Wisconsin Women’s Basketball Loses Starter to the Transfer Portal

After their season-ending loss to Saint Louis in the WNIT earlier this week, the Wisconsin women’s basketball received more bad news on Wednesday when starting guard Sania Copeland was reported (by Talia Goodman at The Next) to have entered the transfer portal. Copeland left her last game with the Badgers just before halftime with what appeared to be a head injury.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout my time here at Wisconsin. I have nothing but love for this place❤️ pic.twitter.com/FlH8bns5mY

— Sania Copeland (@CopelandSania) April 4, 2024

The 5-foot-7 sophomore guard started 26 games (30.2 minutes per game) this past season for the Badgers and averaged 7.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.1 apg, and 1.5 spg while usually guarding the other team’s best perimeter player. During the Wisconsin women’s basketball team’s WNIT run she developed a knack for hitting deep, buzzer-beating threes to spark momentum for the Badgers.

A native of Kansas City, Kan., Copeland was named First Team All-State in 2022 and Second Team All-State in 2021 while being all-conference for three seasons. She saved one of her finest collegiate performances for last, scoring a career-high 18 points (7-of-8 FG, 3-of-4 3P) against Illinois State in the Super 16 of the WNIT. She also scored 18 points against Boston College back in November.

Copeland is the third Wisconsin women’s basketball player to enter the transfer portal this offseason, joining sophomore center Tessa Towers (Batavia, Ill.) and redshirt sophomore forward Sacia Vanderpool (Byron, Minn.) as players who will be looking for new homes this offseason.

The Wisconsin women’s basketball program isn’t thin at guard, even with the departure of Copeland, but Marisa Moseley will probably want to evaluate a few in the portal anyways. The returning backcourt players include: starting point guard Ronnie Porter, reserve guard D’Yanis Jimenez (who is the most likely to assume Copeland’s minutes next year), guard/forward/Swiss Army Knife Halle Douglass, and then rising junior Lily Krahn and rising sophomore Leena Patibandla. Incoming freshman Gracie Grzesk (Green Bay, Wis.) could also be in the conversation for some minutes, but Moseley has been conservative with inserting younger players into the rotation in the past.

I wish Copeland the best moving forward and hope that she finds success at her new school.

How Wisconsin Women’s Basketball Transfers Fared in 2023-24

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