Back In Camp: Women’s Basketball

The Bears held its first official practice of the 2024-25 season on Monday.

Fresh off one of its best seasons in recent memory, the California women’s basketball team held its first official team practice for the 2024-25 season Monday.
 
Last year was the best of head coach Charmin Smith‘s tenure with the Golden Bears. The team won its most overall (19) and conference (seven) games in Smith’s five years at the helm, played in the postseason (No. 2 seed in last year’s inaugural NCAA Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament) and had weekend home and road sweeps of Pac-12 schools (Washington and Washington State) for the first time since 2018-19.
 
In addition, the Bears swept Oregon for the first time since 2012-13 and set a program record for 3-pointers (282) in a season. The season sweeps of Oregon, Washington and Washington State marked the first time Cal had swept three different Pac-12 schools since 2017-18. The Bears also advanced to the quarterfinals of last year’s Pac-12 Tournament for the first time since 2019-20.
 
This season will be a lot different, however, for a couple of reasons. First, the team is welcoming nine new players with four transfers and five freshmen to the team. Second, Cal will begin play in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
 
Knowing the team would only be returning six players from last year’s roster, Smith was presented with the challenge of not only filling out the team, but making sure the players she brought in gel together.
 
“We’ve kind of gotten used to this transition where you have to get a bunch of players acclimated,” Smith said. “I think our team retreat is part of that process along with having them here for the summer. It’s also who we recruit, who we bring in to make sure we’re protecting our core values, and bringing in people, who are not just great basketball players, but high character as well.”
 
Among the set of newcomers this season is the No. 22-ranked (ESPN) freshman class in the country, comprised of four rookies, including two who are part of ESPN HoopGurlz Top 100 – Kamryn Mafua (No. 54) and Zahra King (No. 76). The class also includes last year’s Gatorade and MaxPreps Hawaii State Player of the Year Lola Donez, as well as Gabby Abigor who led the country in blocks as a sophomore during the 2021-22 season.
 
Smith is excited about what the group brings to the table and expects…