Which women’s basketball transfers found the best fits? Ranking the top 20 best moves

2. Aaliyah Crump, freshman guard

Duke (from Texas)

Key stats: 7.9 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 1.4 APG, 1.0 SPG

The Blue Devils lost their starting backcourt of Taina Mair and Ashlon Jackson, opening huge potential in Durham as that duo alone accounted for 38 percent of Duke’s shot attempts. Enter Crump: A player whose defensive mentality makes her an obvious fit in coach Kara Lawson’s system, but whose offensive potential — since we didn’t see everything she can do last season — could thrive with the Blue Devils.

Duke was one of Crump’s three finalists as a high schooler when she ultimately picked Texas. She likely will be put in a position to play a lot of two-player movement with Toby Fournier, and she’ll have a chance to extend her shooting range as well. At Texas, she shot only 32 percent on low volume, but we’ve seen her knock down triples before. During the U16 AmeriCup in 2023, Crump hit 39 percent of her long-range attempts.

3. Elina Aarnisalo, sophomore guard

UCLA (from North Carolina)

Key stats: 10.2 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.9 APG

Any boomerang — a player who transfers away from a school and then back — is going to be an automatic great fit during the return, assuming the player comes back on good terms and that she picked up quality minutes and experience at her second stop. Aarnisalo did.

She returns to UCLA after spending her sophomore sabbatical at UNC, where the Finnish guard’s minutes increased and her shooting improved significantly. On lower volume, Aarnisalo shot 40 percent from long range while her overall shooting improved to 47 percent. It’s a win-win for Aarnisalo and the Bruins — She gets to shoulder far more for UCLA, which lost six seniors to the WNBA, and the Bruins get as close to a plug-and-play transfer as possible, considering she already knows the system, the program and the coaches.

4. Jada Williams, junior guard

LSU (from Iowa State)

Key stats: 15.3 PPG, 7.7 APG, 3.5 RPG

Coach Kim Mulkey replaced Jada Richard with Jada Williams, giving the Tigers their sixth point guard in six seasons. But that turnstile at the position hasn’t hurt the program as it has advanced to six Elite Eights in that time. That means LSU knows how to speed along the process for a player who, like Williams, will have only one year with the program.

At Iowa State last season, Williams ranked third in assists among power conference players with great assets around her such as Addy Brown and Audi Crooks. That doesn’t change at LSU. Swap Brown and Crooks for MiLaysia Fulwiley and Mikaylah Williams, and Williams should thrive.

5. Dani Carnegie, sophomore guard

Iowa (from Georgia)

Key stats: 17.8 PPG, 3.2 APG, 5.3 RPG, 1.4 SPG

Last season — when Carnegie was at Georgia and Chit Chat Wright was at Iowa — was the first time since the two were in sixth grade that they hadn’t played on a team together. So their reunion in Iowa City will be like a return to normal for both. Wright started 31 games in 2025-26 for the Hawkeyes, thriving in their system, and though Iowa lost Addie Deal as a transfer, plenty of talent returns with a rising junior core of Wright, Carnegie, Ava Heiden and Taylor Stremlow.

Coach Jan Jensen needed to replace some outside shooting, which she gets in Carnegie, and having more ballhandlers in the mix is always a positive. Additionally, Carnegie is a great, active perimeter defender who can help create havoc on that end. That will be a necessary plus for Iowa this season — five of its seven losses came in its nine lowest turnover percentage performances.

6. Gracie Merkle, junior center

Minnesota (from Penn State)

Key stats: 19.2 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 1.3 APG

Even with Amaya Battle’s departure to the WNBA and Mallory Heyer’s decision to transfer to Oregon, there’s enough talent in the Twin Cities for the resurgent Gophers. But coach Dawn Plitzuweit needed to secure an interior presence to make everything work. Merkle is that. At 6-6, she’s an anchor on both ends who can slot into that more traditional, back-to-the-basket position. (The Gophers scored a sixth of their points last season in post-ups.)

She’s an excellent offensive rebounder, averaging the second-most O boards among power conference players this season. Creating those extra possessions for a team that returns its three leading scorers from a season ago (Tori McKinney, Grace Grocholski, Mara Braun) is good news.

7. Addy Brown, junior forward

UCLA (from Iowa State)

Key stats: 11.9 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 5.3 APG

UCLA got a 6-2 forward who can handle physicality and contact on the inside and has an elite passing ability. Her 3-point shooting percentage was a career low in 2025-26, but over the past three seasons, she has knocked down nearly 37 percent of her shots from behind the arc. With Sienna Betts on the inside and a backcourt of Elina Aarnisalo and Donovyn Hunter, Brown will have freedom to roam and create. Further, UCLA will likely want to run with a shorter bench at times as it looks for personnel groupings, so the fact that Brown averaged 32 minutes a game during her freshman and sophomore seasons is a good sign (she averaged less this past year as she dealt with an injury).

