Notre Dame women’s basketball lands first transfer portal pickup from Wake Forest
The first of what should be many transfer portal acquisitions for Notre Dame women’s basketball this offseason is on her way from Winston-Salem. Sixth-year senior forward Malaya Cowles has committed to the Fighting Irish, per On3’s Talia Goodman.
Cowles averaged 8.8 points and 5.1 rebounds in 28 games, 16 of which she started, this past season. Those averages were both career-high totals.
Cowles made 86 appearances with 51 starts for Wake Forest after arriving as the No. 10 post player in the recruiting class of 2020, according to ESPN. She redshirted as a true freshman having only played in one game, and she redshirted two seasons after that because of an injury.
Cowles had one of the best games of her fifth collegiate season against Notre Dame. She scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a 100-64 loss to the Irish on Jan. 9. She scored 13 points and grabbed 3 rebounds the previous January in a 75-56 loss to Notre Dame. The first time she ever faced the Irish, she finished with 6 points and 3 rebounds in a 10-point defeat.
There has not been one season in her college career in which Cowles hasn’t been north of a 54 percent shooter from the field. She’s a career 55.0 percent shooter. She’s not a prolific scorer, but she’s absolutely an efficient one.
Notre Dame women’s basketball lands first transfer portal pickup from Wake Forest
Wake Forest forward Malaya Cowles (5) fouls Notre Dame forward Liatu King (20) during a NCAA women’s basketball game between No. 3 Notre Dame and Wake Forest at Purcell Pavilion on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in South Bend.
The first of what should be many transfer portal acquisitions for Notre Dame women’s basketball this offseason is on her way from Winston-Salem. Sixth-year senior forward Malaya Cowles has committed to the Fighting Irish, per On3’s Talia Goodman.
Cowles averaged 8.8 points and 5.1 rebounds in 28 games, 16 of which she started, this past season. Those averages were both career-high totals.
Cowles made 86 appearances with 51 starts for Wake Forest after arriving as the No. 10 post player in the recruiting class of 2020, according to ESPN. She redshirted as a true freshman having only played in one game, and she redshirted two seasons after that because of an injury.
Cowles had one of the best games of her fifth collegiate season against Notre Dame. She scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a 100-64 loss to the Irish on Jan. 9. She scored 13 points and grabbed 3 rebounds the previous January in a 75-56 loss to Notre Dame. The first time she ever faced the Irish, she finished with 6 points and 3 rebounds in a 10-point defeat.
There has not been one season in her college career in which Cowles hasn’t been north of a 54 percent shooter from the field. She’s a career 55.0 percent shooter. She’s not a prolific scorer, but she’s absolutely an efficient one.
As it stands, Cowles is the fifth scholarship player on the 2025-26 Notre Dame roster. The Irish lost four players to the transfer portal and just as many plus one to an exhaustion of eligibility after losing in the Sweet 16 for the fourth consecutive season.
If the Irish had to play a game tomorrow, they’d roll out junior guard Hannah Hidalgo, senior guards KK Bransford and Cassandre Prosper and Cowles. They’d have to fill out the starting five with a walk-on; incoming freshman forward Leah Macy is recovering from a significant knee injury she went down with in her final high school game in February.
There is not a shortage of transfer portal options for Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey to go after. Well over 1,000 players have entered the portal in this cycle. Still, Ivey certainly has her work cut out for her in terms of filling up the roster. Getting Cowles from a fellow ACC school should only be the start. Notre Dame’s got a long way to go to get back to a comfortable position with its 2025-26 roster.
Central Arkansas transfer big man Nehemiah Turner is planning a visit to Notre Dame, Blue & Gold confirmed Friday afternoon. Sports Illustrated’s Kevin Sweeney was first with the report.
Turner, a 6-foot-10 rising sophomore from Auburndale (Fla.) High, is also planning visits to Oregon State and Missouri, according to Sweeney’s report. His trip to South Bend is not finalized yet, but he’s a target in the portal for the Irish.
After an inauspicious start to his freshman season, Turner averaged 18.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game in his final 10 outings. His season averages were 8.5, 4.2 and 1.7, respectively, but his high-major interest clearly comes from the way he finished the year in Atlantic Sun play.
