Where will Hailey Van Lith and Raegan Beers go? Women’s college basketball transfer portal rankings

The college basketball season might be over, but transfer portal season is here and it shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Our first ranking came out three weeks ago, and since then, much has changed in the sport’s landscape. We’ve crowned a national champion. Tara VanDerveer has retired. Tennessee hired Kim Caldwell. On the players’ front, it’s hard to imagine we won’t see more big names jump into the portal over the next week or so, and because of that, we’ll keep the updates coming. Until then, here’s a look at the top 15 prospects in the portal:

Stanford junior forward

Key stats: 19.4 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 2.3 APG, 55 FG %

Iriafen is on the move after three seasons on The Farm. She has a “do not contact” tag, which means she likely already knows where she wants to go. Whichever team lands Iriafen — even though it would only get her for a year — will receive an immediate boost in terms of potential next season. Individually, she can elevate any team. The reigning winner of the Katrina McClain Award (an honor for college basketball’s top forward) is one of the best rebounders in the country, and she’s one of the nation’s most efficient scorers. Her passing improved significantly with more playing time this season. Through last season she drew nearly four fouls a game (and through Stanford’s final five games of the season, she drew five per game), and she’s a reliable free-throw shooter, knocking down 91 percent in the final five games of the Cardinal’s season.

Oregon State sophomore forward

Key stats: 17.5 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 66 FG%

With multiple Beavers in the portal, it felt like only a matter of time for Beers to enter, too. As a first-team All-Pac-12 selection and former Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and conference Sixth Player of the Year, she’s going to hear from a lot of programs. She’s an elite offensive talent and an excellent defender who could be a foundational player for almost any program in the country. She shoots 69 percent at the rim, according to Pivot Analysis, and has a Mackenzie Holmes-like game, except Beers is only a sophomore. The loss of the Pac-12 is a loss for every women’s basketball fan. Because she was playing in the Pac-12 (and at Oregon State, specifically), Beers wasn’t on any nationally-televised games until the 2024 postseason. But given her game and the caliber of teams likely to call, she has a chance to be a household name next season.

Arkansas freshman guard

Key stats: 22.1 PPG, 3.3 rebounds per game RPG, 41 FG %

Scott will be one of the most highly coveted portal players given her offensive ability and three years of eligibility remaining. Among freshmen nationally, only USC’s JuJu Watkins and Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo scored more points per game than Scott this season. Her 3-point shot needs a bit of work (she shot only 30 percent from beyond the arc), but she’s a three-level scorer regardless. At 5-foot-9, she’s still a threat in getting to the bucket, and she drew more than four fouls per game this season and then converted when she got to the free-throw line, making 84 percent.

Princeton senior guard

Key stats: 15.8 PPG, 5.0 APG, 3.5 RPG, 49 FG%

The Ivy League doesn’t allow players to use pandemic-granted bonus years in-league, so Chen entered the portal in early September. Coaches have been aware of her intentions. The two-time first-team All-Ivy League selection will have her pick of schools. It certainly helps that two classes’ worth of Ivy League players before her have found success in power conferences: USC’s trio this season and Maryland’s Abby Meyers last season. Chen’s veteran experience, high motor and ability to make plays and distribute while also defending well make her a great option for teams that need to plug in a high-value, low-risk point guard.

Oregon State junior guard

Key stats: 10.7 PPG, 5.0 APG, 4.1 RPG, 39 FG%

With Oregon State moving to the West Coast Conference, it’s not surprising to see multiple Beavers in the portal as they’re likely in the market to remain at the power conference level. With one season of eligibility remaining, von Oelhoffen will be an attractive pickup for a program looking to replace a departing point guard or for a team needing to complement a younger point guard with her veteran experience. At 5-11 and with a solid build, she can take contact and is a strong shooter coming off screens and in spot-up situations. In the mid-range this season, she shot a career-best 46 percent, per Pivot Analysis. Her 3-point shooting was streaky this season, but she has shot 43 percent as a freshman.

