Brusinbear2001 said:

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Jada Williams commits to Iowa State

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Did she even visit us? Dang

Arizona transfer Breya Cunningham is currently visiting USC

— Jason Scheer (@jasonscheer) April 2, 2025

We have competition

Assuming USC-w (not USC-e)? S.Carolina and final 4 teams unable to recruit during tournament. Number of coaches have complained transfer portal should wait till after tournament is over.

I think Jada Williams plays same position of shooting guard as Taliah Scott. Scott obviously was top choice and has 3 yrs to play vs 2. Both these players are starters so they aren't going to same school

boatergal said:

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I think Jada Williams plays same position of shooting guard as Taliah Scott. Scott obviously was top choice and has 3 yrs to play vs 2. Both these players are starters so they aren't going to same school

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Oh, OK. Maybe Scott made Williams mind up for her.

Haha! Yea! Nicki jumped on Scott! It helps that Coach Harris recruited her. I'm not concerned about who we get in the portal as I totally trust Nicki to find and sign the players she wants. Fun time to be a Bear!

Isn't Jada a PG and not SG? Feel free to correct me because I'm not sure because I miss the Baylor Arizona game this year.

I've heard that Deng speaks very little English so the fact that she was able to come in and do so well in a new system with people she didn't know and not speaking the language. I think it is very impressive.

From what I have read she is primarily scoring...can she play PG?..YES...but that is not her primary position based on what I read...Iowa St lost their main PG so maybe Coach Fennelly plans to transition her to PG?? I am super thrilled with Taliah Scott!!!

Williams was listed at 5'8 and on a good day might be 5'4.

Baylor WBB has exhausted a century long's supply of smaller guards over the past 3 years.
If we recruit anyone under 5'8 in the next 55 decades it will be too soon.

Wow she is short! I'm all in on taller guards!

Agree and I would choose Talia Scott over Jada Williams at shooting guard every day all year.

Agreed - take Taliah Scott all day. We need some taller guards on the roster for all sorts of reasons - matchups on offense and defense, rebounding, getting switched onto taller player on defense etc. I like where we are headed. Do not know where we will end up but excited about the possibilities of building out a very competitive team. Also, adding some players who could be multi-year players makes the potential continuity in Nicki's system a bit stronger for the long term

BREAKING: USC freshman Avery Howell has entered the transfer portal, sources told @On3sports.

The 6-0 guard averaged 7.5 ppg this season.

TRACKER: https://t.co/StsxDxjlYl pic.twitter.com/3PHsweVL2y

— Talia Goodman (@TaliaGoodmanWBB) April 3, 2025

Avery has pretty good stats for a freshman on an elite 8 team. 20 minutes a game, 7 ppg, 40% from 3.

I like the possibilities - from Idaho, so no ties necessarily to southern california. Not sure if there is interesteither way but interesting

boatergal said:

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From what I have read she is primarily scoring...can she play PG?..YES...but that is not her primary position based on what I read...Iowa St lost their main PG so maybe Coach Fennelly plans to transition her to PG?? I am super thrilled with Taliah Scott!!!

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IMO, Jada doesn't have the foot speed to play PG at a high D1 level. She's also undersized for a 2 guard at the D1 level.

Avery was very good vs KSU in their sweet 16 game and appeared to have pretty good foot speed and was not afraid to take a big shot and hit some. We recruited her and offered her when she was coming out but no early traction. I like her size and athleticism I saw so she might be a very interesting prospect if she would consider us. I really like Kailey Woolston as a consistent outside shooter and she has several years more too like Avery but she has just spent a year on mission after BYU frosh year so I don't know if that has done anything to her game.

NEWS: North Dakota transfer Kiera Pemberton (@KieraPemberton) has her final 2, her representation @staylinesports told @BTNScouting .

Arizona State & Baylor

The 6-1 Sophomore from Langley,BC has the length & skill set to impact the game on the P4 level.

16.7 PTS | 7.2 RBS |… pic.twitter.com/O59EwR8Pqi

— BTN Scouting (@BTNScouting) April 2, 2025

I hope she is a Bear!!

