They're Staying: Cal Women's Basketball Retains Its Core and More
A huge year is ahead for Charmin Smith, who has kept her squad intact
Cal Women’s Basketball is building towards the 2026-27 season in a very different fashion than many programs around the country. The vast majority of the team they fielded in 2025-26 will return next year to play for the Golden Bears.
Eight of the nine players who saw the court during Cal’s final game of the 2025-2026 season were eligible to return, and all the eligible starters will return. Last year, guard Lulu Twidale was the sole returning athlete, and in that returning year she led the team in points and became the school’s all-time leading 3 point shooter.
If promising starters like sophomore Gisella Maul and junior Mjracle Sheppard can make another leap, next season has the potential to be special.
Starter Taylor Barnes has also chosen to stay at Cal.
Naya Ojukwu has also opted to return, and her development will be crucial to filling in the shoes of Cal’s second leading scorer, center Sakima Walker, who is graduating and will be a big role to fill.
Freshman Puff Morris, Isis Johnson-Musah and Grace McCallop, as well as sophomore Lola Donez entered the transfer portal and will not return. Morris, the former McDonald’s All-American point guard would have been a key rotational player in the backcourt alongside Twidale and Sheppard. She transferred to Arizona, where she is most likely in line for the majority of PG minutes.