An Elite Eight exit for former defending champion LSU women`s basketball was not what their fans had in mind this year. Bowing out to last year`s rivals in Iowa and about to lose star Angel Reese, the Lady Tigers are running it back – but with a slight change in their roster.
Fortunately for LSU, they don`t seem to be letting go of a lot of important pieces. Here`s the transfer portal tracker for LSU women`s basketball this year.
Transfer portal tracker for LSU women's basketball 2024
A total of four players are leaving Baton Rouge after this season (via WBBBlog.com). These include 6-foot-1 freshman wing Janae Kent, 5-foot-8 senior PG Kateri Poole, 5-foot-7 freshman PG Angelica Velez and starter Hailey Van Lith – who notably entered the transfer portal for the second straight season.
#1. Janae Kent
Kent is a freshman from Oak Hill, IL who didn`t see much action during LSU`s 2023-2024 season. She did play in 32 games still and was mostly a part of the second unit, averaging 8 minutes a game. Her splits are as follows: 1.6 points, 0.8 rebounds, 0.4 assists and 0.2 steals per game.
She never scored in double figures for the Tigers as the team was already stacked with players who could stuff the stat sheet. As such, Kent`s transfer reason could be as simple as finding more playing time and a much bigger role.
#2. Kateri Poole
Kateri Poole is a Bronx, NY native and a former Ohio State transfer. After her two seasons in Columbus, she joined LSU women`s basketball and appeared in 84 total games in two years. However, her role was slightly diminished this year, as she only averaged around 12 minutes a game and appeared in four total games in the 2023-2024 season.
#3. Angelica Velez
Another freshman out of the Bronx, Angelica Velez is entering the portal after averaging just 4.9 minutes per game in 24 total games for LSU women`s basketball. Her splits are a meager 1.2 points, 0.6 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 0.2 steals on around 33.3% shooting from the field.
#4. Hailey Van Lith
As the consensus biggest name out of LSU women`s basketball to enter the portal, starting PG Hailey Van Lith is leaving Baton Rouge while also declaring for the WNBA draft at the same time. She`s likely a late first-round or second-round pick, but if she goes undrafted, she has one more year of college basketball eligibility.
Updated list of LSU women`s basketball players in the transfer portal
Updated list of incoming transfers to LSU women`s basketball
Only one player has transferred to LSU in this year`s portal so far: Arkansas Lady Razorback's Jersey Wolfenbarger. She is a former five-star McDonald's All-American and former All-SEC first-team member in 2022 for Arkansas, where she spent two seasons.
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