As college hoops swing into conference play, it’s time to revisit our transfer tiers ranking.
Our first installment of this series came out in late October, when we were just predicting the fits and potential performances of these transfer players within their new squads. Now, with about six weeks’ worth of hindsight, we’ve gone back to the drawing board to see where we were right and whom we might’ve missed. This round features seven entirely new players who’ve become key players for their teams as well as a new No. 1 and No. 2.
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We’ll check back in midway through league play to see how these tiers continue to evolve with players stepping up and stepping into larger roles.
Editor’s note: Stats are updated through Sunday night’s games.
Lauren Betts
When UCLA returned the bulk of its roster after a Sweet 16 appearance in 2023, two major weaknesses stuck out for the Bruins: efficient scoring and defending without fouling. Lauren Betts has been the perfect player to address those concerns. It almost seems like the sophomore center was specifically designed to take UCLA from very good to elite.
Betts controls the paint on both ends of the floor; she has converted 81 percent of her shots at the rim while spearheading a defense that limits opponents to 45 percent in the same zone. Her presence in the middle allows the Bruins guards to amp up their aggression on the perimeter, knowing their 6-foot-7 center is in the paint to clean up their mistakes. Betts is especially good at anchoring the defense since she commits only 1.1 fouls per 40 minutes, allowing coach Cori Close to extend her minutes as necessary.
UCLA had difficulty with bigger centers during conference play last year, including Cameron Brink, Rayah Marshall and Aaronette Vonleh. Betts now gives the Bruins a matchup that other teams will have to scheme for.
- +Finishing at the rim
- +Rim protection
- +Rebounding
- +Lack of fouling
- -Midrange game
Aneesah Morrow
The talk this offseason was how everything would fit together offensively at LSU. Implicit in that question was potentially the even bigger conundrum: Who was going to lead offensively? Angel Reese had the benefit of experience with the Tigers and could occupy the paint — she seemed the most-likely candidate. Flau’jae Johnson also had the LSU experience and a dynamic transition and pick-and-roll game. Hailey Van Lith had the most experience of anyone. And then there was Morrow, the player who led the nation in shot attempts (24.3) last season at DePaul.
A third into the season, Morrow, a junior, seems to have answered that question. In Reese’s absence and in the wake of Sa’Myah Smith’s season-ending knee injury, Morrow’s fluidity in the midrange and the paint has held the Tigers together. Even in Reese’s return, Morrow has been a rock. She has guarded big on defense when needed, averaged 3.2 steals (as well as multiple forced turnovers) and stepped up in major ways.
The Tigers’ season got off to a rocky start, but this is still a Final Four roster with Morrow leading the way.
- +Scoring mentality
- +Rebounding
- +Versatility
- +Defensive playmaking
- -3-point shooting
Te-Hina Paopao
The drop-off in Paopao’s ranking from the preseason has little to do with her performance. She has been everything South Carolina could have hoped for in a playmaker; the Gamecocks’ depth simply means she doesn’t have the same burden as the players now above her on this list.
Paopao’s passing adds a level of creativity to South Carolina’s halfcourt offense that wasn’t there last season (and yes, MiLaysia Fulwiley does the same off the bench). Her 3-point shooting is also a new element, one that changed the momentum of the Gamecocks’ win in North Carolina in the SEC/ACC Challenge. She’s canning 51.2 percent of her 3-pointers on high volume.
The fourth-year senior also brings veteran leadership to a younger South Carolina squad. When the Gamecocks tightly battled Duke a few days after beating the Tar Heels, coach Dawn Staley wanted to let her youngsters figure out how to handle adversity. Even though Paopao deserved to play, Staley said that the guard was willing to sacrifice her minutes to Fulwiley and Raven Johnson and support the team from the bench, showing that Paopao has the big picture in mind for South Carolina’s national title aspirations.
- +3-point shooting
- +Man defense
- +Experience
- +Poise
- -Paint scoring
Celeste Taylor
Taylor’s numbers aren’t eye-popping, but they don’t need to be for her to be uber-effective in Ohio State’s system. She, Jacy Sheldon and Taylor Thierry combine for seven steals a game at the head of the Buckeyes’ press. Ohio State also forces turnovers on every fourth possession, and that’s exactly how they want to play. Taylor — the reigning ACC defensive player of the year — is a huge part of it. None of that takes into account the numerous bad decisions into which this defensive unit, with Taylor as a key piece, forces opponents.
