Top 25 women's basketball transfers: Iowa's Caitlin Clark replacement, Hailey Van Lith's third act – 247Sports

The women’s college basketball transfer portal window is closed, so now’s the a perfect time to take a look at the 25 best options this cycle. Most have chosen their next college destination, though a couple are still weighing their options.
Our rankings factor in a number of things, including remaining eligibility — which explains our decision at No. 1, which reasonable minds can certainly degree on. This is a fun cycle that might not have the same pop as a year ago when Aneesah Morrow and Hailey Van Lith ranked Nos. 1 and 2 for us, respectively, but there is a ton of value here and of course HVL finds her way back in our rankings, albeit lower than a season ago.
Last season’s transfer storyline was LSU’s superteam, but this year the love is spread: Iowa has its Caitlin Clark replacement, USC and UConn are pushing their chips to the middle of the table, Oklahoma and Texas are loading up as they enter the SEC. And as for LSU? Yeah, Kim Mulkey’s Bayou Bengals are still definitely up. The women’s game is finally getting the attention it deserves and we can’t be more excited about this fall.
Beers is a model of efficiency in the post. Having two seasons of eligibility instead of just one is the tipping point for her to slide in at the No. 1 spot overall. Beers shot an incredible 66.4 percent from the field in 2023-24, finishing second in the country in that mark. She also was a walking double-double dropping 17.5 points and 10.3 rebounds per game as well. Getting a post player of Beers productivity level for two seasons is almost unheard of. Kudos to Oklahoma for making this type of move ahead of joining the SEC. 
Iriafen played at an All-American level all season. USC fans are thrilled to add her to a promising young nucleus that of course includes Juju Watkins. Iriafen only has one season of eligibility remaining. She could be in the mix to go No. 1 in the 2025 WNBA Draft, so she probably has the most talent of anybody in our rankings, but is second to Beers because of the eligibility gap.
Iriafen’s stock rose with her 19.4 point and 11 rebound a game averages in 2023-24. She was every bit as productive as her teammate Cameron Brink, who went No. 2 overall in the ’24 draft. 

Amoore is going to use her final season of eligibility in Lexington playing for her former coach at Virginia Tech, Kenny Brooks. Amoore has been operating at an All-League level averaging 18.8 points and 6.8 assists per game in 2023-24. She’s the most prolific player in the portal and a huge land for Brooks as her embarks on his journey at Kentucky.

VanSlooten has had a fantastic start to her college career out in Eugene. It’s not too surprising that she chose to transfer to Michigan State, which is closer to her home of Toledo, Ohio. VanSlooten averaged 15 points and 7.1 rebounds a game in 2023-24 for an Oregon roster that never could find its footing inside of Pac-12 conference play.

Unlike VanSlooten, Gardiner played deep into March for an Oregon State roster that made a run into the Sweet Sixteen. In the process, she played elite level minutes averaging 11.6 points and 7 rebounds per game. Just like crosstown rival USC is gearing up for a big season in 2024-25, so is UCLA, which is thrilled to pair Gardiner with Lauren Betts down low. 
Iowa knows it cannot replace Caitlin Clark. But Lucy Olsen is a pretty nice way to start its AC era (After Clark, of course). Olsen was a walking bucket during the 2023-24 campaign averaging 23.3 points per on 43.8 percent from the field. Olsen also managed to grab 4.8 rebounds to go along with 3.8 assists per as well. She’ll have a major impact this season. 
Much like Olsen, Scott is a true scoring threat from the perimeter. She was the best freshman in a league that produced the eventual national champions in South Carolina. Scott went to work early and often finishing the season with 22.1 points per and 3.3 rebounds. Her 3-point percentage is a place for growth as she connected on 29.5 percent of those attempts during the 2023-24 season.

Phelia is an elite addition for the Texas Longhorns and is a perfect fit. She averaged 16.8 points and 3.6 rebounds during the 2023-24 season. More importantly, Phelia was efficient from the field and the free throw line at 42.3 percent and 80.1 respectively. Her 3-point percentage dropping almost 10 percent this season from 41.7 to 32.1 is something to work on at her next stop.

Karlen has a COVID year to use as she’s been in college since the 2020-21 season. The veteran was as efficient as anyone on the list in how she went about her business during the 2023-24 season posting averages of 17.7 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. Karlen added to that by doing it on 49.7 percent from the field, 35.7 from beyond the arc and 82.2 from the free throw line.

King does what she does on the hardwood – rebound and finish. During the 2023-24 season, King averaged a double / double finishing with 18.7 points, 10.3 rebounds per game. More importantly, she did that on 52 percent from the field. King didn’t make a single 3-point attempt capping her offensive value to an extent. King was fantastic from the field shooting at a 52.3 percent clip on the year.
Leger-Walker helped put the Washington State program back in the NCAA Tournament mix while she was there. Now she’ll see if she can help UCLA find their way into the Final Four. Leger-Walker suffered an ACL tear at the start of this calendar year which might keep her from being at 100% when she arrives in Westwood but shouldn’t delay her timing for the start of the season. Before her injury, Leger-Walker was averaging 13.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists a game.
Poffenbarger finished seventh in the country in rebounding at 11.2 boards a game in 2023-24. That makes her an extremely valuable commodity for anyone needing more of that on their roster next season. Poffenbarger also managed to post 10.2 points per though her field goal percentage of 35.5 is a place for improvement. She’ll bring versatility to the roster in College Park.

