There is a new website that tracks WBB transfer portal entries. They list Amaya as being in the portal. I asked them about it and I was told she entered the portal on 4/5. Bonner's name does not appear on Raoul's webpage as of yet and Amaya is on the new Cal roster that came out. Has anyone heard anything? I was hoping the new website had it wrong.

Link to new site: https://heatcheckcbb.com/womens-basketball-transfer-portal-comprehensive-transfer-list-for-2023-24/#pac-12

Raoul's site: https://wbbblog.com/womens-basketball-transfers-d-i-2022-23/3/

I trust the Cal website and Raoul. This next season looks good for her to get significant playing time. Not sure why she'd leave now.

I'm going to the WBB Banquet next Tuesday evening. I'll investigate further.

SFCALBear72 said:

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I trust the Cal website and Raoul. This next season looks good for her to get significant playing time. Not sure why she'd leave now.

I'm going to the WBB Banquet next Tuesday evening. I'll investigate further.

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I also trust Raoul's site more. However, the best way to get info today is Instagram. I went to Amaya's IG and she has recent follows from assistant coaches at Florida State, Ohio State, Penn State, Pepperdine and a few others. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Regardless, I would love to hear about the banquet this year. Looking forward to your post.

As of 10:30 AM today Amaya is no longer listed on our roster.

https://calbears.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster

Our only high school recruit in the past two years. Is there something wrong with the program?

Perhaps she is taking time off to develop an offensive game.

annarborbear said:

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Our only high school recruit in the past two years. Is there something wrong with the program?

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Over the last 3 cycles we've landed only 4 incoming freshies: Mia, Jayda, Amaya, and Lulu. Jayda and Amaya are now gone. Same story with several of our freshies from the previous 2 cycles, though I don't count players who graduated or retired for medical reasons.

Either we're fully immersed in the new world of NIL and the portal or fully immersed in deep doodoo. FWIW it looks like MBB is making a spectacular transition from the latter to the former.

annarborbear said:

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Our only high school recruit in the past two years. Is there something wrong with the program?

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Perhaps she sensed that we are recruiting over her in the portal and for 2024.

(Check out what Sebastabear had to say about recent developments in Cal WBB NIL. It's in the Haas Pavilion/WBB forum/thread).

stu said:

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As of 10:30 AM today Amaya is no longer listed on our roster.

https://calbears.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster

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Hey Stu......I am going to the banquet hoping to support the Bears WBB program.
If players transfer, will they be at the banquet?
I would assume the graduating seniors will attend.
I have supported Charmin from day one. However, with the new transfer
rules and NIL, it seems the WBB program needs a complete makeover.
Charmin has a year left on her contract, and it doesn't seem likely this can
happen until there is a new HC. To complicate the matter, who knows what
will become of the Pac-12. With the instability at hand, Cal is not an attractive
program for current players or recruits. Fox had a lot of pressure placed on him
to revitalize the Men's program, and the future looks bright with Mark Madsen
as the new HC. I loved watching him play for Stanford. I would love to see
Courtney Banghart, who was an excellent HC at Princeton before bringing North
Carolina back to a nationally competitive team as of late. I think she would be
a good fit for Cal. Charmin has put her heart and soul into the program under
difficult circumstances for the first three years, and she deserves credit for holding
the program together. She has the best interest of the student athlete in mind.
I feel she truly believed she could excel as the HC, and
have a winning program. The team definitely showed improvement this season.
Times have changed in collegiate sports with a good deal of corporate influence,
not to my liking!

I'm going to the banquet too. I expect the graduating players will be there but I don't expect to see Jayda or Amiya.

I'll be interested to hear what Charmin has to say about NIL and the portal. I don't like it either but it looks like the only alternative would be to join the Ivy League. I'd actually prefer that.

As an Ivy League fan I concur. No athletic scholarships which I like, but Harvard (and I assume some others) base aid on family income: 'if your family's income is less than $85,000, you'll pay nothing. For families who earn between $85,000 and $150,000, the expected contribution is between zero and ten percent of your annual income. Families who earn more than $150,000 may still qualify for financial aid"

Of course it's not realistic given the travel, but a girl can dream....Maybe the transfer portal will calm down after the COVID extra year is no longer a factor....but I'm not optimistic.

stu said:

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I'm going to the banquet too. I expect the graduating players will be there but I don't expect to see Jayda or Amiya.