She leads the Buckeyes with four assists a game, but Ohio State would benefit by seeing a scoring jump from the junior as the Big Ten season approaches. Her current per-game average is hovering around seven points and her 3-point shooting (21 percent) is at a career low. However, (and this is especially true at Ohio State), a player’s value isn’t solely determined by how many points they score, but also how much they can limit opponents’ impacts, which Taylor does extremely well.
We’ve said it from the beginning there weren’t many better fits in terms of a transfer player seamlessly fitting into a new system than Taylor at Ohio State. Truly, chef’s kiss.
- +Defensive fit
- +Defensive mentality
- -3-point shooting
- -Turnovers
Endyia Rogers
Rogers came to Texas A&M with a reputation as one of the nation’s finest passing and shooting point guards, but also as someone who had never made her mark on defense. How that works when the Aggies get into SEC play, when defense is not exactly optional, will be fascinating. For now, Rogers is giving Texas A&M most of what they hoped for offensively.
Setting aside the 2-point percentage (which is being weighed down by a 2-of-20 start to the season), Rogers is moving the ball well, pushing the action in transition and making her 3-pointers at a high clip. She rarely commits turnovers, and her assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.07 places her in the 97th percentile in Division I.
- +3-point shooting
- +Ball control
- +Experience
- -Midrange game
- -Drawing fouls
Hailey Van Lith
With all of LSU’s mixing and matching, one piece has consistently been on the floor: Van Lith. The fourth-year senior averages a team-high 31 minutes per game and that figure could increase as SEC play kicks in, considering she saw the floor for 36 minutes and 37 minutes against the Tigers’ best non-conference opponents in Virginia Tech and Colorado, respectively.
Unlike most players in these tiers, Van Lith has been required to change her game in a pretty significant way to mesh with the Tigers. As the primary ballhandler, her opportunities within the game are different than they were at Louisville, but there are key areas where she has been a massive asset. She leads the Tigers with five assists a game. She’s shooting a career-best 60 percent at the rim, according to Pivot Analysis, and though she isn’t taking as many 3s as previous seasons, she has been particularly lethal from the left side of the arc.
- +Finishing at the rim
- +Transition offense
- +Finding teammates
- +Motor
- -Turnovers
Kiki Jefferson
After four years at James Madison, the jump to playing against a power-conference schedule has gone seamlessly for Kiki Jefferson. Jefferson is thriving with the reduced scoring load at Louisville (she’s taking four fewer shots per game, relative to last season), and her shooting percentages have bumped up in the process. Despite not being the Cardinals’ lead shot creator, Jefferson has proven to be the most important offensive player due to her ability to score efficiently and without turnovers. She makes quick, smart decisions with the ball.
Jefferson plays at the three in most Louisville lineups but is averaging only 6.5 rebounds per 40 minutes. As a whole, the Cardinals are relatively weak on the defensive glass (42nd percentile, per CBB Analytics), so this is an immediate area of improvement for the super senior. Furthermore, given that she is shooting 32 percent on 3s, Jefferson could afford to take more than 2.2 per game, as 3-point volume is the other main blemish in Louisville’s statistical profile.
- +Finishing at the rim
- +Transition offense
- -3-point volume
- -Rebounding
Lexi Donarski
North Carolina coach Courtney Banghart brought Donarski to Chapel Hill to play disciplined defense, help the Tar Heels play fast and space the floor with her shooting. She has done all of that. She plugged in with fellow seniors Deja Kelly and Alyssa Ustby to complete the core Banghart relies on to play 30-plus minutes a game.
Donarski’s ability to hit from long range has been on full display of late, sinking six triples against UNC Greensboro last week. That skill makes her particularly well placed as a Tier 2 player because if the senior gets hot in the postseason, the Tar Heels get way more dangerous. But she also has been streaky on 3s (which is why she isn’t in Tier 1). In three games preceding her breakout performance, she went 4 of 17 from deep as North Carolina dropped three in a row.