This move is also positive for Brown, who has a chance to move up the 2027 WNBA Draft board with a good season at UCLA. (It’s not unlike the potential upward movement from former UCLA guard Gabriela Jaquez as a senior.) This freedom should also allow Brown to expand her game a bit and work on her own shot creation so she can prove to scouts that she can play the three at the next level.

8. Donovyn Hunter, junior guard

UCLA (from TCU)

Key stats: 10.2 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.3 SPG

Hunter brings crucial versatility to UCLA’s backcourt. At Oregon State, which played at a slower pace, she worked through a lot of pick-and-roll and spot-up situations. At TCU over the last two seasons, it was mostly spot-up and transition fueling her offense. The latter aligns a bit more with the Bruins, but her experience in both systems is an asset.

Plus, her transferring experience — along with Aarnisalo’s own experience — makes her a good glue player in the backcourt. In her three years, she has played alongside three different crops of players. That should make for a smooth transition to UCLA to work with a new group of players.

9. Carys Baker, junior forward

Louisville (from Virginia Tech)

Key stats: 14.3 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.1 BPG

Louisville’s returning rising junior core, which made it to the Elite Eight this season, gives the Cardinals a chance to build on the 2025-26 success. Replacing forward Laura Ziegler, who graduated after starting 37 games this season, was a big part of Louisville’s success in the portal. Good news for Baker: Coach Jeff Walz incorporated Ziegler into Louisville’s system quickly. She was a one-year transfer, like Baker will be, after playing her first three seasons at St. Joseph’s.

Style-wise, Baker is a pretty good comp to Ziegler, so she should be able to fill that role and her minutes well. She’s a three-level scoring forward who has shot 39 percent from beyond the arc during her three-year career, bolstering the Cardinals’ 3-point shooting. (Louisville knocked down 7.6 triples a game this season — the most since the 2018-19 season.) Baker also has valuable length and versatility for defense and can make defensive plays without fouling.

10. Audi Crooks, junior center

Oklahoma State (from Iowa State)

Key stats: 25.8 points per game, 7.7 rebounds per game, 1.7 assists per game

Oklahoma State wasn’t necessarily an automatic frontrunner when most were wondering where Crooks would transfer. However, that had less to do with the style of play than it did with the assumed level of program at which Crooks would want to play. At Iowa State, Crooks has never made it out of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. In the same three-year span at Oklahoma State, the Cowgirls have made it to the Big Dance only twice, advancing out of the first round once.

But when it comes to the actual play and remaining in conference, more lines up. Two aspects can accentuate what Crooks does best — a medium pace and floor space. Oklahoma State plays just slightly slower than Iowa State (72 possessions per game versus 74) but the spacing holds even better.

Last season, the Cowgirls attempted the fourth-most 3-pointers per game at 26 (the Cyclones attempted 23). Coach Jacie Hoyt has gathered a potentially more talented 3-point shooting group. Spreading the floor like that will allow Crooks to work inside. Will this move allow her to expand her game to improve her 2027 draft stock? We’ll see. But in terms of a style-match transfer, this one could work quite well.

11. Achol Akot, junior forward

North Carolina (from Oklahoma State)

Key stats: 12.4 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 1.4 SPG

North Carolina lost its leading scorer and rebounder to graduation, forward Nyla Harris, and its entire starting backcourt (Indya Niva to graduation, Aarnisalo and Lanie Grant as transfers). Backfilling with talent and experience is a must, and with Akot, coach Courtney Banghart gets both. Akot has started 70 career games, including at Central Florida and Oklahoma State, and she has improved every season.

She’s an active defender and an excellent offensive rebounder (among power conference players, Akot ranked 15th last season with 4.1 O boards a game). Banghart worked Harris into the mix after three seasons at Louisville, so that context will be helpful as Akot jells with an entirely new group, too.

12. Mia Woolfolk, sophomore forward

Vanderbilt (from Georgia)

Key stats: 13.9 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.2 SPG

Between Mikayla Blakes and Aubrey Galvan, Vanderbilt has a fearsome one-two punch, but coach Shea Ralph needed to add some size and skill on the inside to elevate the Commodores after losing Sacha Washington to graduation. They are welcoming two top-50 recruits, including 6-3 forward Jhai Johnson, but Woolfolk’s experience, post-up skills and off-ball movement will instantly enrich Vanderbilt, alongside Blakes and Galvan.

13. Zam Jones, sophomore guard

Louisville (from NC State)

Key stats: 14.9 PPG, 3.8 APG, 3.3 RPG, 1.2 SPG

Louisville needed to replace Reyna Scott’s production and minutes, and it did so by staying in conference with Jones. She joins the Cardinals’ talented sophomore trio of Tajianna Roberts, Imari Berry and Mackenly Randolph. She’s an experienced ballhandler, 3-point shooter and defender who was a high-usage player and made a big jump as a sophomore. Last season, the Cardinals went 2-5 in their seven worst assist-to-turnover ratio games, so adding another experienced ballhandler in Jones makes sense for the Cardinals to take the next step.