Chen provides immediate production for the Huskies. In return, they’re likely to boost her profile in a major way — just like Southern Cal did for its handful of Ivy League transfers this season. Chen had a noteworthy 2023-24 season for Princeton, leading the Tigers in points with 15.8 per game and assists at 4.9. She provides yet another capable scorer should Azzi Fudd’s return be delayed at all.

Hagemann has proven herself to be one of the more efficient lead guards around the country production wise. She is just under a 3 to 1 assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.84 averaging 5.2 assists per game in the process. Hagemann will take that skill with her 12.3 point per game average to Oxford and the SEC next season. Hagemann also shot 51.5 percent from the field in 2023-24. She’ll be a welcome addition for the Rebels.

Kelly put up a noteworthy stat line average as a veteran option for a Tar Heel roster that advanced a round in the NCAA Tournament. She finished with 16.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists per during the 2023-24 campaign. That said, Kelly struggled from the field in relation to the other players in our top 20 rankings, converting on just 34.6 percent of her shot attempts last season.
Vonleh is one of the premier interior options in the class. From the opening game against LSU through the NCAA Tournament run, Vonleh made an impact earning all-conference honors in the process. She averaged 14 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. Vonleh will look to bring that level of production to Waco next season.

A large part of the new era of recruiting is current player retention. Nye entered the portal last month but has decided to stay at Alabama. Being able to retain a second-team All-SEC starter goes a long way to helping the Crimson Tide make their third straight NCAA Tournament next spring. Nye averaged 14.1 points and was a thief on the defensive end with 1.8 steals per game. 

Petty had a major leap in production during the 2023-24 season almost tripling her point production from 5.7 a game to 14.7. Whether that increase is sustainable remains to be seen this season in Columbus but the proof of concept is there. Petty gives the Buckeyes another true frontcourt prospect. She was a dominant force on the glass finishing third in the SEC with 10.6 rebounds per game. 

Gray’s two seasons of eligibility is a welcome plus as she returns to her home state to finish up her college career. She averaged 13.9 points and 3 assists per game last year in the Pac-12. If Gray can match or come close to that production in Columbus, the Buckeyes should be poised to make a run deep into March or early April. Gray will team up with incoming freshman Jaloni Cambridge to potentially give coach Kevin McGuff his most talented backcourt to date.

Van Lith is a unique study in how the portal can work in either a positive or negative direction production wise. Our No. 2-ranked transfer a season ago, she saw her numbers at LSU drop drastically from 19 points a game at Louisville to just over 11 per in Baton Rouge. Van Lith’s move to TCU will free her up to be more of a natural shot-taker off the dribble than she was for Kim Mulkey’s roster in 2023-24. For Van Lith, TCU has the roster flexibility for her to play major minutes with a green light.
21. JANIAH BARKER, SO., F: FROM TEXAS A&M
Since her days as a heralded prep prospect, Barker has displayed the physical gifts that could translate in a major way at the collegiate level. While she has just to go to the elite level production wise, Barker did post 12.5 points and 6.8 rebounds a game in 2023-24 in the ultra competitive SEC. Barker has a size and talent combination that few around the country can match.
22. TALIA VON OELHOFFEN, SR., G: FROM OREGON STATE TO USC
For an Oregon State roster filled with talent, von Oelhoffen was the glue at the guard spot. She has been a lynchpin for the Beavers averaging 10.7 points a game this year with 5 assists. Her production especially in the assist category will be a welcome addition to a Trojans roster that features two potential No. 1 overall WNBA Draft picks in their respective classes in Kiki Iriafen and Juju Watkins.
23. MADDIE SCHERR, SR., G: FROM KENTUCKY TO TCU
Scherr has a connection with TCU coach Mark Campbell dating back to her recruitment to Oregon in 2019. Now, Scherr will finish her collegiate career on the roster he’s in charge of. Scherr has been productive during her time in Lexington putting up All-SEC caliber numbers in spite of a roster that struggled to win much in league play. She averaged 12.5 points and 4.8 rebounds a game during the 2023-24 season. Scherr’s field goal percentage will need to increase from 33.5 percent.
24. SHAYEANN DAY-WILSON, JR., G: FROM MIAMI TO LSU
A former ACC Freshman of the Year at Duke, Day-Wilson made a move to Miami last season averaging 11.9 points and 3.5 assists per game in the process. She has the tools to potentially give LSU more stability at the lead guard position than the Tigers had during the 2023-24 season. That said, the crowds in the PMAC on a nightly basis will be substantially larger than the ones in Miami. If Day-Wilson can adjust to the stage in a timely fashion, expect LSU to be right back in the SEC and national title discussions.
25. KAILYN GILBERT, SO., G: FROM ARIZONA TO LSU
There is a ton of on-floor upside in the Gilbert addition for Kim Mulkey’s roster. Gilbert averaged 15.1 points and 5.3 rebounds a game in 23 contest 2023-24 before shutting herself down for the final four weeks of the season. Gilbert will need to be more protective of the basketball after averaging more turnovers than assists at 2.7 to 2.3 respectively. One thing is for certain in that Gilbert is a walking scoring opportunity when she checks in.
Brandon Clay is a contributor for 247Sports. You can follow him on Twitter here. 
The Brandon Clay National Scouting Report, compiled by Peach State Basketball, Inc. owner Brandon Clay, is designed to be one of the industry’s premier grassroots scouting and recruiting sources for girls’ high school basketball. The Brandon Clay Scouting Report features write-ups on the best and most talented prospects that both club teams and high schools have to offer. We are in the gym for high school games, quiet or dead period events, travel team tournaments, and exposure events across the region throughout the year. You will receive weekly information online on who is hot, who is not, and who the key players are nationwide on every level of college-bound play.
© 2005-2024 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc.

source