pic.twitter.com/2LkgiSOIfx

— TG (@timea_gardiner) April 8, 2024

Arkansas redshirt sophomore guard

Key stats: 10.2 PPG, 11.2 RPG (9.4 defensive RPG), 36 FG%

Poffenbarger early-enrolled at UConn in 2021 but transferred to Arkansas after that season. She’s on the move again after starting 67 games with the Razorbacks. Coaches will be drawn to Poffenbarger’s 9.4 defensive rebounds per game (only BYU’s Lauren Gustin averaged more this season), and her improvement from behind the arc is impressive (from 23 percent last season to 33 percent this season). Any time a big guard who can clean up the glass and create defensive havoc (she averages 2.5 combined blocks and steals per game) enters the portal, she’ll get interest from major coaches. The fact that Poffenbarger has two more years of eligibility will also be a bonus for some programs.

Oregon State sophomore forward

Key stats: 11.6 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 45 FG%, 40 3 PT FG%

Gardiner is an interesting prospect with size, ability and two remaining seasons of eligibility. Fans across the country might not be as familiar with her because the Beavers didn’t have any nationally broadcast regular-season games, but if you saw her play in the NCAA Tournament, you understand why she’s so high on this list. The 6-3 forward can finish in the paint against larger posts, but Gardiner also has range and is a high-volume 3-point shooter (five attempts per game). Playing in Oregon State’s system requires a lot of defensive discipline, so she’ll bring that, plus an excellent defensive rebounding ability, to her next team.

Texas A&M sophomore forward

Key stats: 12.2 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 48 FG%

With two years of eligibility remaining and a strong SEC resume as an effective two-way player, Barker should have her pick of schools. Her two season-best scoring performances (21 points apiece) came against defensive teams Ole Miss and LSU. According to Synergy, she gave up just .553 points per possession on the season, putting her among the top four percent of players. Barker needs to cut back on turnovers (2.7 per game), but her ability to defend and be an offensive threat in the paint makes this 6-4 forward a highly-coveted transfer.

Villanova junior guard

Key stats: 23.3 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 3.8 APG

In the absence of Maddy Siegrist, a WNBA Draft selection last year, Olsen stepped up as the primary scorer for Villanova and revealed herself as capable of shouldering the responsibility. In terms of one-year perimeter players who can compete on both ends, Olsen is a solid option. She’ll need to rein in her fouls (2.3 per game) and turnovers (2.5 per game), but she’s a complete player who can immediately contribute as a scorer, distributor and defender.

LSU senior guard

Key stats: 11.6 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 3.6 APG, 38 FG%

Van Lith’s body of work at LSU wasn’t necessarily eye-popping, but she has the overall resume to be a top-10 transfer portal recruit, especially if (or when) she lands at a program that allows her to move back to her natural off-ball guard position. Her shooting percentage dropped this season at every level, but she has proven abilities that can work in the right system. Van Lith averaged 19.7 points per game as a junior at Louisville, scoring nearly half of her points as a spot-up shooter or as the ballhandler in pick-and-rolls, according to Synergy. Van Lith still has the chance to be a high-impact player in her fifth year.

Penn junior guard

Key stats: 14.8 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 2.3 APG, 39 3PT%

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: A seasoned Penn guard with a hot hand from long range has entered the transfer portal. … Yes, if this sounds like a Kayla Padilla deja vu moment, you wouldn’t be wrong. Padilla’s former teammate, who might not be quite as prolific a scorer but is a better rebounder, is looking for a home for her final season. Obi connects on 39 percent of her triples, and her high motor allowed her to average 33 minutes per game through her three-year career at Penn. She has started 82 games for the Quakers, and given Padilla’s ability to slot in so perfectly around Watkins at USC, you’ve got to think Trojans coach Lindsay Gottlieb (and others) has an eye on Obi.

