They haven't gotten nearly as much hype as their male counterparts, but the members of Virginia's 2026-27 class of women's basketball transfers are also looking to build on last season's success.
It's easy to forget that the Cavalier women actually extended their season a week longer than the men did, reaching the NCAA tournament Sweet 16 for the first time since 2000. Although coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton did not return, two starters did: all-ACC point guard Kymora Johnson and center Tabitha Amanze.
The rest of the starting spots will be up for grabs in preseason practice, and new coach Aaron Russell brought in four college transfers, along with four freshmen.
Expectations will be higher this season, so Roussell may be looking for immediate help from his experienced transfers. Here's a quick rundown of the veteran newcomers by their chances of contributing:
After facing Asare for four years as Richmond's head coach, Roussell convinced her to leave VCU and follow him up I-64 for her graduate season. Assuming she recovers from the knee injury that ended her junior campaign after just seven games, she figures to slide into the shooting guard spot seamlessly.
A smooth shooter who averaged 16 points per game as a junior and 17.4 as a senior before her injury, she should prevent opposing defenses from swarming Johnson. She shot 40 percent from 3-point range as a sophomore at VCU and 37 percent as a junior.
Johnson led the Cavaliers in both scoring (19.5) and assists (201) last season, so she has shown a willingness to share the ball. Asare could become the complementary scorer that Paris Clark was at times in 2025-26, and the two could form one of the ACC's best backcourts.
Given Virginia's backcourt strength, Roussell's bigs likely will be asked to focus on defense, rebounding and screening before they look to score. That's a role that Piatti should be able to fill.
The 6-foot-4 forward started all 33 games for Florida last season. Her numbers (4.5 points, 2.9 rebounds per game) weren't eye-catching, but the Gators had a high-scoring guard of their own in Liv McGill (22.5 points per game). Piatti should challenge returning senior Olivia McGhee for playing time at small forward.
Another newcomer with major conference experience, Walker played two seasons at Rutgers after starting her career at Kentucky. At 6-3, she started 15 games for the Scarlet Knights last season and also did a lot of the dirty work, averaging a modest 2.6 points and 3.5 rebounds. She should join the frontcourt rotation along with returning starting center Amanza and Andean Ring.
Like Asare, Lester has worked to overcome a leg injury that cost her the entire 2025-26 season at Alabama. She averaged 4.1 points in 10 minutes a game as a freshman for the Crimson Tide but went down in a practice just before the 2025 NCAA tournament. If healthy, the 5-8 redshirt sophomore guard could provide solid backup minutes behind Johnson and Asare in the backcourt.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/virginia as Which transfers will give Virginia Women's Basketball the biggest boost? .
