowa is spending a lot of time and effort chasing elite national recruits, while passing on regional recruits they previously would have offered, e.g. Creighton commit Ava Zediker, or slow-playing regional recruits. Iowa has passed, so far, on Gopher offeree Ashlyn Koupal, who seems to be blowing up this summer.

Iowa has had some success with their elite fishing expedition (Addison Deal from California, Hoopgurlz # 12 for '25, Prospects Nation # 7), but it will be interesting to see if they can really become a recruiting power. Jan Jensen has been there a long time, and has a great reputation. But it's not like she has a long record of drawing elite out-of-state recruits to Iowa.

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Illini Sign Irene Noya Catoira - University of Illinois Athletics

Fighting Illini women's basketball head coach Shauna Green has announced the addition of Irene Noya Catoira.

fightingillini.com

Illini add more height

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Fighting Illini women's basketball head coach Shauna Green has announced the addition of Irene Noya Catoira to the program. Noya Catoira – a true freshman – has signed a Big Ten Tender of Financial Aid with the University of Illinois and is set to join the program beginning with the 2024-25 season.

Noya Catoira is a 6-foot-3-inch forward from Vilagarcía de Arousa, Pontevedra, Spain, where she attended Institut Joaquim Blume.

She has represented Spain on the international stage, making her debut at age 15 in the Ciudad de Toledo International Tournament. Noya Catoira helped Spain to a runner-up finish at the 2023 FIBA 3x3 U17 Europe Cup following a second-place finish at the 2023 FIBA 3x3 U17 Europe Cup Qualifier.

From 2022-24, Noya Catoira has played for Segle XXI in the Spain-LF2 league during which the team won the Group B regular season championship both seasons. During the most recent 2023-24 season, she appeared in 22 games while averaging 19 minutes a game to go along with 6.5 points and 4.8 rebounds. The team went 25-1 during the 2023-24 season. In 2022-23, Noya Catoira appeared in 24 games while averaging nearly 12 minutes per game. She registered 3.7 points per game and 2.8 rebounds an outing while the team posted a 21-5 record