14. Lanie Grant, sophomore guard

TCU (from North Carolina)

Key stats: 10.8 PPG, 2.3 APG, 1.9 RPG

With Jadyn Wooten (Oklahoma State transfer) stepping into the departed shoes of Olivia Miles and her pick-and-roll prowess, the Horned Frogs needed a deadeye, spot-up 3-point shooter. More than 63 percent of TCU’s 3-pointers last season were spot-up 3s, making Grant a perfect fit as she shot 45 percent on spot-up 3-pointers in 2025-26 and 42 percent overall from behind the arc (while attempting five triples a game).

15. Nunu Agara, junior forward

Maryland (from Stanford)

Key stats: 15.3 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 1.4 APG, 1.2 SPG

Maryland coach Brenda Frese is as good as anyone at incorporating transfers quickly into her system while sustaining a high postseason ceiling. Case in point: In the last four seasons, Maryland’s leading or second-leading (or sometimes, both) scorer was a first-year transfer.

The Terrapins return two full-season starters in Oluchi Okananwa and Addi Mack, but needed to shore up their interior. Agara, a 6-2 forward, should excel in Maryland’s pace and how she works in the paint, plus the Terrapins are great at getting to the free-throw line (21 attempts per game last season). Agara ranked among the top five percent of players nationally last season in free-throw attempts.

16. Talaysia Cooper, junior guard

Ole Miss (from Tennessee)

Key stats: 16.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.6 APG, 2.7 SPG

With one season of eligibility remaining, Cooper is making a third stop on her SEC tour, after playing at South Carolina and Tennessee. With the Rebels graduating their top three scorers, coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin needed to find instant sparks. Given how Cooper adjusted in Tennessee’s system over the past two seasons, this fit looks like it will work. At Ole Miss, Cooper should hone her talents more and put more on tape for WNBA scouts, displaying her two-way abilities, athleticism and defensive discipline.

17. Courtney Ogden, junior forward

Michigan (from Stanford)

Key stats: 12.9 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.1 APG

Michigan was 0-5 in its worst rebounding performances in 2025-26 (based on total rebounding percentage), so shoring up the inside was a necessity as the Wolverines return four starters from the Elite Eight squad. At 6-1, Ogden isn’t going to tower over anyone, but she can help in the rebounding category and will be a reliable paint scorer who can also connect from all three levels. Coach Kim Barnes Arico should have a lot of versatility with her 2026-27 team, so the lack of any player over 6-3 on the roster should be something she can account for in different ways with an experienced, cohesive group that’s on the hunt for a Final Four berth.

18. Chloe Clardy, junior guard

North Carolina (from Stanford)

Key stats: 12.0 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 2.3 APG, 2.0 SPG

With Grant and Aarnisalo headed to the portal and Nivar (a fellow Stanford-to-UNC transfer) having graduated, Banghart needed to boost her backcourt. Getting Clardy is a definite positive. She’s a very good defender who should be able to slot in well to UNC’s disciplined defense as well as sharing a backcourt and ballhandling duties alongside Reniya Kelly.

19. Tilda Trygger, sophomore center

Washington (from NC State)

Key stats: 10.6 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 1.3 BPG

In coach Tina Langley’s final season at Rice in 2020-21, the Owls won the WNIT on the shoulders of 6-9 Nancy Mulkey. Trygger is only 6-6, but Langley has experience in crafting a team around a tall (and lanky) center. The Huskies didn’t roll super deep last season — only six players averaged 15-plus minutes per game and four of those players return. With Trygger securing the paint, and leading scorers Sayvia Sellers and Avery Howell back, Washington becomes much more interesting entering Langley’s sixth season.

20. Madison St. Rose, senior guard

Notre Dame (from Princeton)

Key stats: 15.8 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.1 SPG

Of Notre Dame’s top seven players from 2025-26, only Hannah Hidalgo returns. The Irish have five top-100 signees in the 2026 class, and Leah Macy — the former five-star forward in the 2025 class who medically redshirted last season — should be back on the floor next season. With talent and youth, Notre Dame isn’t necessarily in a terrible position, but bringing in another veteran, disciplined ballhandler alongside All-American Hidalgo make Notre Dame even stronger. Better yet for coach Niele Ivey: Hidalgo and St. Rose have already shared a backcourt together — they played for the same AAU team as high schoolers (and against one another, as well).

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Minnesota Golden Gophers, Duke Blue Devils, Maryland Terrapins, UCLA Bruins, South Carolina Gamecocks, Ole Miss Rebels, North Carolina Tar Heels, Washington Huskies, Vanderbilt Commodores, Louisville Cardinals, Iowa Hawkeyes, TCU Horned Frogs, Iowa State Cyclones, LSU Lady Tigers, Michigan Wolverines, Oklahoma State Cowgirls, Women's College Basketball

2026 The Athletic Media Company