Puff Morris To Enter Transfer Portal

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SFCALBear72
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11:21a, 4/1/26
Anybody surprised?

As per Talia Goodman on Instagram:

BREAKING: Cal's Aliyahna "Puff" Morris plans to enter the transfer portal, her representative at @prioritysports told @On3.

The 5-5 freshman averaged 7 ppg and 3.1 apg this season and was a 2025 McDonald's All-American.
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stu
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11:22a, 4/1/26
April fool?
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SFCALBear72
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11:23a, 4/1/26
Nope.
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Woodacre
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11:24a, 4/1/26
Actually, more disappointed than surprised. But she seemed to be growing skills with her role. Too bad. Another space for a portal acquisition. Hopefully Cal will get better (and bigger?)
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ClayK
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11:37a, 4/1/26
We'll see where she ends up ...

She was pretty much handed a starting job, and then got hurt -- but the results when she played were not dazzling. As a point guard on offense, she was marginal. 1.6 A/TO, 31.9% from three. Improvement could be expected of course, but she didn't look like she was going to be all-ACC at any point.

And of course defensively she was below average. We don't know how far, really, because defense is impossible to measure, but all in all, I would think she would be relatively easy to replace. Assuming Maul stays, the Bears need a backup point guard, and it would seem that picking up a G5 senior or grad student who wants a year at the P4 level -- and maybe a Cal master's degree -- wouldn't be that hard.

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annarborbear
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11:42a, 4/1/26
Hoping to be a star when she would instead be an excellent complementary player. Sorry that she is giving up a Cal degree to follow that dream.
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3Cats4CAL
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11:51a, 4/1/26
unlikely to be a star due to her lack of height. Maybe if she ends up at a team whose conference or opposing teams don't have very many quality taller guards she can shine.
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stu
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12:10p, 4/1/26
If Mjracle returns and Ruby turns out well then I think we'll be fine at PG.

I can imagine Puff playing much better with experience and conditioning. I wish her well at her next stop.
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CalFanatic
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12:23p, 4/1/26
At first I was surprised by this, but then I realized nothing really makes sense in this new era of college sports. I know you didn't ask but yes, I hate it.

Ruby will a great replacement.
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Finnish Oski
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12:23p, 4/1/26
Better her than Lulu, Mracle, Taylor, Gisella or Naya. If those five stay and we add some bigs we're fine.
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CalFanatic
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In reply to Finnish Oski • 12:27p, 4/1/26
Finnish Oski said:
Better her than Lulu, Mracle, Taylor, Gisella or Naya. If those five stay and we add some bigs we're fine.

Now this I fully, 100 percent agree with but still...pain
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stu
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In reply to ClayK • 12:32p, 4/1/26
ClayK said:
... Assuming Maul stays, the Bears need a backup point guard, and it would seem that picking up a G5 senior or grad student who wants a year at the P4 level -- and maybe a Cal master's degree -- wouldn't be that hard.

Maybe from Columbia?
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SFCALBear72
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In reply to CalFanatic • 12:38p, 4/1/26
CalFanatic said:
Finnish Oski said:
Better her than Lulu, Mracle, Taylor, Gisella or Naya. If those five stay and we add some bigs we're fine.

Now this I fully, 100 percent agree with but still...pain

And Lola.

I'm curious to see what Grace McCallop can do next season. Maybe Eliza can work with her this offseason, and she gets some reps at point guard during fall camp as a back-up plan. 5'10.
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stu
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In reply to SFCALBear72 • 12:43p, 4/1/26
Grace looks like a versatile guard who will get better with experience. I expect to see her playing more minutes.
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HoopDreams
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1:00p, 4/1/26
this is not sour grapes

I was excited to sign another McDonald's AA player but when I watched her in the AA game I wasn't impressed and wondered how she was selected to the team.

As an undersized player I expected her to be a great shooter and lightening quick, but that's not what I saw in the game. The best I could say is she was confident.

Then when she played at Cal she was about what I expected. Unless she greatly improves her form and shooting I can't see her as a starting PG for a P4 team next season although I could be wrong.

I was much more confident when Sheppard played point.

Her transferring also didn't surprise me when I heard Charmin say that Puff told her she didn't know her role on this team. Charmin's response was to meet with her 1 on 1 during her injury to go over film together. The other warning sign was Grace playing more near the end of the season, despite that she wasn't quite ready yet (but could gain some game experience for the future)

I wish her luck
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stu
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In reply to HoopDreams • 1:05p, 4/1/26
IIRC in the McD AA game Puff hit 6 twos, all open midrange shots against unpracticed defense. I thought that showed good BBIQ but she didn't look as athletic as the other players.
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annarborbear
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1:17p, 4/1/26
I am thinking that since we signed her as a McDonald's All-American, we probably paid her some higher-level NIL, and this will free that up. More money to seek out a post or to bring some other players back.
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Finnish Oski
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2:03p, 4/1/26
The most likely to enter the portal next is Isis. She can't have been happy with her limited minutes. She always looked good to me in those rare moments when we saw her.
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3Cats4CAL
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3:35p, 4/1/26
why did we get Morris and Stanford got Swain? We've gotten several highly rated but short recruits in the past , including Morris, Curry, etc. The more top tier elite teams passed on them for taller similar type players.
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HoopDreams
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In reply to stu • 3:54p, 4/1/26
I watched the whole game and don't remember her hitting 6 shots, but I might be wrong.

