This is the 2026 offseason tracker for the Rutgers women’s basketball team.
A lot has happened up in Piscataway when it comes to the basketball program on the women’s side. Follow along here for news transfer announcements and recruiting news as a new coaching staff settles in.
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This past season, the Scarlet Knights finished the season with a 9-20 record and was dead last in the Big Ten (1-17).
Tennessee guards Mia Pauldo (13) and Mya Pauldo (12) during the NCAA college basketball game against the Arkansas Razorbacks on January 11, 2026, in Knoxville, Tennessee.
April 12: Rutgers gets four transfers
Rutgers was able to snag four players through the transfer portal.
Jaylah Lampley will be part of the 2026-27 team after playing a year at Mississippi State as a freshman. The 6-1 guard from Indiana averaged 8.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in 30 games played. She was named the Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year in high school.
Mary Akinde will transfer over to Rutgers after playing at Barton Community College in Kansas. She’s 6-5, averaged 10.8 points and 10.5 rebounds in 30 minutes per game.
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Former Tennessee basketball freshmen Mia and Mya Pauldo have committed to Rutgers out of the transfer portal.
Mia Pauldo, 5-6, was a 2025 McDonald’s All-American and Gatorade Player of the Year back in high school. The twins won three state championships while playing for Morris Catholic in Morris County. All eight of Tennessee’s possible returning players entered the transfer portal after the season. Mia averaged 10.4 points this past season. Mya, 5-6, appeared in 27 games and averaged just under 10 minutes on the floor.
April 2: Five Rutgers players enter transfer portal
Five different Rutgers players from the 2025-26 season intend on entering the transfer portal.
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Nene Ndiaye will enter the transfer portal after spending her junior season with the Scarlet Knights. This past season, she averaged 14.8 points and 5.3 rebounds in 26 games played as a junior.
Yacine Ndiaye only played in 11 games as injuries prevented her from seeing more time.
Antonia Bates announced on her social media that she entered the transfer portal. This past season as a senior, the 6-3 Rutgers Prep graduate from Easton, PA played in 29 games and made 14 starts.
Makylah Moore entered the transfer portal after spending her freshman year at Rutgers. The Brooklyn native played in 12 games for the Scarlet Knights.
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Janae Walker spent two seasons with Rutgers before entering the transfer portal. This past season as a junior, she played in 28 games and made 15 starts.
Rutgers women’s basketball coach Gary Redus at his introductory press conference on March 17, 2026.
March 9: Gary Redus hired as head coach
Gary Redus II, who was an assistant coach to Kim Mulkey at LSU, will be the new head coach, Director of Athletics Keli Zinn announced. Redus spent four years on Mulkey’s staff in Baton Rouge, where the program won its first national title in 2023.
More: Gary Redus II take over Rutgers WBB
“I am honored and grateful for the opportunity to be the next women’s basketball coach at Rutgers University,” Redus said in a statement. “I am no stranger to the rich history of basketball here at Rutgers and I look forward to building on that legacy as we move the program forward.”
March 2: Coquese Washington fired as head coach
After four seasons, Coquese Washington announced that she was out as head coach of the Rutgers women’s basketball team in a statement on social media Monday.
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“I am thankful to Rutgers for the opportunity to lead the women’s basketball program for the past four years, as it has been a wonderful journey for me and my family,” Washington wrote.
Washington’s teams were 42-84 overall, 11-61 in Big Ten play.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Rutgers women’s basketball 2026 offseason tracker
