GW Hoops / WBB Portal Thread

**Posted by xAC** 4/30/2024 11:23 am

Either a change of heart or inadvertent error, but Portal now lists Maye Toure as going to Utah and NOT Maryland.

**Posted by dmvpiranha** 5/01/2024 11:18 am

Seems like WBB landed a commitment from Paige Mott of Northwestern. The native of Philadelphia averaged 8 ppg/5 rpg/2 apg last year with some big games against Big Ten competition (13 pts/9 rbs vs. Illinois, 14 pts/10 rbs vs. Wisconsin, 10 pts/5 rbs vs. Iowa, 10 pts/6 rbs vs. Ohio State). The McKeown connection has to have helped.

This seems like a big-time pickup and something the team really needs. I also thought Durant was a good get last year and then she ended up not being as big of a factor as I thought. There's no denying the talent/ability, but we have to be able to play through the post a lot better next year.

**Posted by xAC** 5/03/2024 10:21 am

Nya Robertson going back to Texas- opts for SMU. Hope she fares well there.

**Posted by dmvpiranha** 5/03/2024 4:07 pm

I thought Nya might end up at TCU but that's a good spot for her. Hopefully a more balanced team around her will allow her to shine even more.

WBB landed a commit from Bryant transfer Mariona Planes Fortuny. She led the Bulldogs in scoring and is originally from Spain. Seems like another solid pickup - good rebounding, like the assist to turnover ratio closer to 1 and she also blocked 36 shots last season. Hopefully she is integrated into the offense well though, as mentioned for the other commits.

**Posted by xAC** 5/04/2024 10:36 am

So far, I think GW has done pretty well in shoring up the front-line with Mott and Fortuny-- looking like a better offensive pair than Taiwo/Durant, and hopefully, they are more than adequate on defense (Fotsa is a wild card). With Andrews coming in, we have a guard that can replicate the offensive numbers of Brown/Lok, but she’s definitely not a big outside threat. Robertson’s scoring will be missed, but what we need now more than anything I think we need a true PG, something lacking the last few years. Of the returning players, I think only Sims is guaranteed a big role, with Loving and Engel being question marks. Engel is probably the best 3-point shooter of this lot, but she has to improve the other parts of her game to get significant minutes. Loving has had some moments inside, both rebounding and scoring, so hopefully, the improvements keep coming.

Looking forward to seeing who comes in on the HS recruitment side, and whether we can fill our critical need for a PG.

An aside-- it looks like Fortuny's replacement at Center for Bryant will be Ali Brigham.

**Posted by gwstudent2024** 5/05/2024 11:09 am

Gabby Reynolds may be the answer at PG. Named Michigan Miss Basketball this year and chose GW over numerous Big 10 offers. Not sure how willing McCombs will be to play her from day 1 but it seems like she has the talent to contribute immediately.

But I do agree that another guard should be the priority. Preferably a good three point shooter

**Posted by xAC** 5/05/2024 3:46 pm

gwstudent2024 wrote:
Gabby Reynolds may be the answer at PG. Named Michigan Miss Basketball this year and chose GW over numerous Big 10 offers. Not sure how willing McCombs will be to play her from day 1 but it seems like she has the talent to contribute immediately.

Thanks for the update. I read the Hatchet blurb, and it looks like Coach has upgraded the roster with a chance to improve our game. Reynolds looks like a top notch recruit who could (eventually) negate Robertson's loss. Also noted that one of the HS recruits is coming out of Galax (Essence Brown's HS), so a big welcome to her.

From a talent perspective, the roster seems improved, but as DMV alluded to, how well the coaching staff can integrate the pieces both offensively and defensively is critical. Also, no telling whether we can improve our 3-point shooting from last year, and how we compensate for the intangibles that Taiwo provided for the last few years.

**Posted by WMC** 5/06/2024 11:09 am

Lilly Taulelei, UMass, 6'3", A10 All Rookie team, is transferring to Iowa State

**Posted by BC** 5/10/2024 3:56 pm

Found this on the official site: https://gwsports.com/news/2024/5/10/womens-basketball-womens-basketball-inks-five-during-spring-signing-period

**Posted by WMC** 5/20/2024 12:45 pm

Tenin Magassa, after 2 years at Rhode Island, was originally announced as transferring to Illinois and her former coach at Dayton. Instead she has signed with Oklahoma State.

Magassa is from Morsang-Sun-Orge in France, which is also the home of Ayisse Magassa, who is leaving Clarendon College (TX) for LaSalle. No mention of any relationship in their bios that I saw. Ayisse is one of 3 juco/community college recruits for the Explorers. Also joining LaSalle is Ashley Connor, RS FR, ;from St Louis who played 18 games, 3.6 minutes per game, and 1.8 ppg. LaSalle now has 9 players in the transfer portal. Notable is Emily Tahata, 6'1" Australian, joining Gabby Turco at Rider.

Jermany Mapp has entered the transfer portal from UMass. Originally from Hampton. She was effective at the guard spot until she got hurt. UMass has almost no experience at guard.