Some thoughts.

She was Idaho player of the year her senior year.

She spent her first year a Utah. Played in 5 games i think. Spent her next year at Gonzaga. The spent her next year at Morgan state where she was newcomer of the year.

So my question is, Why is she listed as a sophomore. I would think she was a junior with a red shirt year at Utah.

She is an accomplished scorer and pretty good rebounder but I worry about her defensively. She shot 1 for 10 from three point land at Morgan.State.

I wish she could play the four but I'm not sure about her ball handling. Plus someone who starts now would have to sit down.

Mjracle is not running on all cylinders now but she is still fast. But not as fast as she was in the practice we went to. She fell in one of the games and didn't play the first half of the Pacific game. We need her wheels.

Lola has fallen off a little on her three point per centage but she is till shooting over 40%. And her free throw per centage is much better than last year. She too is a little banged up.

We sure could have used Gabby Abigor this year. But alas we don't have her. Is she still enrolled. And if she is, has anyone seen her at the games.

I missed the last game as it was too late for me. I go to bed at 8:00pm. I will be at Thursday's game with St. Mary's. How many of you will be there?

Personally, I think we are playing Barnes too much. These 39 minute games will eventually take their toll, even on a young player. Naya is one of those players who you can pick apart, and yet she consistently has a positive plus/minus with the team when she is in the game. So I think there should be a bigger role for her. Especially give it a try in these early games. She is earning it with both scoring and rebounding.

Based on the role that Naya has on this team, being concerned about her ball handling or 3 point shooting ability is not relevant to her game.

What makes using Naya interesting is that based on the type of game she plays, it's a shame that she's not 2 or 3 inches taller. If she was she would certainly be a prime time player. She's basically a center that is "under-heighted" (is that a word?) In any case you have to love her effort whenever she's on the court.

RedlessWardrobe said:

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Based on the role that Naya has on this team, being concerned about her ball handling or 3 point shooting ability is not relevant to her game.

What makes using Naya interesting is that based on the type of game she plays, it's a shame that she's not 2 or 3 inches taller. If she was she would certainly be a prime time player. She's basically a center that is "under-heighted" (is that a word?) In any case you have to love her effort whenever she's on the court.

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Forward/center Ashley Walker was not as tall as she and Cal claimed, but her elevation was extraordinary; it was Ashley who tipped off, not Devanei.

Quote:

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Forward/center Ashley Walker was not as tall as she and Cal claimed, but her elevation was extraordinary; it was Ashley who tipped off, not Devanei.

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I still miss Ashley Walker. An all-time great at Cal.

I think Ashley was only about 5'11". But she was beyond belief. Stronger than Naya. And probably quicker.

Naya reminds me of Tony Gonzalez's game - especially the NCAA game against Princeton.

As for eligibility:
She received a hardship waiver for the year at Utah.
She received a medical hardship waiver for the year at Gonzaga.
She then had the full year at Morgan State.
And now Cal.
https://calbears.com/news/2025/5/6/womens-basketball-cal-signs-naya-ojukwu-for-2025-26-season.aspx

She's a soph it would seem in terms of eligibility.

smh said:

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ncbears said:

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As for eligibility:
She received a hardship waiver for the year at Utah.
She received a medical hardship waiver for the year at Gonzaga.
She then had the full year at Morgan State.
And now Cal.

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sorry, i don't get it (always), so is this her last year of eligibility? tnx in adv

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No. This is her second year of eligibility - she is classified as a redshirt sophomore.
22-23 - Utah Medical Waiver
23-24 - Gonzaga Hardship Waiver
24-25 - Morgan State - redshirt freshman

She will have two more yeas after this - she has waivers for the Utah/Gonzaga years - so for eligibility, they don't count.

Ashley Walker is an all-time favorite.

I like Naya's efforts so far. Except for some foul trouble, her activity is a plus. As the season progresses,if she stays on this track, she'll be an integral part of the rotation. No idea on how eligibility works these days!

On the subject of minutes, I think this will work itself out as the rotation solidifies.

ncbears said:

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Naya reminds me of Tony Gonzalez's game - especially the NCAA game against Princeton.

As for eligibility:
She received a hardship waiver for the year at Utah.
She received a medical hardship waiver for the year at Gonzaga.
She then had the full year at Morgan State.
And now Cal.
https://calbears.com/news/2025/5/6/womens-basketball-cal-signs-naya-ojukwu-for-2025-26-season.aspx

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Hopefully the list of schools ends here.

BearBint said:

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Forward/center Ashley Walker was not as tall as she and Cal claimed, but her elevation was extraordinary; it was Ashley who tipped off, not Devanei.

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Standing next to her I could tell she was about 5' 11". But she could do everything.

Naya will get more time on the court if she reduces her fouls, like she did against Harvard. Prior to that she was fouling at an extremely high frequency, and had to come off the court. Charmin seems to have this coaching thing down pretty good, I think.

Wow, I've read some crazy stuff here, but now I'm reading that "Charmin Smith was unaware of Naya's capabilities." I guess my only response to that would be: IF SHE WAS UNAWARE OF THEM, WHY DID SHE RECRUIT HER FROM THE TRANSFER PORTAL? I just didn't know that Charmin recruits players based on limited information. I guess she just lucked out with Naya. Did I say Wow!?

S71

A lot of PT distribution is match ups

I like Naya for some matchup but against longer stronger posts she isn't as effective and therefore fouls

I do think she should get more minutes when the matchups allow as I said before the game that she would be key