Top 15 Mid-Major to Power Conference Transfers
Top 15 Mid-Major to Power Conference Transfers
Ranking the best players to transfer from a Hammon Award-eligible school to a major conference
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The NCAA women’s basketball season is right around the corner, and in today’s era of increased transfer movement, that means getting up to speed on who’s playing where.
While many fans are familiar with the big names who came from power conference schools, the mid-major conferences continue to produce impact transfers every year. In 2021-22, we saw players like Alexus Dye, Angel Baker, and Ilmar'l Thomas have success after joining the major conference ranks. Here are the top 15 transfers from mid-major schools who will be taking their talents to a power conference team this season.
15. Jade Edwards (American → DePaul)
Edwards joins the Blue Demons as a grad transfer and should help ease the loss of Sonya Morris. Going from one of the slowest-paced teams in the nation to one of the fastest will be a big adjustment, but Edwards shouldn’t have any trouble acclimating to DePaul’s pressure defense after racking up over 150 steals in her four years at American. The Chicago native will team up with Aneesah Morrow on a team looking to compete at the top of a much-improved Big East as she returns home.
14. Taylor O’Brien (Bucknell → Florida State)
Another Patriot League grad transfer cracks our top 15 as O’Brien joins the Seminoles looking to immediately make some noise in the ACC. O’Brien was one of five players in the country to make at least 200 shots and record at least 75 steals last season, so she’ll be a key two-way threat for Brooke Wyckoff and Florida State.
13. Avery LaBarbera (Holy Cross → Wisconsin)
The reigning Patriot League Player of the Year completes the trifecta of Patriot League guards grad transferring to a major conference and should immediately be one of the top options in head coach Marisa Moseley’s offense. The 5-foot-6 guard scored nearly 1,500 points at Holy Cross, and she’ll bring an exceptional rebounding ability at her height after averaging 9.8 rebounds per game last season.
12. Molly Davis (Central Michigan → Iowa)
What’s scarier than the best offense in the country returning all of its weapons? The best offense in the country returning all of its weapons while also adding another prolific threat to the mix. Davis is one of three returning players in the country to average at least two made 3s and three assists in each of the last three seasons (all three of whom are on this list). She was made to play for the Hawkeyes.
11. Caitlyn Harper (California Baptist → Purdue)
California Baptist was one of the most successful mid-majors in the country over the last two seasons, and the 2022 WAC Player of the Year was a major reason why. She helped the Lancers to an undefeated regular season in 2020-21 that would have culminated in the NCAA Tournament if not for California Baptist’s status as a school reclassifying to Division I. The skilled 6-foot-2 forward will join the Boilermakers with two years of eligibility remaining.
10. Elisa Pinzan (South Florida → Maryland)
The Terps place two players on this list, starting with one of the better passers in the country. Pinzan should be a key factor for a Maryland team that lost point guard Ashley Owusu as well as Angel Reese and Mimi Collins to transfer. The 5-foot-8 graduate student has an assist-to-turnover ratio over 2.5 across the last two seasons.
9. Naomie Alnatas (Kansas City → Oklahoma State)
Alnatas is the first player on this list who followed her coach, as former Kansas City head coach Jacie Hoyt enters her first season at the helm for the Cowgirls. Alnatas averaged better than 18 points and 5 assists per game last season while shooting nearly 40% from deep, and she’ll join fellow Kansas City transfer Landry Williams on a new-look Oklahoma State squad.
8. Lou Lopez-Senechal (Fairfield → UConn)
Lopez-Senechal makes arguably the biggest jump in programs of anyone on this list as she transitions from the MAAC to one of the premier programs in the sport. Don’t think she can’t handle the challenge though – she averaged 16 points per game against Indiana and Texas last year, and she hung 27 on Big East opponent St. John’s as a sophomore.