- +Transition offense
- +3-point shooting
- +Man defense
- -Inconsistent shooting
Lauren Park-Lane
Park-Lane’s biggest strength is her vision and passing. Her six assists per game put her in the top 20 nationally. As the season has worn on, her 3-point shooting has picked up tremendously. After going 0 of 8 in the first five games, Park-Lane has shot 52 percent from beyond the arc over the past five games. Keeping that percentage high and continuing to space the floor for Mississippi State will be crucial in conference play.
Park Lane, who’s using her COVID-19 year of eligibility this season, is shooting a career-best 64 percent at the rim, and that ability to get into the paint and either attack or dish out makes her the kind of dynamic playmaker coach Sam Purcell wanted to run this offense.
Park-Lane is the smallest player in the transfer tiers, but she has more than figured out how to play at her height in most scenarios (again, her ability to finish at the rim is impressive). But her height at times puts the Bulldogs in tough defensive positions. Sometimes she’s switching on a screen or playing in the zone — both of which can have her matched up with a larger player — and she can become a bit of a defensive liability.
- +Finishing at the rim
- +Vision
- +3-point shooting
- +Motor
- -Size differential
Sedona Prince
Prince has had quite the college journey, one that’s lasting six seasons and taken her from Texas to Oregon and now back to her home state to play for her former Ducks assistant Mark Campbell. Her career has seen its fair share of injuries — she broke her leg before her freshman season with the Longhorns (2018-19) and didn’t play before transferring to Oregon, missing last season in Eugene after undergoing surgery to correct a torn elbow ligament. But finally, it seems as though she’s playing the best basketball of her career to the tune of more than 33 minutes a game.
Prince is shooting close to 70 percent at the rim and has been effective in the paint whenever she has the ball. She’s averaging a double-double and has been an elite rim protector on the other end, averaging 3.4 blocks per game.
The only reason Prince isn’t higher (and No. 10 is nothing to scoff at) is because the Horned Frogs have played only one power conference opponent so far. Notably, she put up 23 points and 11 boards in that game against Nebraska, but in terms of truly determining her long-term value, we’ll need to see her face high-quality opponents. That time will come. The Big 12 schedule is nearing, and BYU, Texas and Iowa State will all come knocking.
- +Rim protection
- +Finishing at the hoop
- +Rebounding
- +Shot blocking
- -Strength of schedule
Dre'Una Edwards
Edwards was ineligible to play last season after transferring from Kentucky, but being in coach Nicki Collen’s system last season appears to have paid dividends as Edwards has returned with a vengeance. She’s the undefeated Bears’ leading scorer, and despite her smaller stature, she plays center in Baylor’s best lineups. Edwards spaces the floor for the Bears’ drive-and-kick game and finishes well in the paint over bigger players. Baylor’s offense has improved dramatically since last year, and Edwards’ presence is one of the biggest reasons.
She’s undersized as a shot-blocker, but the Bears haven’t had to hide Edwards on defense. They’ve remained hyper active defensively, and she contributes by forcing turnovers in the paint and stealing from players with a higher handle.
Edwards burst on the national stage by hitting the game-winner in the 2022 SEC tournament championship against South Carolina, but she hasn’t had many opportunities to play in big games throughout her college career. The stage is bigger in Baylor than it has been in previous stops at Utah and Kentucky, and Edwards seems up for it.
- +Scoring mentality
- +Rebounding
- +Defensive playmaking
- -Post-up defense
- -Turnovers
Maria Gakdeng
UNC coach Courtney Banghart brought in Gakdeng to help secure the middle. With Anya Poole unavailable for three games so far this season, Gakdeng’s presence and size was even more important for UNC. This hasn’t been a team that overwhelms with size in the paint, but Gakdeng has been a nice presence down low. Her value isn’t going to come from monster double-double performances (though Banghart probably wouldn’t be opposed), but in her ability to secure the paint enough that the talents of Kelly, Ustby and Donarski can be more on display.
The junior was a key piece as the Tar Heels kept it close against larger South Carolina in November as she secured 10 rebounds and two blocks while facing the likes of Kamilla Cardoso and Ashlyn Watkins. Her drawback is she’s not going to be too effective anywhere farther than four feet from the hoop. But with the perimeter talent and players UNC has, the Tar Heels don’t need her to be that kind of threat. If she can clean up the glass, make life hard for opposing bigs and be enough of an offensive threat two feet from the basket that opposing coaches need to account for her — then she’s doing her job.