I'll be interested to hear what Charmin has to say about NIL and the portal. I don't like it either but it looks like the only alternative would be to join the Ivy League. I'd actually prefer that.

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I wouldl ike that too, lots of travel though. Take me home for a couple of weeks, and I could possibly go to games at Dartmouth, Harvard, Brown, Yale and even Columbia. There was talk about Cal, North Carolina, and one other college with great academics( maybe Duke) having a focus in the ACC. However, I have read so many thoughts and proposals thrown out there about the Pac-12 Conference, who knows anything at this point! Thank-you Stu..

Another possibility would be a West Coast version with most of the UC campuses and Stanford.

stu said:

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As of 10:30 AM today Amaya is no longer listed on our roster.

https://calbears.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster

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surprised by this

nice size, although she needed to improve on defense, which I assumed she would have done with more experience

her game in HS was to drive, but against Pac12 defenders she couldn't do so, and she didn't have a shot

hard to say how much she would have contributed next year, but the WBB team needs a lot of new players, and they better come from the portal because few freshmen will be good enough to help this team

If there is now NIL money available, that is good news and bad news. The good news is that some of the remaining available top players could select us for that reason. The bad news is that we could end up with players who are only committed to us in order to make money for a year, and who could then decide to go elsewhere for the same reason. In any event, if there are apparently now no financial barriers after a major donor contribution, we can now see if Charmin can recruit for our program with this one more additional opportunity, and whether she can finally produce a winner. This was the last of the excuses.

annarborbear said:

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Our only high school recruit in the past two years. Is there something wrong with the program?

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Are you kidding? Is there something wrong with the program?

The current coaching staff is 10-55 in PAC-12 (15% winning, 85% losing? And, along the way the current coaching staff has lost to WBB "powerhouses!!!" like Bakersfield State, SJSU and some other schools we did not even know existed.

Under the current coaching staff we have been dead last in PAC-12 or darn close to it most every year.

Before the current coaching staff most years we are competing for the upper 1/3 of the PAC-12.

What is wrong with the program? Take a guess!

Bring Back Respect To Cal FB, MBB And WBB!

Go Bears!

calbear80 said:

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annarborbear said:

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Our only high school recruit in the past two years. Is there something wrong with the program?

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Are you kidding? Is there something wrong with the program?

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If you look at my other posts, I think you missed the sarcasm meter.

annarborbear said:

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calbear80 said:

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annarborbear said:

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Our only high school recruit in the past two years. Is there something wrong with the program?

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Are you kidding? Is there something wrong with the program?

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If you look at my other posts, I think you missed the sarcasm meter.

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Sorry Annarborbear, you are a great contributor to the BI WBB board and I enjoy reading your posts. Now a days, I am so thirsty for a winning Basketball program that I missed your obvious sarcasm.

I love Cal and bothers me a lot when we when become bottom (or near bottom) dwellers year after year.

When Coach Smith was hired, I made a donation to WBB because I thought she was the right hire and our WBB was going to be a winner. When she signed the recruiting class of three five stars, I made another donation because I thought we are starting a Stanford-like WBB dynasty. Since then, unfortunately, it has been disappointment after disappointment. Yes, there was COVID. Yes, there were injuries. Yes, there were lots of players transferring out. But, at the end of the day, winning matters.

Bring Back Respect To Cal FB, MBB And WBB!

Go Bears!

The loss of Amaya Bonner is not major in my opinion. As I referenced previously, she did not seem to possess accuracy when shooting from the outside. In high school, she scored mostly on rebound putbacks, drives to the basket & free throws. She did not appear to be good enough on defense to become a shutdown defender.

Agree about offense

Defensively I liked her size but she played "freshman " defense

I expect her to improve her defense as she gets more experience

Schroeder71 said:

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The loss of Amaya Bonner is not major in my opinion. As I referenced previously, she did not seem to possess accuracy when shooting from the outside. In high school, she scored mostly on rebound putbacks, drives to the basket & free throws. She did not appear to be good enough on defense to become a shutdown defender.

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Amaya Bonner to Florida State.


Per Raoul
Cal WBB transfer Amaya Bonner (6-0 FR shooting guard/wing, Fremont, CA) has landed at Florida State, who have also added UC Santa Barbara grad transfer Alexis Tucker.

SFCALBear72 said:

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Amaya Bonner to Florida State.