7. Diamond Battles (UCF → Georgia)
Like Alnatas, the fabulously- and appropriately-named Diamond Battles followed her coach, Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, from UCF to Georgia. Her teammates Alisha Lewis and Brittney Smith came with her, giving the Bulldogs a formidable group of transfers that also includes Kari Niblack (West Virginia), De'Mauri Flournoy (Vanderbilt), and Audrey Warren (Texas). Battles, the reigning AAC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, led the Knights to their first-ever NCAA Tournament win in March.
6. Jasmine Franklin (Missouri State → Tennessee)
Franklin isn’t following her most recent coach, as Amaka Agugua-Hamilton left Missouri State to take the Virginia job this offseason. However, Franklin did play for current Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper in the 2018-19 season when Harper was at Missouri State, so this season will be a full-circle reunion of sorts. Franklin is a tough defender and rebounder at 6-foot-1 – she was averaging over 12 rebounds and two blocks a game last year before her season-ending injury – so she’ll fit the Tennessee identity like a glove.
5. Cavinder twins (Fresno State → Miami)
We’re going to cheat a little bit and count two players as one here as both Haley and Hanna Cavinder will be suiting up for the Hurricanes this season. The sisters combined for over 34 points, 13 rebounds, nine assists, and three steals per game last season, and playing in the ACC should only elevate their profile as multimillion-dollar NIL stars even more.
4. Stephanie Visscher (SFA → Michigan State)
For a Spartans team that’s getting ready for life without Nia Clouden, Visscher was an incredible signing. The 6-foot wing has been one of the most well-rounded players in the country over the last four seasons, and watching her match up with threats like Caitlin Clark and Grace Berger in the Big Ten is sure to be entertaining.
3. Dyaisha Fair (Buffalo → Syracuse)
When head coach Felisha Legette-Jack moved down I-90 from Buffalo to Syracuse, she took several of her players with her. Georgia Woolley, Saniaa Wilson, and Cheyenne McEvans will all don the orange this season, but the most notable transfer Legette-Jack brought over is Fair – the 5-foot-5 point guard who has finished in the top five in the nation in scoring in three straight seasons. Fair is on the watch lists for both the Lieberman Award and the ACC Newcomer of the Year.
2. Shaylee Gonzales (BYU → Texas)
A player who may have an argument for the No. 1 spot, Gonzales gave BYU three straight 17/5 seasons in the scoring and rebounding departments. She was the head of the snake for a Cougars team that went 26-4 last year and will give Texas – a predominantly defensive group – a dose of offense to aid in its Final Four push this season. Gonzales has two years of eligibility left, so she and Rori Harmon could be a nightmare for Big 12 backcourts for the next two seasons.
1. Abby Meyers (Princeton → Maryland)
Rounding out our list is the 2022 Ivy League Player of the Year who led the Tigers to a win over Kentucky in last year’s NCAA Tournament. Between her 29 points in that one and her 21 against both Villanova and Texas earlier in the season, it’s clear that Meyers will have no problem competing against major conference opponents. Aliyah Boston, NaLyssa Smith, and Ayoka Lee were the only other players in the country to post at least 6.5 win shares on offense and at least 3.5 on defense last year.
Also Considered (in alphabetical order): Kassondra Brown (St. Peter’s → Rutgers), Kai Carter (UNC Asheville → Rutgers), Makira Cook (Dayton → Illinois), Emma Grothaus (Lehigh → Washington), Ciaja Harbison (Saint Louis → Vanderbilt), Asianae Johnson (St. Bonaventure → Mississippi State), Maddie Krull (South Dakota → Nebraska), Dariauna Lewis (Alabama A&M → Syracuse), Wyvette Mayberry (Tulsa → Kansas), Dani Nichols (Western Illinois → West Virginia), Taniyah Thompson (East Carolina → Penn State), Josie Williams (Utah Valley → Louisville), Kayla Williams (UC Irvine → USC)
Stats are taken from Her Hoop Stats and reflect only games against Division I competition.
Thanks for reading the Her Hoop Stats Newsletter. If you like our work, be sure to check out our stats site, our podcast, and our social media accounts on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also buy Her Hoop Stats gear, such as laptop stickers, mugs, and shirts!
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Under the radar: Kiyah Watson, South Dakota to West Virginia.