Since the Virginia Tech women’s basketball team was eliminated from the second round of the WBIT on Sunday afternoon, there have been some eyes on Blacksburg with the transfer portal opening on Tuesday. To nobody’s surprise, freshmen Myah Hazelton and Ramiya White entered that day.
On Wednesday, junior wing Lani White entered, making the 2024-25 season her only one with the Hokies after she transferred from Utah last spring. Gone are seniors Rose Micheaux and Matilda Ekh, meaning that Megan Duffy and her staff will have to replace at least three starters for next season. On Thursday, the other two starters hinted at a return to Blacksburg next season.
Virginia Tech women’s basketball players Carys Baker and Carleigh Wenzel will return next season
Two key players for next year are returning to Virginia Tech next season in guard Carleigh Wenzel and wing Carys Baker, they posted in Instragram. This is big news for Duffy, who has a lot of work to do in the transfer portal this off-season and this comes one day after freshman Kayl Petersen announced that she’s returning as well.
Wenzel and Baker are vital pieces to the roster as Wenzel is a point guard who can create her own shot, shoots the ball well from the outside, and is a very good free throw shooter. Baker was limited in her playing time in 2023-24 behind a talented roster, but this season, she broke out in multiple areas of her game under Duffy and her staff.
Not only was she able to shoot the ball well from the outside, but maybe the biggest impact she made was her ability to play on the inside. Working with the coaching staff over the off-season, she was able to become a presence around the basket offensively while grabbing more rebounds.
This is outstanding news for next season and Duffy has a chance to build her roster for next season through the transfer portal as they look to get back to the NCAA Tournament in 2025-26 after being the first team left out this season.