Per Raoul
Cal WBB transfer Amaya Bonner (6-0 FR shooting guard/wing, Fremont, CA) has landed at Florida State, who have also added UC Santa Barbara grad transfer Alexis Tucker.

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Congrats to Amaya.

I like what Brooke Wyckoff is doing at her alma mater. They were fun to watch this past season but then their freshman sensation, Ta'Niya Latson, got injured right before the conference tournament and they couldn't do much in the post season.

As a slasher she should fit well in the ACC. Hopefully she will be developed properly.

Florida State was 23-10 and fourth in the ACC. A good choice and a chance to see what a winning program looks like.

Yes she is a slasher with good size. She will improve defensively with experience, although she has a long way to go with her shot

FSU knows this so I'm sure they have a role and plan for her

Bonner was a highly rated recruit who was a little disappointing her freshmen year but a player I liked as she gained experience and rounded out her game, especially on defense which we need.

I was surprised when she transferred, and am alittle surprised she went to a very good team

Every team in America probably scouts players from under performing teams and tries to poach them

Good luck to her

I.E.Bear said:

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SFCALBear72 said:

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Amaya Bonner to Florida State.


Per Raoul
Cal WBB transfer Amaya Bonner (6-0 FR shooting guard/wing, Fremont, CA) has landed at Florida State, who have also added UC Santa Barbara grad transfer Alexis Tucker.

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Congrats to Amaya.

I like what Brooke Wyckoff is doing at her alma mater. They were fun to watch this past season but then their freshman sensation, Ta'Niya Latson, got injured right before the conference tournament and they couldn't do much in the post season.

As a slasher she should fit well in the ACC. Hopefully she will be developed properly.

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Tallahassee is a long way from her home in Fremont.

But maybe during the team's trip to Europe this past summer, Amaya learned more about herself and that she could thrive/grow as a person by being far from home.

Best of luck to you, Amaya.

I don't think Amaya was disappointing. I definitely was hoping she would make an immediate impact because she was highly ranked, but I don't feel she was used much or properly when she was in.

It makes me think of Iowa and their freshman Stuelke. When Stuelke came in they ran 2 specific plays for her to get her involved and score; therefore making the defense have to account for her to help free up Caitlin. Unfortunately, that didn't happen in our offense.

She probably felt she wouldn't be developed and she might be thinking about a professional career. And I do feel she is a big loss…a highly ranked, local kid that wanted to come to Cal, with loads of potential. That's who we should be getting and keeping in the program.

I.E.Bear said:

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I don't think Amaya was disappointing. I definitely was hoping she would make an immediate impact because she was highly ranked, but I don't feel she was used much or properly when she was in.

It makes me think of Iowa and their freshman Stuelke. When Stuelke came in they ran 2 specific plays for her to get her involved and score; therefore making the defense have to account for her to help free up Caitlin. Unfortunately, that didn't happen in our offense.

She probably felt she wouldn't be developed and she might be thinking about a professional career. And I do feel she is a big loss…a highly ranked, local kid that wanted to come to Cal, with loads of potential. That's who we should be getting and keeping in the program.

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Did Amaya fall victim to the arrival of the 3 transfers at the same time - Peanut, Kemery and Claudia - who were very much needed due to their experience and skills but took away valuable minutes from her?

I don't think that's fair to the staff for her to think (or be advised by others) that she wouldn't be developed in her sophomore year. Many more potential minutes would be there for her this fall given the departures of Peanut, Karisma, Jayda and even Eve.

I'm presuming she worked with Coach Heintz primarily. She was new to the Bears' staff last fall.

Florida State has been to the NCAA tournament for eight straight seasons. We have made no post-season appearances for the past four years. I am sure that also factored in.

And no FSU players are dissatisfied and leaving. All eligible players, thus far, have elected to return.

"I am sure that also factored in".

How do you know this? Did you talk to her? Highly unlikely. Quit the bs!

SFCALBear72 said:

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"I am sure that also factored in".

How do you know this? Did you talk to her? Highly unlikely. Quit the bs!

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Always good to hear from the Cult of Charmin.

You can look at the overall record of women's basketball transfers. Good players go almost 100% of the time to winning programs.

And when Jada left, she said she looked forward to going to a program that had been to so many Elite Eights, and perhaps she could help get them to a Final Four.

annarborbear said:

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SFCALBear72 said:

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"I am sure that also factored in".

How do you know this? Did you talk to her? Highly unlikely. Quit the bs!

