By J.J. Buck – The transfer portal has brought free agency to college sports. While it can be frustrating for fans, the offseason swirls around who is staying and who is going. Fan bases franticly refresh social media to see if they will get a rose from a player’s commitment.
With no restrictions on the portal one of the more fascinating aspects is in-conference transfers. Something that felt so weird years ago is now common practice. Coaches are going to have a good read on players who they see multiple times in the season. You know if they can compete in your conference. You know how they play against the top contenders in your conference, and you know who you want to call when they enter the transfer portal.
Transfer Portal Entries via On3
Air Force – 0
Boise State – 1
Colorado State – 3
Fresno State – 11
Nevada – 6
New Mexico – 5
San Diego State – 6
San Jose State – 8
UNLV – 5
Utah State – 10
Wyoming – 1
The reigning Mountain West tournament champions, the San Diego State Aztecs, have hit the Mountain West portal hard. After sending the top seeded UNLV Lady Rebels home, SDSU outlasted the two seed Wyoming in overtime to win the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The Aztecs featured a roster with veteran forwards and young guards. Two of those forwards were in conference transfers, Adryana Quezada (Utah State) and Cali Clark (Colorado State). They checked the boxes of having the talent and performing at the highest level in conference play. Clark and Quezada have exhausted their eligibility. Head Coach Stacy Terry-Hutson went right back to the Mountain West well early in the portal signing three in conference transfers.
Fresno State transfer, Maria Konstantinidou, fits the mold of the pervious forwards brought in. The 6-foot-2 junior to be averaged 5.2 points and 4.2 rebounds last year. She is a physical presence that works with the style we have seen from the Aztecs. Kennedy Lee (6′) is a versatile forward who averaged 11.7 points with 5.8 rebounds as a freshman at Nevada. Carlie Latta is a 5-foot-10 guard who brings a spark the the perimiter. She appeared in all 31 games during her freshman season at Utah State where she averaged 9.1 points per-game while shooting 33-percent from three.
UNLV won four straight regular season and three straight conference tournament titles until SDSU snapped the streak. Lindy La Rocque’s squad still sets the standard. Two of the Lady Rebels six additions are in conference moves. Maria Elohim made an impact in her lone season at Fresno State. The 5-10 junior guard showed an ability to get hot from three finishing the season with 72 makes from behind the arc and a season best performance, 5-10 against San Jose State. After being named to the MW All-Freshman team, SJSU sophomore Sydni Summers averaged 9.9 points while making 69 threes (6th most in a single season). The 5-foot-5 guard is quick off the dribble and could grow into a big role with the departure of All-Conference guards Amarachi Kimpson (transfer) and Kiara Jackson (graduation).
Fresno State was one of two teams to make a coaching change in the offseason after Jaime White stepped down. White won 196 games over her 11 years finishing with the second most wins for a coach in program history. Ryan McCarthy was named the new head coach after 13 years leading DII Alaska Anchorage. As we have seen across the board, any coaching change could lead to a complete rebuild. With a conference high 11 players in the portal the Bulldogs have a lot of work to do. Djessira Diawara brings experience and length inside. The 6-foot-3 forward will be playing at her 4th college; NJCAA All-American Third Team selection as a freshman at Clarendon College, appeared in 27 games at Houston as a sophomore and averaged 8 points and 6.1 rebounds this past year at San Jose State.
1,523 women’s basketball players entered the transfer portal. Coaches are still recruiting, traveling the country and building rosters. The in-conference transfers are another layer to the offseason battles. You never know. Maybe a player that really impresses you from an opponent will be on your team next season.
(Transfer updated as of 5/1/25)