- +Finishing at the hoop
- +Rebounding
- +Rim protection
- -One-dimensional offense
Lauren Ware
Texas A&M brought in too much talent to be as bad as the Aggies were last year. Ten games into the season, they already matched last season’s win total. Lauren Ware, who has made the paint her domain, has been the key to their defense. Opponents are shooting 53 percent in the lane and well below average in every other zone. Even though she’s coming off a lost year, Ware has played in every game and is averaging more minutes and fewer fouls than her sophomore season at Arizona.
The offense still looks a little clunky. Ware hasn’t had a ton of lift and is missing more than half of her shots, even though the majority come at the basket —- she’s been getting blocked on 12 percent of her shots, which is an inconceivable number for a 6-5 big. It seems like she’s been getting spooked on her finishes and is now throwing away the ball too often. However, the most important thing a center can do is protect the rim and rebound, and she has excelled in both categories, making her indispensable for the Aggies.
- +Offensive rebounding
- +Defending near hoop
- -Passing / ball control
- -Scoring efficiency
Taina Mair
It’s hard to know what to make of Duke. Are the Blue Devils the team that took Stanford to overtime and flummoxed South Carolina for three quarters? Or are they the squad that looked overmatched against Clemson and Davidson? If they’re the latter, then it doesn’t really matter that Mair has brought some stability to the point guard position. But if they resemble the former version of themselves, then Mair’s command of the offense could pay dividends later in the year.
The shooting hasn’t quite been there, and her finishing around the rim leaves something to be desired, but she can pass. The sophomore has been an outstanding table-setter for Duke. Reigan Richardson and Kennedy Brown have benefited in particular from Mair finding them at the 3-point line and in the post, respectively, and the offense has been 12.7 points per 100 possessions better with Mair on the court. If she can make better decisions on her drives – i.e. more passing instead of awkward runners – the offense should be able to take a step forward during ACC play.
- +Defensive fit
- +Passing vision
- +Active defense
- -3-point shooting
- -Turnovers
Jewel Spear
Coach Kellie Harper brought Spear to Knoxville to bolster a backcourt and complement what was supposed to be a scarily dominant frontcourt. None of that has really come to pass as the Lady Vols are off to a 5-5 start, one of their worst in program history. Forward Rickea Jackson, last season’s leading scorer, has been sidelined the last eight games with a lower-leg injury and 6-6 Tamari Key, who missed last season after blood clots were discovered in her lungs, has played only seven minutes a game this season off the bench. A frontcourt in flux has put more pressure on the backcourt and the results have been subpar.
However, Tier 3 players are potential boosters during conference play, and Spear is still that. Look no further than her performance Sunday night. After going 1 of 15 in the previous two games, she started out her night against Eastern Kentucky going 0-of-5. And yet, she continued to shoot and found her stride, going 4 of 8 the rest of the night (hello, shooter’s mentality) to give the Lady Vols the scoring surge they needed late to win.
Does Tennessee look Final Four worthy? Not currently. But if personnel issues get figured out, Spear could be the player who, when hitting her shot, makes the difference between being in the bottom or top half of the SEC come March.
- +Defensive rebounding
- +3-point shooting experience
- +Ball control
- -Man defense
- -Pick-and-roll defense
Jayda Curry
The expectation for Jayda Curry was to be the starting point guard for Louisville. That lasted for five games before the junior was supplanted by Nina Rickards. After leading Cal in scoring for two seasons, Curry is still figuring out how to find her offense in a more balanced system. She’s currently sixth on the Cardinals in points per game, and it’s almost shocking to see the number 8.3 next to her name after she led the Pac-12 in points as a freshman with 18.6 per game.
Curry’s shooting percentages are right in line with what she produced with the Golden Bears, which still makes her a valuable offensive player, but you would hope to see better efficiency or more volume from someone this talented. Coach Jeff Walz said he changed the starting lineup because the original group wasn’t aggressive enough. That seems like an invitation for Curry to hunt her shot.
