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It’s been a bit of an eventful offseason so far for Kelly Graves and Oregon Ducks’ women’s basketball team, with a total of five players departing from the program, four of whom played a prominent role in 2021-22.
It was expected that Nyara Sabally was going to declare for the WNBA draft after the season, but on the same day that she announced her decision, guards Maddie Scherr and Sydney Parrish announced their intent to transfer, as did forward Kylee Watson. Just a few days ago, former 5-star recruit Taylor Bigby, who was ranked as the No. 24 player in the 2021 recruiting class, also entered the transfer portal.
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Fortunately for Graves, the Ducks have one of the top recruiting classes in the nation coming in this offseason, and a few of their core players like Te-Hina Paopao, Sedona Prince, and Endyia Rogers will be sticking around. It is because of those core facts that Oregon was still ranked prominently in ESPN’s ‘way-too-early Top-25’ for next season, coming in at No. 18 in the nation.
Another big season of change is already upon the Ducks, with Kylee Watson, Maddie Scherr and Sydney Parrish deciding to enter the transfer portal. That leaves one player, Te-Hina Paopao, from the highly regarded recruiting class of 2020. But she may have been the best of the group, and a fully healthy season from her, backcourtmate Endyia Rogers and post Sedona Prince should be enough for Oregon to make a run at a top-three spot in the Pac-12. Another top recruiting class is also on the way.
After the flurry of post-season transfers, Graves said that the departures are not because of any “stink” within the program, but rather the way that things go in college sports these days, with players looking for the best place to get playing time on the court. As we enter another season, look for the Ducks to try to find a cohesive unit of players who want to find a role and best help the team find success down the stretch.
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