I remember an impressive spin move layup, a midrange jumper and another shot, but more than the specific shots she made/missed I remember the concern and expectations I had for her playing at the high D1 level.

stu said:
IIRC in the McD AA game Puff hit 6 twos, all open midrange shots against unpracticed defense. I thought that showed good BBIQ but she didn't look as athletic as the other players.
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Schroeder71
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6:47p, 4/1/26
I feel that Puff Morris will be an average college player. She lacks foot speed and height which makes her a liability on defense. I was disappointed with her performance last season based upon the fact that she was the California POY coming out of Etiwanda HS.

If one goes back the last several seasons, Charmin Smith has been unable to keep several top recruits. I always wonder if they'll stay. GO BEARS!
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annarborbear
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7:25p, 4/1/26
Hate the annual,turnover. But putting NIL into proven portal players may now prove more productive than recruiting many high school players.
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stu
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In reply to Schroeder71 • 7:53p, 4/1/26
Schroeder71 said:
If one goes back the last several seasons, Charmin Smith has been unable to keep several top recruits. I always wonder if they'll stay. GO BEARS!

Maybe some of them aren't as top as they appeared to be at the time.
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SFCALBear72
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In reply to annarborbear • 8:09p, 4/1/26
annarborbear said:
Hate the annual,turnover. But putting NIL into proven portal players may now prove more productive than recruiting many high school players.

Seems to be working for TCU.
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annarborbear
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In reply to SFCALBear72 • 8:17p, 4/1/26
SFCALBear72 said:
annarborbear said:
Hate the annual,turnover. But putting NIL into proven portal players may now prove more productive than recruiting many high school players.

Seems to be working for TCU.

Good example. They are living by the portal, helped out by some major donors.
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ClayK
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6:33a, 4/2/26
There's a difference between being an elite high school player and a very good college player, just as there are good college players who can't make it at the pro level.
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beardown2125
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11:09a, 4/2/26
For everyone in this post to be Cal Bears fans it seems like you guys really didn't follow the season from start to finish . You guys are saying she averaged 7pts but are missing a key point SHE MISSED 10 games. Yall are acting like MCDAA is an easy accolade to receive and it's not . She is a natural winner and I'm sure none of you guys are familiar with her playing style . Just a reminder she has took down a few of the top college players that are in college right now . Juju , Jada Williams, Brea Cunningham,… she played in the top hs division in the country lol let's be real here . If you've watched anything from her high school years Cal just wasn't the fit for her playing style and THATS OK but don't get on this internet saying some outlandish things…. Read in between the lines when I say Cal wasn't her playing style . lol good luck next year bears
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SFCALBear72
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In reply to beardown2125 • 11:25a, 4/2/26
beardown2125 said:
For everyone in this post to be Cal Bears fans it seems like you guys really didn't follow the season from start to finish . You guys are saying she averaged 7pts but are missing a key point SHE MISSED 10 games. Yall are acting like MCDAA is an easy accolade to receive and it's not . She is a natural winner and I'm sure none of you guys are familiar with her playing style . Just a reminder she has took down a few of the top college players that are in college right now . Juju , Jada Williams, Brea Cunningham,… she played in the top hs division in the country lol let's be real here . If you've watched anything from her high school years Cal just wasn't the fit for her playing style and THATS OK but don't get on this internet saying some outlandish things…. Read in between the lines when I say Cal wasn't her playing style . lol good luck next year bears

OK, azwildcat. That's the beardown part, right? First post here and you come out swinging. Lol.

We did watch her from start to finish. She was named a starter from the outset. And even Coach Smith worked with her while she was out injured. When she returned, she had lost her starting position to a more experienced player. Nothing wrong with that.

Then, why did she commit to us in the first place? I'm sure she watched game film on her official visit. And our style of play was surely discussed.

Maybe check out your own backyard. Mass exodus of wildcats after the first season with your new coach. Hmmmm.
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RedlessWardrobe
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1:31p, 4/2/26
FWIW, my quick evaluation of Puff:

The thing I really like about her is it appears she has a high basketball IQ. She's very good at reading lanes and openings for her teammates. Excellent understanding of the game which would be expected from a point guard who was so dominant in high school.