- +Three-level scoring
- +Shot creation
- -Individual defense
- -Size
Shayeann Day-Wilson
The undefeated Hurricanes are cruising following an Elite Eight run last season, and Shayeann Day-Wilson is at the helm, earning a starting role after coming off the bench the first six games. Day-Wilson has been efficient scoring inside the arc, a marked improvement from her first two seasons at Duke; it helps that her drives to the rim have been more powerful. She’s taking on a heavier distribution role, upping her assists while taking a backseat as a scorer. The defense hasn’t been great, as the junior has never been a strong rebounder and she hasn’t been disruptive against opposing point guards. For now, the offensive impact is outpacing any defensive flaws, but Day-Wilson needs her anomalous 3-point shooting to continue for that to be the case.
- +Off-the-bounce juice
- +Reading the floor
- -Drawing fouls
- -Long-range shooting
McKenzie Forbes
We knew the show in Los Angeles was going to revolve around freshman phenom JuJu Watkins and Rayah Marshall. But two players do not a team make, and to supplement the scoring and playmaking ability of that duo, coach Lindsay Gottlieb hit the transfer portal hard to bring in options. Kayla Padilla was on our initial list, and though she has been a solid and consistent player for the Trojans, it’s Forbes — another Ivy League grad transfer — who ends up in this round of transfer tiers.
An eight-game starter for the Trojans, Forbes has been an unselfish playmaker, a shooter who can stretch the floor and a versatile defender. Forbes is not the Trojans’ most important or even second-most dominant player on the floor. But she makes both of those players better, which will be the key for USC this season and moving forward. If Gottlieb continues to surround Watkins with solid talent like Forbes, then USC will be in a really good place.
- +3-point shooting
- +Court vision
- +Man defense
- -Free throws
Matilda Ekh
Matilda Ekh is exactly who the Hokies thought they would be getting from the portal: a low-usage, high-volume shooter who doesn’t provide additional value as a playmaker. Ekh isn’t turning over the ball and she’s an adequate defender, but she also isn’t running any offense – that responsibility remains entirely under the purview of Georgia Amoore.
The problem with Ekh so far is that she’s making 32.6 percent of her 3-pointers, which is about average nationally but nowhere near her mark at Michigan State. And it’s not good enough for defenders to leave Elizabeth Kitley to put a hand in her face. Ekh has a track record as an excellent shooter, both from beyond the arc and at the free-throw line, and she’s getting great looks, so her percentage should climb. Until then, she won’t be as impactful as others on this list.
- +Spot-up shooting
- +Free throws
- -Playmaking
Kennedy Todd-Williams
Coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin’s calling card is a defense that makes opponents work for everything, and through most of this season that has been the case. (Giving up 80 to Oklahoma still stands as an outlier and not a trend.) The Rebels allow just 56 points per game, and their perimeter defense has held teams to 27 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
Todd-Williams fits this active defense so well. She averages 1.3 stocks (block or steal) per game and has been an active rebounder even as she has struggled to find her offense this season. Her defense keeps her on the floor — the senior is averaging the second-most minutes of any Ole Miss player — but her offensive productivity explains her significant drop in the transfer tiers. If she can get her percentages back to her career averages at UNC and become a more consistent threat, that would give Ole Miss a cushion heading into SEC play.
- +Man defense
- +Defensive playmaking
- -Scoring efficiently
- -3-point shooting
Frannie Hottinger
Marquette has been unbelievably good on offense to start the season — fourth nationally in field-goal percentage and first in 3-point shooting. Hottinger has factored significantly into the former by making 53.7 percent of her 2-pointers. She hasn’t made many 3-pointers, but she collects 2.3 offensive rebounds per game, which is the best way to generate additional opportunities for teammates’ triples.
Hottinger has a strange offensive profile — she doesn’t make a ton of shots at the rim or earn many free throws — but she is money in the midrange and quite skilled at posting up. She also has a high steal rate and leads Marquette in rebounding despite her size. Those intangibles will serve the Golden Eagles well in Big East play.
- +Rebounding
- +Midrange game
- +Post-up offense
- -Turnovers
- -Finishing at the rim
GO DEEPER
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(Illustration: Eamonn Dalton / The Athletic; Photo of Lauren Betts: M. Anthony Nesmith / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images, photo of Aneesah Morrow: Brian Rothmuller / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)