Within two weeks, four Fresno State women’s basketball players have transferred to different programs.
Seniors Aly Gamez and Maddi Utti and sophomores Brooke Walling and Kendyll Kinzer announced they found new homes for the upcoming season.
Gamez announced on April 7 that she will be attending Conference USA member school, North Texas. The school is just 36 miles away from her hometown of Irving, Texas.
“We are bringing another star guard back home,” North Texas head coach Jalie Mitchell said in a news release. “Aly’s winning mentality and dedication to the game, as well as her exceptional court vision, clutch play and championship experience take us another step closer to postseason success. She has an excellent feel for the game. We are thrilled that she chose UNT to complete an outstanding collegiate career.”
Walling announced that she will be returning to her home state of Washington, transferring to Western Washington University, a division two school.
“We are excited Brooke has decided to become a part of our Western family,” WWU head coach Carmen Dolfo said in a news release. “Her length, her ability to play both inside and out and her experience at a high level will enable her to be an impact player for us right away.”
Utti, the 2019 Mountain West player of the year, revealed Wednesday afternoon in an Instagram post that she would be finishing her career at Long Beach State University, a member of the Big West conference.
Kinzer was the latest player to transfer, staying within the Mountain West to play at Colorado State.
“We are very excited to welcome Kendyll to Colorado State,” CSU head coach Ryun Williams said in a news release. “Known as one of the conference’s most prolific shooters, and a big thorn in the Rams’ side when we played the Bulldogs, it will be nice seeing Kendyll let it fly in the green and gold!”
All four players entered the transfer portal shortly after the team’s heartbreaking loss to Wyoming in the Mountain West tournament championship. They did not make the trip for the WNIT tournament, where the Bulldogs beat Missouri in the first game but then lost to Rice in the second round.
Uttii and Gamez played together for five seasons. They both made the 2018 Mountain West All-Freshman team and won the 2020 Mountain West regular season conference title.
During Walling’s two years at Fresno State, she shot 51% from the field, while also blocking 48 shots. In 28 games this past season, Kinzer averaged 4.1 points per game while shooting 31 % from three.