If she wants to keep wearing green, BU is the choice

Did not know Avery had been to Baylor before (or at least recruited by Baylor). Give me some hope that there is a possibility of mutual interest. Would be an interesting add for Baylor. I would love to have her on Baylor team for a few years !!

Any updates on where Gianna Kneepkens is considering transferring / visiting? She indicated an interest in developing for the WNBA - I would think that would be a strength in recruiting for Nicki

Az St or BU. Sure hope we have more recruiting power than a first year D1 coach. Never know

Since when is Miller a 1st year D1 coach?

COACH AARON has followed avery, we will see in the coming weeks, if she shows any interest back.

Gianna Kneepkens, Avery Howell, Yarden Garzon, Kailey Woolston. All of them are elite 3 point shooters, averaging over 40%, and can help a team win championships.
Howell is the really surprising one to me. The #23 ranked recruit in last year's class, she averaged 21 minutes/game as a Freshman on a #1 seed. She has two more years to play with Juju. From the outside, seems ideal. Perhaps she feels that with Kennedy Smith and Juju, she'd never start and would see limited minutes? Who knows, but she's a fantastic player and would start on 98% of the other teams in College BB.

Well technically never…she hasn't had a season yet. If GCU is D1..then I'm wrong on that. I consider it a mid major That fair?

NDS did not play any D1 school this season. Legit question, if Pemberton would be able to successfully transition to power 5 school? Coach N must see something special in her.

Pretty sure she plays for her national team. Sure she has seen high-level competition there.

Also North Dakota is a division 1 school for all other sports. Now football they are an FCS. They are in the summit league which is in same conference as South Dakota state.

We will need several more guards. Would certainly love Gianna and probably Avery based on their more complete games but Woolston can sure shoot.

Good catch!

Are there any other good centers in the portal besides breya cunningham that we would go for, If she doesnt choose us?



I really think samyah smith would be a really good 4 in our system, i know coach nicki is very loyal to buggs but i really want us to push for another good 4 player, i dont want her too hold back this teams potential this year by not adding another one, i always felt like this was a lack in the past years, (as far a really good backup)

BearTiger, fair question about Pemberton making the leap. Especially after we've recently seen Catarina Ferreira (from Eastern AZ JC), Madison Bartley (Belmont), and Waiata Jennings (Collin College JC) all struggle at times to make the adjustment to playing with taller, faster, more athletic players. Even Yaya Felder (Ohio) had to adjust in her first season after making the leap to a P4 school.
Just from watching YouTube videos, Pemberton jumps out as the most athletic player on the floor in most games, as a 6'1" Wing. She's an active rebounder, averaging 7/game. She plays downhill and scores a lot on drives. However, she's playing in the Horizon League, and the defensive talent of the opposition also jumps out as being woefully poor compared to what she would see from Baylor opponents; her opponents lacked length, lacked athleticism, and the help defense was weak. Just like Yaya in her first season, Kiera would rarely see the same open lanes to the bucket that she enjoyed in the Horizon League, and she'd have to adjust .
Regarding outside shooting, she only attempted 6 shots in 27 games from the 3 point line in her Freshman year, but clearly worked on her shot and this year averaged 32% on only 55 attempts in 31 games. But the 3 point shots I saw on YouTube were not well contested, and her outside shot is a kinda funky process that starts from outside her right rib cage.
It's always intriguing to think about a 6'1" athletic Wing who is willing to go get rebounds, and in interviews she appears mature, poised, and likable. But asking if she can make the big leap to a Power 4 school who aspires to compete on a National level? Not sure that question can fully be answered until she tries.

Correction, Summit League.

Centers presently in portal, in likely order of our interest:

1. Kate Koval, Fr, Notre Dame.
2. SaMyah Smith, So, LSU (perhaps prefers to play the 4, but LSU used her primarily at the 5).
3. Serah Williams, Jr, Wisconsin.
4. Breya Cunningham, So, Arizona.


By the way, did you notice that Notre Dame is losing 5 players to graduation, and another 4 players to the transfer portal? That roster is decimated.

Supposedly Hannah Hidalgo has caused alot of dissension on the team.