MADISON – In becoming the women’s basketball coach at Wisconsin, Robin Pingeton took over a team that has a lot of holes to fill before the upcoming season.
There were six players on the roster when she took over. Include the two players the Badgers signed in December and Pingeton started with seven spots to fill in order for the team to have a full 15-player roster for the 2025-26 season.
Here is a running look at the players who have left the program and those who have joined it.
Wisconsin women’s basketball players who entered transfer portal
Carter McCray, 6-1 center (West Virginia)
The transfer from Northern Kentucky finished the season second on the team in scoring (10.6 ppg) and rebounding (7.1 ppg). She posted five doubles-doubles and her .567 field goal percentage was the highest among any of the players in the rotation.
On April 13, she announced her commitment to West Virginia, a team that went 25-8 last season and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Tessa Grady, 6-2 forward (Coastal Carolina)
The sophomore spent the final five weeks of the season on leave from the team. She played in five games and a total of 12 minutes, 22 seconds last season. Grady was more impactful as a freshman. She appeared in 25 games, averaged 9.4 minutes and was a 34.3% (24 of 70) three-point shooter. She announced on April 4 her commitment to Coastal Carolina.
Ronnie Porter, 5-4 guard (never mind, she’s back)
The former walk-on received all-Big Ten honorable-mention distinction as a sophomore and as a junior finished with career bests of 5.1 assists per game and a 2.5-to-1 assist-turnover ratio. She finished the season third on the team in scoring (8.6 ppg) and rebounding (3.7 rpg), and the past two years averaged 33.9 minutes per game. Porter, however, reversed course and on April 29 the Badgers announced that Porter will return for her senior season.
Gracie Grzesk, 5-11 forward (UW-Green Bay)
The former Green Bay Notre Dame standout played in 16 games for the Badgers as a freshman, averaging 4.4 minutes each appearance. She announced her commitment to the Phoenix on March 23.
D’Yanis Jimenez, 5-8 guard (Coastal Carolina)
The native of Cape Coral, Florida, averaged 1.8 points and 1.4 rebounds in 9.9 minutes of action last season. Her impact was greater as a freshman when she averaged 19.8 minutes and 6.9 points per game. Jimenez announced her commitment to Coastal Carolina on May 1.
Serah Williams, 6-4 forward (UConn)
The two-time first-team all-Big Ten selection was also a member of the conference’s all-defensive team the past two seasons. She averaged 16.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game in three seasons, averaging double-doubles as a sophomore and junior. Her 17 straight games with a double-double as a sophomore is a Big Ten record. Williams announced her commitment to UConn on April 30.
Wisconsin women’s basketball recruits who will play elsewhere
Leyre Urdiain (Georgia Tech)
The Yellow Jackets announced the signing of the 5-11 guard from Spain on on Monday April 21. A veteran of several years of international competition, she helped Spain win a bronze medal at the FIBA U17 women’s basketball World Cup by averaging 8.1 points and 4.9 rebounds in seven games.
Ines Garcia Monje (Davidson)
The 6-2 forward announced on Instagram her commitment to Davidson on April 19. Like Urdiain, Garcia Monje played for Spain’s national team at the U17 World Championships where she was named one of the top 10 players of the tournament.
Players Wisconsin women’s basketball has added from transfer portal
Breauna Ware, 5-8 guard
Ware started her career at St. Bonaventure, but after a redshirt season at Stony Brook blossomed. A third-team all-conference selection in the Coastal Athletic Association, she ranked second on the team in scoring (14.7 ppg) and minutes (33.6) and first in assists (2.2 apg). She has two years of eligibility remaining. She announced her commitment on May 10.
Shay Bollin, 6-3 forward
The 6-3 forward signed with the to the Badgers on May 5 after spending the past two seasons at Illinois. She played her freshman season at Duke. Bollin didn’t play any games last season due to a back injury, but averaged 2.1 points, 1.3 rebounds in 8 minutes of action in 2023-24. She arrives in Madison as a grad transfer, but with potential of taking a redshirt season could have two years of eligibility remaining.
Kyrah Daniels, 6-0 guard
The Badgers announced the signing of the Missouri State transfer on April 23. She has two years of eligibility remaining. She averaged 12 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game to help the Bears win a share of the Missouri Valley Conference title and reach the second round of the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament.
Destiny Howell, 6-0 guard
The Queens, New York native was the MEAC player of the year in the 2023 and a first-team all-conference pick this season at Howard when she averaged 14.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. In between those seasons, Howell recovered from an ACL injury that sidelined her for the entire season. UW announced her signing on April 16.
Gift Uchenna, 6-3 forward
The Southern Illinois transfer averaged 14.5 points per game and ranked second in the nation in rebounding (12.8 rpg), fourth in double doubles (21) and 25th in blocks (2.1 bpg). This was her first season of college ball in the United States. The native of Ebonyi State, Nigeria played her first two years at Shih Hsin University in Taipei. UW announced her signing April 15.
Laci Steele, 5-11 guard
The North Carolina State transfer arrived on campus as a top-100 recruit, according to ESPN. She averaged 1.7 points and 6.9 minutes per game last season and posted two-year averages of 2.7 points and 9.7 minutes in 55 games. She is a 31.2% shooter from three-point range in college. She has two years of eligibility remaining. UW announced her signing on April. 7
High school recruits who will join Wisconsin next season
Nikki Kerstein, guard
The 5-foot-8 point guard from Montini Catholic High School in Lombard, Illinois was part of Pingeton’s 2025 recruiting class at Missouri. She re-opened her recruitment after Pingeton’s resignation and signed with UW on April. 30. Kerstein averaged 18.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 3.4 steals per game to led Montini Catholic to the Class 3A state championship. She announced her commitment April 30.
Wisconsin Badgers who completed their eligibility
Halle Douglass, 6-2 guard: 4.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.4 apg, .414 field goal percentage; .288 three-point percentage.
Natalie Leuzinger, 5-8 guard: 5.9 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.6 apg, .405 field goal percentage; .422 three-point percentage.
Tess Myers, 5-9 guard: 7.2 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.1 apg, .343 field goal percentage; .377 three-point percentage.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: UW women’s basketball transfer portal tracker. The latest: Former Stony Brook standout Breauna Ware joins Badgers
Reporting by Mark Stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
