Cal WBB transfer portal update and roster outlook

Two transfers from major programs provide excitement for 2025-26

Mjracle Sheppard is the biggest transfer addition so far for Charmin Smith and the Bears via @calwbball on twitter

As Cal WBB surprised fans with a resurgent 2024-25 campaign that ended in an unexpected-in-October NCAA tournament selection, we knew that the end of the year would result in a major roster makeover.

The Bears exceeded expectations in part because the team was full of 4th, 5th, or even 6th year players. Now, Lulu Twidale is the only player left on the roster who has played a significant on-court role for Cal across two seasons.

With the spring transfer portal entry period well past and many players having committed for next season, now is a good time to take stock as the 2025-26 roster starts to come into focus.

ROSTER STATUS

Departures (graduation/eligibility): Ioanna Krimili, Michelle Onyiah, Kayla Williams, Jayda Noble, Claudia Langarita

Departures (transfer portal): Marta Suarez (TCU), Zahra King (SMU), Kamryn Mafua (Utah), Natalia Ackerman (TBD)

Returning scholarship players: Lola Donez, Lulu Twidale, Gisella Maul, Anastasia Drosouni, Gabrielle Abigor

Incoming high school recruits: Aliyahna “Puff” Morris, Taylor Barnes, Grace McCallop, Isis Johnson-Musah

Incoming Transfers: Naya Ojukwu, (Morgan State), Mjracle Sheppard (LSU), Sakima Walker (South Carolina)

Add it all up and Cal has nine departures from their 14 scholarship roster, with seven players signed so far to replace those nine departures. The presumption is that Cal will still be active in the transfer portal with multiple scholarships available, and based on what available players are saying, that appears to be the case. In other words, expect more additions to the roster this spring.

SCOUTING CAL’S PORTAL ADDITIONS

(No disrespect intended to Cal’s freshmen additions, but I find I can’t parse high school highlights to provide insight that goes beyond the recruiting rankings. I’m for sure excited about Puff Morris tho.)

Naya Ojukwu, 6’1’’ forward, Morgan State

So here’s a weird sentence: Cal will be Naya Ojukwu’s 4th program . . . and she has three years of eligibility remaining.

That sentence is possible because Ojukwu spent her ‘freshmen’ year redshirting at Utah, her ‘sophomore’ year out with a major knee injury (for which she received an eligibility waiver) at Gonzaga, then actually used a year of eligibility last year at Morgan State. Even then, she missed the first half of the 2024/25 season, playing in the final 15 games of Morgan State’s season.

As a result, there are very few meaningful stats we can pull from to project what Ojukwu might do at Cal. Very sparing minutes at Utah and Gonzaga, and 477 minutes this year, but comprised entirely of play within the MEAC, a conference that isn’t particular comparable to ACC play. At the MEAC level she shot 51% on her 2 point shots, got to the line a lot, and pulled down 9 rebounds a game. On the downside, there’s little evidence that she can shoot from distance (1-10 from three last year) and a 9-to-58 assist-to-turnover ratio suggests some concern with her passing abilities and ball control.

The stat profile suggests that she’s (for the ACC) an undersized forward who may not have the ability to stretch the floor. But she’s also played very limited minutes coming off a major knee injury so I think it’s very dangerous to assume anything about Ojukwu’s developmental potential.

Mjracle Sheppard, 5’10’’ guard, LSU

Let’s start with maybe the biggest positive attribute I can recall from a Cal WBB transfer: Mjracle Sheppard is a defensive dynamo. You can’t play for Kim Mulkey and not play great defense, and Sheppard stepped in and played significant minutes as a true freshman. This year, she was used as an on-ball defender against FSU’s Ta’Niya Latson in the NCAA tournament, and her defensive stats, basic or advanced, are all elite.

Offensively . . . well, that’s in development:

Steal percentage? Elite. Defensive box score plus/minus? Elite. Rebounding? Solid for her size. But shooting, passing, turnovers . . . there’s work to be done. Based on the stats, it looks like Mulkey used Sheppard as a combo guard as a freshmen, then gradually reduced her on-ball role (and her minutes) because she turned it over too much.

One open question? Sheppard is 4-16 from three. Can she shoot? I wouldn’t put any stock in the numbers, because Kim Mulkey barely lets her teams shoot 3s.

If Cal is only getting a player who is elite defensively and fine offensively, that’s still very valuable to have. But any player recruited by Kim Mulkey almost certainly has the talent to be more than fine offensively, so let’s hope that Sheppard keeps developing on that end.

Sakima Walker, 6’5’’ center, South Carolina

You can’t teach size, and 6’5’’ can make an awful big difference. But for Cal and Sakima Walker, the question might be how many minutes the veteran post player will be able to play.

In four seasons across five years at Rutgers and South Carolina, Walker has played through one season with something close to full health. Her most recent season with South Carolina was hampered by leg injuries that caused her to miss about half of the games on the schedule and likely limited her minutes when she was able to play.

When she’s been able to play, you see the kind of stat profile you’d expect from a 6’5’’ post player:

Efficient interior scoring, good rebounding on both ends, evidence of rim protection and general positive defensive impact . . . but the minutes have been so sporadic and limited that it’s really the only question that matters.

If Sakima Walker is able to play even 20 healthy minutes a game for Cal, that would be a huge win. But if she’s injured and not able to play, Cal faces a major gap in the post rotation (unless Gabrielle Abigor is ready to play 40 minutes/game).

Presumably Cal will be active in the transfer portal for more interior players for just this reason. We’ll do our best to keep you on top of the latest roster news.