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Always good to hear from the Cult of Charmin.

You can look at the overall record of women's basketball transfers. Good players go almost 100% of the time to winning programs.

And when Jada left, she said she looked forward to going to a program that had been to so many Elite Eights, and perhaps she could help get them to a Final Four.

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It's Jayda, btw. Oops. One more edit needed. lol.

You can name-call all you like. It doesn't bother me.
Yep, we had our "cult" banquet on Tuesday night. Impressive turnout.

SFCALBear72 said:

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I.E.Bear said:

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I don't think Amaya was disappointing. I definitely was hoping she would make an immediate impact because she was highly ranked, but I don't feel she was used much or properly when she was in.

It makes me think of Iowa and their freshman Stuelke. When Stuelke came in they ran 2 specific plays for her to get her involved and score; therefore making the defense have to account for her to help free up Caitlin. Unfortunately, that didn't happen in our offense.

She probably felt she wouldn't be developed and she might be thinking about a professional career. And I do feel she is a big loss…a highly ranked, local kid that wanted to come to Cal, with loads of potential. That's who we should be getting and keeping in the program.

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Did Amaya fall victim to the arrival of the 3 transfers at the same time - Peanut, Kemery and Claudia - who were very much needed due to their experience and skills but took away valuable minutes from her?

I don't think that's fair to the staff for her to think (or be advised by others) that she wouldn't be developed in her sophomore year. Many more potential minutes would be there for her this fall given the departures of Peanut, Karisma, Jayda and even Eve.

I'm presuming she worked with Coach Heintz primarily. She was new to the Bears' staff last fall.

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Well Amaya doesn't play the same position as Peanut and Claudia, so she shouldn't have. If Amaya was placed on the floor as a PF that was a coaching error. None of the players you mentioned were locking anyone down defensively or shooting the lights out (a part from a few games from Kemery), so IMO Amaya could've and should've been used more.

It might not just be about minutes though. It's all speculation since I do not know what Amaya and her family used as criteria to stay or transfer.

Did the coaches not mention the Cal transfers at the banquet? I saw you said they mentioned non-Cal player Betts and her situation.

I.E.Bear said:

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SFCALBear72 said:

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I.E.Bear said:

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I don't think Amaya was disappointing. I definitely was hoping she would make an immediate impact because she was highly ranked, but I don't feel she was used much or properly when she was in.

It makes me think of Iowa and their freshman Stuelke. When Stuelke came in they ran 2 specific plays for her to get her involved and score; therefore making the defense have to account for her to help free up Caitlin. Unfortunately, that didn't happen in our offense.

She probably felt she wouldn't be developed and she might be thinking about a professional career. And I do feel she is a big loss…a highly ranked, local kid that wanted to come to Cal, with loads of potential. That's who we should be getting and keeping in the program.

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Did Amaya fall victim to the arrival of the 3 transfers at the same time - Peanut, Kemery and Claudia - who were very much needed due to their experience and skills but took away valuable minutes from her?

I don't think that's fair to the staff for her to think (or be advised by others) that she wouldn't be developed in her sophomore year. Many more potential minutes would be there for her this fall given the departures of Peanut, Karisma, Jayda and even Eve.

I'm presuming she worked with Coach Heintz primarily. She was new to the Bears' staff last fall.

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Well Amaya doesn't play the same position as Peanut and Claudia, so she shouldn't have. If Amaya was placed on the floor as a PF that was a coaching error. None of the players you mentioned were locking anyone down defensively or shooting the lights out (a part from a few games from Kemery), so IMO Amaya could've and should've been used more.

It might not just be about minutes though. It's all speculation since I do not know what Amaya and her family used as criteria to stay or transfer.

Did the coaches not mention the Cal transfers at the banquet? I saw you said they mentioned non-Cal player Betts and her situation.

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I'm just trying to make sense of it. She seemed happy here and being around her teammates. I got that sense when Golden Way members were invited to attend a couple of practices.

Nope. The Betts discussion was only at my table, and I think Sela may have alluded to it. That's why we briefly talked about it.

FWIW I think Amaya was competing for playing time primarily against Karisma and Mia. Both were more experienced and strong defensive players, Karisma also had PG skills. Unfortunately none of those three shot very well.

Amaya is certainly a good athlete but I didn't see a lot of basketball skills. Hopes she develops at FSU.

Yes…I also noticed that. The players do seem very close to each other as well.