TAMPA, Fla. — Successful a nationwide championship will not be the one factor on the high of thoughts for the Last 4 coaches.
The final weekend of the NCAA Match is upon us, however school basketball’s offseason already is in full swing.
The switch portal opened March 25 and can stay open till April 23, which means that what basically is school basketball’s model of free company is dwell.
Some may view having to set time apart to recruit gamers as a distraction to getting ready for the upcoming video games.
However others, together with South Carolina coach Daybreak Staley, welcome the balancing act of teaching and coping with the switch portal.
Listed below are large storylines to know and observe:
Olivia Miles and Notre Dame
Senior All-American guard Olivia Miles made the surprising resolution not solely to forgo the 2025 WNBA Draft for an additional 12 months of faculty ball, however she additionally entered the switch portal.
Miles, a projected WNBA lottery choose, is taken into account the highest participant within the portal after averaging 15.4 factors, 5.8 assists and 5.6 rebounds per sport this previous season.
However she’s determined to maneuver on from the Irish after Notre Dame skilled its fourth straight Candy 16 exit.
Since Miles’ announcement, extra Notre Dame gamers have determined to enter their names into the portal, together with sophomore Emma Risch and freshman Kate Koval.
With Sonia Citron, Liatu King, Maddy Westbeld and Liza Karlen all out of eligibility, the Irish’s solely common starter anticipated to return for subsequent season is Hannah Hidalgo.
Flau’jae Johnson skipping draft
All-American guard Flau’jae Johnson additionally reportedly is skipping the WNBA draft and plans to return to school basketball for her senior season.
Whether or not Johnson will return to LSU for the 2025-26 season or enter the switch portal earlier than the window closes stays unclear.
Her marketability, although, is plain.
Johnson averaged 18.6 factors, 5.6 rebounds and a pair of.5 assists in her third season at LSU.
She helped the Tigers attain the Elite Eight, the place they have been booted by top-seeded UCLA.
The Tigers are shedding main scorer and rebounder Aneesah Morrow, a projected WNBA lottery choose who’s out of eligibility.
They’re additionally susceptible to now not having ahead Sa’Myah Smith and guard Final-Tear Poa, who reportedly submitted their names into the switch portal.
In the meantime, LSU has been linked to former Florida State guard Taniya Latson, who led the nation in scoring this season, averaging 25.2 factors per sport.
The TCU state of affairs
Mark Campbell has absolutely embraced the fashionable school panorama since his arrival at TCU.
He bought the Horned Frogs to the Elite Eight off the backs of a roster loaded with transfers, together with fifth-year seniors Hailey Van Lith, Sedona Prince, Madison Conner and Agnes Emma-Nnopu.
TCU has three gamers signed to its 2025 recruiting class, however count on Campbell as soon as once more to be aggressive within the switch portal.
TCU reportedly has landed a minimum of one switch already: 6-foot-7 middle Clara Silva.
Silva spent her freshman season at Kentucky, averaging 4 factors, 2.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks off the bench.
Miles additionally could possibly be an fascinating prospect for TCU.
USC departures
The Trojans’ tantalizing freshmen, together with Avery Howell, Kennedy Smith and Kayleigh Heckel, have been a part of the rationale there was optimism for USC subsequent season, even when star participant JuJu Watkins would miss it whereas rehabbing from a knee damage.
However that perception took an enormous hit this week when Howell and Heckel entered the switch portal.
The Trojans are set to welcome versatile wing Jazzy Davidson subsequent season, which could possibly be a part of the rationale for Howell’s exit.
However how this offseason shakes out for USC shall be telling.
