After a summer marked by high-profile transfers and the addition of a freshman class that is sure to carry the momentum – and entertainment factor – of recent prior classes, this college basketball season is sure to be as thrilling as the last.

Here are (some) of the players we’ll have our eyes on this season. They’re stars in the making ready to take the next step in their programs, transfers ready to make a splash, and overlooked players who need more hype heading into the season.

Impact players ready to take the next step

Zoe Brooks
Junior guard, NC State

With the departure of N.C. State’s core of Saniya Rivers, Aziaha James and Madison Hayes, Zoe Brooks is taking the reins of the Wolfpack program in her junior season. Paired with sophomore Zamareya Jones, the duo should make for one of the more entertaining backcourts in the country. Brooks has a fun handle, is a fearless finisher at the rim, and is also a crafty passer. She will have a new frontcourt target in touted transfer Khamil Pierre, and that could be a fun pairing to watch. Brooks also could make the jump defensively this season for a No. 9-ranked Wolfpack team in need of a go-to perimeter defender.

Joyce Edwards
Sophomore forward, South Carolina

Joyce Edwards was already expected to take a leap for the Gamecocks in Year 2 after an impressive start to her career in Columbia. With big losses to South Carolina’s frontcourt in Ashlyn Watkins (knee) and Chloe Kitts (knee) missing the 2025-26 season, Edwards’ jump is now paramount for the Gamecocks as they begin their chase of another national title. Edwards won’t have to do it alone – transfer Madina Okot’s arrival alongside returners Maryam Dauda and Adhel Tac certainly gives South Carolina options. Consistent production from Edwards, though, will be a real difference-maker for the Gamecocks.

Transfers to watch

Ta’Niya Latson
Senior guard, South Carolina (via Florida State)

While Edwards will anchor the frontcourt, Ta’Niya Latson, who transferred to South Carolina in April, will bolster the Gamecocks’ backcourt. On paper, Latson is the perfect puzzle piece for head coach Dawn Staley. A season ago, South Carolina was very much a team with no predictable leading scorer each game. In some ways, that was a positive as it showcased the team’s depth. There were times, however, when the Gamecocks just needed a player to get a bucket and be a reliable scoring presence. There may not be a better solution to that problem than Latson. A dynamic scorer and perhaps the best downhill finisher in college basketball, Latson averaged 25.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists for Florida State last season.

Serah Williams
Senior forward, UConn (via Wisconsin)

Many college basketball fans may still be familiarizing themselves with Serah WIlliams’ game despite her being one of the top frontcourt players in the country the past few seasons. That, in large part, is due to Wisconsin — where Williams last played — being a bottom-feeder in the Big 10 during the three years she spent in Madison. Last season, Williams averaged 19.2 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks for the Badgers. She will be the third of the Huskies’ star-studded trio of Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong, and should make up for the scoring production left by the departure of All-American Paige Bueckers.

An underlooked transfer

Kaitlin Peterson
Senior guard, Ole Miss

Much of the focus for Ole Miss’ transfer haul has been centered on Cotie McMahon (Ohio State) and Latasha Lattimore (Virginia), but a key piece for the Rebels this season could be Kaitlin Peterson, who transferred from the University of Central Florida. Peterson arrives after back-to-back seasons in which she averaged 20 points per game for the Knights. She gives No. 12-ranked Ole Miss another strong downhill threat who can get to the free-throw line (she ranked fourth in the Big 12 last season at 6.5 attempts per game) and score in bunches. Peterson had five 30-point games last season.

More spotlight on these players, please

Kymora Johnson
Junior guard, Virginia

Kymora Johnson has been a star in her two seasons in Charlottesville and the cornerstone asset of head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton’s efforts to rebuild the Cavaliers’ program. Last season, Johnson averaged 17.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.9 steals per game. She also elevated her efficiency from beyond the arc, going from 31.7% in her freshman season to 38.4% in Year 2. If the Cavaliers are going to take another step forward this year, and it appears they can, Johnson will be leading the charge.

Stailee Heard
Junior guard, Oklahoma State

The Cowgirls’ Class of 2027 has been such a deep, productive and star-studded group that sometimes it feels like there are some players who get lost in the shuffle. Stailee Heard is certainly one of those players. Last season, she averaged 16.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.8 steals for Oklahoma State. She also shot a career-best 41.3% from 3-point range. The 5-foot-11 junior has had to be a versatile presence, playing in the frontcourt and backcourt in her first two seasons. Heard has been a tough and dependable presence for head coach Jacie Hoyt. Oklahoma State is ranked in the preseason Top 25 for the first time since the 2014-15 season. Behind Heard, the Cowgirls might just have what it takes to win their first Big 12 title.

A mid-major player to watch

Madison St. Rose
Senior guard, Princeton

Through the first four games of the 2024-25 season, Madison St. Rose was averaging 17.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game. Then, in the fourth quarter against Quinnipiac on Nov. 16, 2024, she tore her anterior cruciate ligament, derailing what began as a promising start to her junior season. St. Rose is ready to make her return in 2025-26, and there’s little reason to believe she can’t pick up where she left off a year ago for the Tigers, who are the preseason favorites to win the Ivy League.

The freshman to watch

Jazzy Davidson
Freshman guard, USC

We’ll have to wait a year to see the trio of JuJu Watkins, Kennedy Smith and Jazzy Davidson (as well as No. 1 2026 recruit Saniyah Hall), but until then Davidson, the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2025, will get a chance to shine for the Trojans. Head coach Lindsay Gottlieb recently said that Davidson, whom Gottlieb labeled a special talent, will make an impact from day one. Davidson certainly will have plenty of opportunities for a team that will largely play through its perimeter talent, which includes Smith and UCLA transfer Londynn Jones. Davidson will be a do-everything player for USC. Playing for the USA U19 team that won a FIBA gold medal this summer, Davidson averaged 14.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 3.0 steals and 1.4 blocks. At Big 10 media day, Gottleib said: “If people don’t know her name when the ball tips for the 2025-26 season, they will very quickly.”

Black coach to watch

Raina Harmon
Florida Gulf Coast

After spending the past eight years at the University of Iowa as an assistant coach, Raina Harmon was announced in April as just the third head coach in FGCU program history, following Chelsea Lyles’ departure to the WNBA after a single season. Harmon will have the task of maintaining the program’s dominance while implementing a new program culture with seven new players. The Eagles were picked to win the ASUN Conference despite losing their four top scorers from a year ago. FGCU hasn’t lost a conference game since January 2023, and Harmon has no plans for that streak to end.

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