Kentucky senior forward

Key stats: 14.2 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 51 FG%

It’s not surprising to see multiple Wildcats in the portal after Kentucky fired Kyra Elzy. Petty spent her first two seasons at LSU but left after the coaching change there, too. The 6-3 forward led Kentucky in scoring and rebounding this season as she anchored the paint. Nearly 97 percent of Petty’s shot attempts came at the rim, where she made 52 percent (she shot a career-best 57 percent last season). She also was elite at drawing fouls (5.3 per game). Defensively, she averaged 2.2 combined steals and blocks per game. Her turnovers need to decrease, and her free-throw shooting needs to improve (especially as she gets to the line as well as she can). Petty would be a great fit for a team looking to bolster its interior presence.

North Carolina senior guard

Key stats: 16.3 PPG, 3.2 APG, 3.9 RPG, 35 FG%

Kelly is a proven scorer who has averaged at least 16 points a game over the last three seasons as the Tar Heels’ primary weapon. Her 3-point shooting has never been the strongest part of her game, but she’s comfortable with her shooting in the mid-range and paint. She’s a strong perimeter defender who can compete well on the glass for a 5-8 guard. Could the Texas native land somewhere closer to home? Or might we see her move to the Big Ten as a potential stop-gap scorer and perimeter player for a team looking with a younger guard?

Another one ✔️🇺🇸

Congrats to DK on @WBCA1981 All-America honors for the 3rd year in a row!

🔗: https://t.co/6rZm7DKox4#GoHeels | @dejakelly25 pic.twitter.com/WGV8UI71Fw

— Carolina Women’s Basketball (@uncwbb) April 5, 2024

Syracuse freshman forward

Key stats: 8.6 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 46 FG%

After an impressive freshman campaign, Latham was named to the ACC’s All-Freshman team this season. She has all the qualities of an all-conference player. The 6-2 forward can bring three years of eligibility into a program, and she already has experience playing alongside a dominant scorer in Dyaisha Fair. Latham is an active defender who, even as a freshman, ranked among the top 20 percent of players in Hakeem percentage (the sum of a player’s block and steal percentage), and she was effective on the offensive glass for the Orange.

Michigan junior guard

Key stats: 16.8 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.2 SPG

This was a move that really surprised us at The Athletic. The Cincinnati native has been a great fit in Kim Barnes Arico’s system, and the Wolverines leaned most heavily on her in the post-Naz Hillmon era. Phelia does most of her offensive work within 15 feet of the basket, though she has proved herself as a dangerous 3-point shooter from either corner. She’s not known for her defense, but her experience and ability to score will put her on plenty of teams’ radars.

Penn State sophomore guard

Key stats: 11.5 PPG, 2.4 APG, 42 FG%

Ciezki could be a particularly attractive pickup for a team looking to add a 3-point specialist. She shot 42 percent from behind the arc as a freshman and 37 percent this season, with 60 percent of her shot attempts coming from 3s this year. She is similar to Lauren Hansen as a transfer except that Ciezki has two years of eligibility remaining, so she’ll be a more steadying presence in her future program rather than a one-year fill.

𝙐𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚.

Shay Ciezki’s 8️⃣ three-pointers today ties for #2 in three-pointers made in a single game in Lady Lion HISTORY.#LionMentality | @shay_ciezki pic.twitter.com/0q2XVzHvgy

— Penn State Women’s Basketball (@PennStateWBB) December 20, 2023

Kentucky senior guard

Key stats: 12.5 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 3.4 APG, 34 FG%

Scherr, a Kentucky native, spent her first two seasons at Oregon before entering the portal and transferring closer to home. She’s looking for a new landing spot in the wake of Elzy’s firing. Scherr’s shooting slumped this season, but in the right system, she could be an asset and add experienced guard depth to any roster. (She has 87 career starts.) Scherr has a knack for playmaking on offense and defense, ranking in the top 15 percent of players in steals per game, blocks per game and assists per game. But she’ll need to cut back on the turnovers and fouls to take it to the next level at her next stop.

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Transfer decisions

(Photos of Hailey Van Lith and Raegan Beers: Sarah Stier / Getty Images,  Andy Lyons / Getty Images)