But unless something changes, it doesn't appear that Puff has the sufficient athleticism or skill to be better than an average guard at the D1 college level. First of all, her lack of height is never going to be a good thing. And yes, I know that some very short point guards have been successful. Currently, Hannah Hildago comes to mind. And though it may be an unfair comparison, Puff lacks the quickness and speed that Hannah has. From what I've seen of Puff, her downcourt speed is average at the very best. Also, it doesn't appear that Puff has a consistent outside shot. Just a quick comparison to Kayla Williams from the previous year, Puff shot at 38% and 32% from three, as compared to Kayla's 48%/39%. I know it may be unfair to compare a freshman to a senior, but anyone like myself who watched these two seasons could see, that Puff simply not display an efficient shooting touch.

It will be interesting to see where she ends up. It's not out of the question that she ends up playing for a team outside of the P4 conferences. In any case, I wish her much success in her ongoing career.
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Finnish Oski
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1:44p, 4/2/26
Quote:
For everyone in this post to be Cal Bears fans it seems like you guys really didn't follow the season from start to finish . You guys are saying she averaged 7pts but are missing a key point SHE MISSED 10 games. Yall are acting like MCDAA is an easy accolade to receive and it's not . She is a natural winner and I'm sure none of you guys are familiar with her playing style . Just a reminder she has took down a few of the top college players that are in college right now . Juju , Jada Williams, Brea Cunningham,… she played in the top hs division in the country lol let's be real here . If you've watched anything from her high school years Cal just wasn't the fit for her playing style and THATS OK but don't get on this internet saying some outlandish things…. Read in between the lines when I say Cal wasn't her playing style . lol good luck next year bears

There may be a reasonable argument here about missed games and system fit, but it's buried under sloppy writing, run-ons, incorrect verb forms ("has took"), inconsistent punctuation, and random capitalization. The use of "you guys" then yall (without the apostrophe) is also a bad look. The random placement of LOL when there's nothing particularly funny is weak. Not capitalizing Bears (a proper noun) at the end is rude.
If you want people to take your point seriously, present it clearly. Right now, the delivery undermines whatever case you're trying to make. Keep in mind that you're addressing an audience comprised largely of Cal graduates i.e. people who have attained academic success at the highest level. We expect more.
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beardown2125
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1:44p, 4/2/26
Are you talking about Maul being the more better guard ? Do you know the definition of a PG ? For Maul to play in all games and to only be 2 more points in average hmmmmm ok . A PG main goal is to FACILITATE the ball and run the offense and looking from the outside Morris was the only PG that could feed Walker consistently .


Was anybody in any meetings/official visit with Morris and know what was actually told to her and what her role would be ? Seems like she was told something else during recruiting and got there and it was the opposite from if she went to Charmin and wasn't sure of her role ?

Watch film once the ball left Morris hands it never came back , now if she was a selfish player and went down hill and was a score first PG yall would be in here fussing .


Yall keep saying she's slow on defense , include Lulu and Maul in that sentence because again WATCH FILM
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beardown2125
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In reply to Finnish Oski • 1:45p, 4/2/26
I don't give a damn about anything you just said LOL !
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RedlessWardrobe
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In reply to beardown2125 • 2:03p, 4/2/26
beardown2125 said:
I don't give a damn about anything you just said LOL !

Let me speak on behalf of FO and myself: The feeling is mutual.
Your comments relate to outdated two year old events. "Yall" keep talking about what Puff did in high school, which is basically irrelevant because she is currently a college basketball player. Maybe Puff didn't know her "role" because the college game was a huge step up in competition. Again, I wish her the best, and you, not so much.
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SFCALBear72
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In reply to beardown2125 • 2:20p, 4/2/26
beardown2125 said:
Are you talking about Maul being the more better guard ? Do you know the definition of a PG ? For Maul to play in all games and to only be 2 more points in average hmmmmm ok . A PG main goal is to FACILITATE the ball and run the offense and looking from the outside Morris was the only PG that could feed Walker consistently .


Was anybody in any meetings/official visit with Morris and know what was actually told to her and what her role would be ? Seems like she was told something else during recruiting and got there and it was the opposite from if she went to Charmin and wasn't sure of her role ?

Watch film once the ball left Morris hands it never came back , now if she was a selfish player and went down hill and was a score first PG yall would be in here fussing .


Yall keep saying she's slow on defense , include Lulu and Maul in that sentence because again WATCH FILM

Not Maul, Mjracle Sheppard.

Perhaps you were there. You seem to know quite a bit about what Puff is thinking. Perhaps a relative or friend of the family?

I believe she asked Charmin about her role after returning from the time-off for her injury or just prior to returning because she had been out of the line-up for so long. She knew damn well what her role was Game 1. Freshman starting point guard. It certainly wasn't a bait and switch by Charmin as you are implying about her recruitment.
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annarborbear
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2:40p, 4/2/26
Best way to settle this argument will be to see who she gets offers from in the portal.
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