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The Louisville women's basketball team has retained three of its starters — forwards Elif Istanbulluoglu and Mackenly Randolph and guard Taj Roberts — for the 2026-27 season, according to head coach Jeff Walz. Key bench guard Imari Berry and forward Grace Mbugua are also officially set to return.
Despite re-signing the five, the Cardinals won't keep everyone on their roster when the transfer portal opens on April 6. Louisville will already lose three players with starting forward Laura Ziegler and guard Reyna Scott, who started in seven of 37 games played, graduating and guard/forward Skylar Jones parting ways with the team prior to the NCAA Tournament. The team will now also lose a third starter in Anaya Hardy, who announced her plans to enter the transfer portal on Tuesday.
Still, the Cards' core group helped the team to a 29-8 record, which included a 9-0 road mark, second-place finish in the ACC standings, ACC Tournament championship appearance, a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and first Sweet 16 appearance in three years. The squad was just short of setting a new team scoring record, averaging 78.7 points per game but had a season-low 52 points in the season-ending loss to Michigan.
Walz said the team will also look to add between two and four players from the transfer portal depending on how many players it loses.
Here's who Louisville will be losing to the transfer portal:
Hardy became a starter one month into the regular season, recording six points, four rebounds and a block in her first start against South Carolina. She ended the season averaging 4.9 points on 66.7% shooting and 4.2 rebounds but came off the bench in the season-ending loss to Michigan.
Juffermans redshirted this season but averaged 2.3 points and 1.7 rebounds in 6.9 minutes, playing in 24 games as a true freshman last year.
Reach Louisville football, women's basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at [email protected] and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville women's basketball forward Anaya Hardy intends to transfer
Continue reading...
Despite re-signing the five, the Cardinals won't keep everyone on their roster when the transfer portal opens on April 6. Louisville will already lose three players with starting forward Laura Ziegler and guard Reyna Scott, who started in seven of 37 games played, graduating and guard/forward Skylar Jones parting ways with the team prior to the NCAA Tournament. The team will now also lose a third starter in Anaya Hardy, who announced her plans to enter the transfer portal on Tuesday.
Still, the Cards' core group helped the team to a 29-8 record, which included a 9-0 road mark, second-place finish in the ACC standings, ACC Tournament championship appearance, a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and first Sweet 16 appearance in three years. The squad was just short of setting a new team scoring record, averaging 78.7 points per game but had a season-low 52 points in the season-ending loss to Michigan.
Walz said the team will also look to add between two and four players from the transfer portal depending on how many players it loses.
Here's who Louisville will be losing to the transfer portal:
Anaya Hardy, sophomore, forward
Hardy became a starter one month into the regular season, recording six points, four rebounds and a block in her first start against South Carolina. She ended the season averaging 4.9 points on 66.7% shooting and 4.2 rebounds but came off the bench in the season-ending loss to Michigan.
Isla Juffermans, sophomore, forward
Juffermans redshirted this season but averaged 2.3 points and 1.7 rebounds in 6.9 minutes, playing in 24 games as a true freshman last year.
Reach Louisville football, women's basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at [email protected] and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville women's basketball forward Anaya Hardy intends to transfer
Continue reading...
