Top 10 Big Ten Newcomers for 2022-23
The best incoming freshmen and transfer portal additions
We are just four weeks from the start of the season, so it felt like a good time to highlight the additions to the Big Ten that I am most excited to watch this year.
This can include incoming freshmen or players from out of conference that came to Big Ten teams as transfers this offseason. That means Indiana’s Sara Scalia, maybe the most impactful transfer this summer, will not count since she comes from in-conference foe Minnesota.
This is a non-scientific ranking based on my own hype and who I think could have big years for their respective teams. I also limited it to a max of one per team to have some variety.
10.) Caitlyn Harper - Purdue
Harper transfers in from Cal Baptist where she dominated as a senior, averaging 17.8 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.3 SPG and 1.6 BPG while shooting 53.0 percent from the field. She was the WAC Player of the Year and joins a Boilermaker roster that lost a lot of its depth in the offseason.
Purdue did, however, maintain the key components of its core, and is building off an exciting debut season from head coach Katie Geralds. Harper could be the piece the team needed to get the Boilermakers into the NCAA Tournament.
9.) Cotie McMahon - Ohio State
Ohio State is the reigning regular season Big Ten champs and made a nice run to the Sweet 16. The Buckeyes also return the superstar duo of Jacy Sheldon and Taylor Mikesell, while also adding point guard Madison Greene back into the fray after missing last season with an injury.
This makes for an exciting back court, but Ohio State’s major flaw last year was with a lack of production from its forwards. Enter McMahon, a top 25 prospect who chose to stay in state and should be able to make an immediate impact. It would not surprise me if she was a day one starter.
8.) Kaylene Smikle - Rutgers
I’m not sure I’ve mentioned this yet, but Rutgers has eight players on its roster. That means everyone should get plenty of in-game action, and it should be especially true for the two freshmen.
That gives Smikle a big opportunity to shine, and her strengths as a shooter should fit well with the system that head coach Coquese Washington likely will want to run.
7.) Avery LaBarbera - Wisconsin
There’s a lot to be excited about with the direction that Wisconsin’s women’s basketball program appears to be headed. The wins may not show up in full for a few more seasons, but if the team is going to compete this year, it’ll be thanks in big part to LaBarbera.
The Holy Cross transfer has more than 100 starts to her name and has never scored less than 11.3 PPG in a season. But last year, she helped her team in more ways, averaging nearly a double double (9.8 RPG) while tallying 4.1 APG and 1.8 SPG. That much production and experience should be huge in helping this up-and-coming team continue to develop as a whole.
6.) Mara Braun - Minnesota
Minnesota is almost certainly going to be the most entertaining bad team in the country. There is clear talent on the roster, but with just three returnees to go with five transfers and four freshmen, it is asking a whole lot of head coach Lindsay Whalen to make the group competitive right away.
Those four freshmen are the thing to watch with this team, and while any of them could get this spot, I will go with the highest rated of the bunch in Braun. She’s a borderline five-star and was remarkably efficient as a high schooler. Something went wrong if the Gophers don’t give all four of these freshmen big minutes, but Braun is the most likely to come out the gates hot.
5.) Molly Davis - Iowa
Can Davis find the efficiency she had at Central Michigan in 2020-21? No matter what, Davis is a big-time get that should help the Hawkeyes dramatically with their lofty expectations. Even in a “down” 2021-22, she averaged 18.6 PPG and 4.7 APG while shooting 39.7 percent overall and 28.0 percent from deep.
In 2020-21, Davis averaged 20.8 PPG, shot 49.0 percent from the field and 38.0 percent from deep. Now, she’s on an Iowa team that has maybe the most talented player in college basketball also looking to improve her efficiency.
I’m curious if Iowa uses Davis more in relief of Clark or puts them both on the court in the starting lineup. All five Hawkeye starters return to make that more interesting. No matter what, though, Davis is a huge, huge addition and should make a hefty impact.
4.) Greta Kampschroeder - Michigan
Kampschroeder’s numbers at Oregon State (5.2 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 33.9 FG%) don’t fly off the page, but this was a highly regarded prospect out of high school who now gets an immediate chance to make an impact on a team that just went to the Elite Eight and is in need of a solid supporting cast.
Maybe Kampschroeder’s impact takes some time, and with Leigha Brown, Maddie Nolan, Emily Kiser and Laila Phelia back, Michigan can afford that. But I suspect Kampschroeder will be a big reason why the Wolverines remain competitive after Naz Hillmon.
3.) Taniyah Thompson - Penn State
Could Penn State finally have a supporting cast that properly helps Makenna Marisa? I think it might, and Thompson is a huge part in that. A true scorer (18.5 PPG), Thompson flourished in East Carolina, but even more importantly, she was also a solid defender.
The Nittany Lions have been hot garbage defensively no matter how many points Marisa gets, so adding a two-way player of this caliber cannot be overstated. I would love to see this Penn State team get some more wins after being the fun underachiever the past few seasons.
2.) Sydney Parrish - Indiana
Man, Indiana did WELL in the transfer portal. Even with Scalia being ineligible for this list, Parrish is more than deserving. This is a former top 10 prospect who started all 31 games for Oregon last season.
Parrish played well (8.4 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 34.7 3PT%) and joins a Hoosiers roster that is ready to stay dominant. I’ve talked plenty on how good the last two key Oregon transfers were (Jaz Shelley, Taylor Mikesell), and Parrish will have that same opportunity alongside Scalia and All-Big Ten members Grace Berger and Mackenzie Holmes.
1.) Abby Meyers - Maryland
After two relatively quiet years at Princeton, Meyers exploded as a junior, averaging 17.9 PPG, 5.8 RPG and 1.4 SPG while shooting 45.0 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from deep. Many incoming transfers have put up at least comparable numbers, but Meyers also did enough to get Princeton to 25 wins and earn a big-time upset victory over Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament.
That victory over the Wildcats, where Meyers scored 29 of her team’s 69 points, is why she’s at the top of this list. Meyers is an excellent, experienced player who has proven capable of dominating on the largest stage. She also joins a Maryland roster brewing with talent.
If head coach Brenda Frese is going to get the Terrapins back where they usually are — the top of the Big Ten — Meyers is going to have to stay at the level she showed she could be at with Princeton.
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