One of the best scorers in women’s college basketball is a free agent.
Florida’s Liv McGill was one of at least 1,000 players to enter the transfer portal Monday. The sophomore is easily one of the top 10 players available in college basketball’s version of free agency.
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A 5-foot-9 guard from Hopkins High School in Minnesota — the same high school that produced former UConn star Paige Bueckers — McGill averaged 22.5 points per game this past season for the Gators, which ranked 11th nationally, sixth in the Power 4 and second in the SEC. McGill also had 6.3 assists per game, which ranked ninth nationally. She was good for 6.1 rebounds and 2.6 steals per game and shot 43.1% from the floor.
McGill was the only player in the nation this season to average at least 20 points, six rebounds and six assists per game. She was voted to the All-SEC team this season.
Despite McGill’s impressive numbers, Florida missed the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive season with an 18-15 overall record and a 5-11 mark in SEC play. Gators’ coach Kelly Rae Finley was fired after completing her fifth season at the helm.
Florida tabbed Rhode Island’s Tammi Reiss to replace Finley. Reiss, who played with Dawn Staley at Virginia in the early 1990s, was previously the head coach at Rhode Island, where she went 138-73 overall. Reiss led the Rams to an A-10 title and the NCAA Tournament this year for the first time since 1996.
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McGill was in the audience at Reiss’ introductory press conference, but it appears the Florida guard is going to keep her options open as the offseason begins.
The transfer portal will close April 15. Players in the portal can still commit to new schools after that, but cannot enter the portal after that date.
McGill was rated a five-star prospect in 2024 and ranked as the 15th best player in her class by ESPN. She was a McDonald’s All-American and ranked as the best player in Minnesota ahead of Michigan star Olivia Olson.
So, where might McGill end up? We have a few ideas.
Minnesota women’s basketball
McGill could return to her home state and join the Gophers, who are coming off their first Sweet 16 appearance since 2005. Minnesota will graduate a starting guard this year in Amaya Battle, so there’s going to be a starting spot to fill in the backcourt.
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South Carolina women’s basketball
With Raven Johnson and Ta’Niya Latson graduating, South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said Sunday after losing to UCLA in the national title game, “obviously we got to add some guard play,” when answering a question about how the Gamecocks might shop in the transfer portal. McGill has already proven she can score at a high level against some of the toughest defenses in the SEC.
Duke women’s basketball
Kara Lawson is going to need to add a guard in the portal as well after graduating Taina Mair and Ashlon Jackson, who have starred in the backcourt for Duke’s two ACC Tournament titles and back-to-back trips to the Elite Eight. Pairing McGill with a post like Toby Fournier could make for a lethal scoring combination.
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Maryland women’s basketball
Oluchi Okananwa could use a running mate in the backcourt for Brenda Frese’s up-tempo offense. Kaylene Smikle announced she was leaving the Terps and entering the transfer portal, and Maryland is also losing Saylor Poffenbarger and Yarden Garzon to graduation. There will be shots available for McGill in College Park and she’ll get to play for a coach who has a knack for developing WNBA talent.
UCF women’s basketball
If McGill wants to stay in the state of Florida, Gabe Lazo recently took the reins at UCF and has a big rebuilding project ahead of him as the Knights have missed four straight NCAA Tournaments. McGill would be the star at UCF and a great centerpiece for Lazo to build around.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Liv McGill, Florida star, enters women’s basketball transfer portal
