Back in April, 5wins ranked our top 10 basketball players with their names in the transfer portal. Of those 10, four remained unsigned when the article was released. Since then, remaining stars Kiki Iriafen, Raegan Beers, Timea Gardiner, and Laila Phelia have all transferred south for this upcoming season. Conference realignment partially drove these moves, but each athlete moved to a situation that will benefit them most, on and off the court.

Kiki Iriafen, Rising Sr., F., from Stanford to Southern California

Iriafen blew up this past season after two years of quiet development at Stanford. Now, she's trading in Palo Alto's rolling hills for the hustle and bustle of downtown Los Angeles. The breakout junior was top 10 in her conference in points, offensive rebounding, defensive rebounding, free throw attempts, free throw makes, 2pt field goals, true shooting, win shares, and usage rate.

Iriafen lifted Stanford throughout head coach Tara Vanderveer's farewell tour after 38 seasons with the Cardinal. She also had 2.3 assists per game while assisting on nearly ⅕ of her teammate's baskets, which will be vital as she forms a 1-2 punch with fellow LA Native and rising sophomore star JuJu Watkins.

If the playmaking remains while Iriafen gets to operate in the short roll, the 6'3" forward will have carte blanche to see over defenses and make passing reads in four-on-three scenarios.

USC is lost some of their talent to graduation, but Kiki Iriafen is exactly the kind of reinforcement for a program looking to surpass a 2024 trip to the Elite Eight. This move represents the opportunity for Iriafen and USC to dominate in an easier, simpler fashion.

Raegan Beers, Rising Jr., F., from Oregon State to Oklahoma

Oklahoma Athletics

Oklahoma fans should expect another dominant season out of Raegan Beers. After leading the country in field-goal percentage last season, another season of development for Beers is bound to make the 6'4" post extremely threatening.

It's not just the percentage. A stunning 66 percent on nearly 30 percent usage, but how Beers dominates that's so impressive. She'll score in their face if the defense leaves her on an island, even against a good one-on-one defender.

If you send a second defender and she sees them, the pass is going to an open shooter. She's got one of the best offensive packages in the country and pairs it with very effective defense and rim protection.

Even though Beers and Oregon State played deep drop coverage last season, teams often struggled to punish the space with pull-up jumpers or quick attacks at the rim.

Beers stifles everything a team wants to do at the rim and controls the pace of the game with her rebounding. She joins an Oklahoma team already stacked with shooting, good forwards, and two other former All-Americans. She may not be paired with a stretch big like Gardner, but Oklahoma is set up for Beer's success in 24-25.

Timea Gardiner, Rising Jr., F., from Oregon State to UCLA

UCLA Athletics

Gardiner is a versatile forward who gets treated like a five-alarm fire when coming off a screen. She capped off a good year with an even better tournament run, scaling up her minutes and production to match.

Gardiner is one of the best stretch forwards in the country, making 11 threes per 100 possessions at a nearly 40% success rate. That ability to space the floor at her 6'3" size makes her a rare talent. Last season, Beers and Gardiner made a formidable pair to cover as defenses tried to respond to two threats pulling against each other.

While new running mate Lauren Betts at UCLA is not as dominant a scorer as Beers, her size and skills on the defensive end make up for it nicely. UCLA will play one of the largest frontlines in America for the 2024-2025 season, with the potential to move away from only dropping back to protect the basket because there will be an extra big on the opposite side. Gardiner can be more aggressive with her length on the perimeter, knowing Betts will be protecting her if she overextends.

Gardiner's growth will come when she is more confident in attacking closeouts and finishing on both sides of the rim. She can seal for post-ups well enough but doesn't always hold her spots and finish them. If that comes, though, Gardiner is the do-it-all forward that every coach hopes for at the start of a season.

Laila Phelia, Rising Sr., G., from Michigan to Texas

Texas Athletics

Laila Phelia is a strong off-guard who will help Texas with her scoring and three-point shooting abilities.

Her shooting dipped last year, but the volume and free throw percentage remain solid. Phelia isn’t a natural playmaker, but her scoring opens up passes for her to build offense. Phelia can use her 6’0” size, strength, and timing on the defensive end to generate steals, blocks, and deflections.

Like many scorers, Phelia has a nose for the ball that extends outside of scoring to help her ancillary rebounding and defensive playmaking skills shine. The way she moves and maps the court shows great awareness, and she is often open even when she doesn’t receive the ball.

Texas looks better positioned to get her the ball in advantageous situations and utilize her movement and defensive skills to the peak of their potential. If her motor runs a bit hotter in Austin, Phelia may be on the shortlist for national awards by the time the season ends.