https://instagr.am/p/DXM1WhxFK73

15 PPG for the Missouri Tigers this season. Looks like an amazing get!

This player was fantastic when Cal played at Missouri. She is fast and a tough defender. She hit 20 points against the Bear's defense. Cal will make the NCAA Tournament with Shannon Dowell!

Women's Basketball vs Missouri on 12/4/2025 - Box Score - California Golden Bears Athletics

I believe that she drives to the basket with blazing speed and has a pull-up jumper! She also beats opponents to loose balls and registered 6.1 rebounds per game. Based upon her stats, she is not a dead-eye three-point shot.
Dowell led her team in free throws (139) made and hit 78.5% of them

Shannon Dowell - Women's Basketball - University of Missouri Athletics

I would have to admit that Charmin & Co are "on-fire" on the recruiting trail right now. Please keep going...

Schroeder71 said:

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This player was fantastic when Cal played at Missouri. She is fast and a tough defender.

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I remember her completely burning our defense on that game winning layup.

Just what we needed! I was thinking we were a bit thin at PG, no more!

NEWS: Stanford transfer Carly Amborn has committed to Cal.

The 6-2 freshman averaged 2 ppg this season and was a 4-star recruit out of high school.

TRACKER: https://t.co/wYv1Ze6704 pic.twitter.com/OaTRP6QaXa

— Talia Goodman (@TaliaGoodmanWBB) April 16, 2026

Fun fact: Amborn is now a fifth generation Cal Bear.

Wow! What a great week for Cal Women's Baskeball and Charmin Smith.

In the last two days she's filled some major needs for the program by landing both shooting and height which were both needed. What a great effort on her part to land these players and I believe this puts Cal in a great position to make it to the tournament next year. Not only is she bringing in proven shooters, but 4 of the 5 newest players are 6'2" or better and all come with experience that should pay immediate dividends. Has to be one of the more talented and taller teams in Cal's history of women's basketball.

* Shannon Dowell, Sr. 5'11" Shooting Guard from Missouri who averaged 15 points a game.
* Carly Amborn, So. 6'2" Shooting Guard from Stanford who didn't play a lot as a freshman, but is a gifted 3-point shooter with a wealth of potential and a Cal legacy. I wouldn't be surprised to see her play wing as well.
* Anna Lagonikaki, Fr 6'3" Forward from Greece who played professionally in Europe
* Jovana Jevtovic, Fr 6'4" Center from Serbia who played professionally in Hungry & played on the National team. She comes to Cal with a ton of experience.
* Albina Syla Jr 6'5" Center/PF From Rhode Island via Finland. Avg 9+ points and 7+ rebounds a game & was part of the Atlantic 10 All Conferene team.


The Cal women are going to be a force in the ACC next season and gives the Cal program 14 proven players for next season.

GO BEARS!

This team went from falling apart to greatly improved overnight. Wow! A real NCAA team now I think.

We also have Zara Russell and Ruby Perkins who signed last fall.

Not sure if Charmin has any Nil money left to offer, but if I'm not mistaken, she still has two scholarships left to offer if there is a player out there who can help the team.

Excited for Charmin Smith, her staff and for Cal women's BB.

GO BEARS!

Truly impressive. Looking forward to celebrating at the upcoming team banquet too!

Besides Charmin and her staff, I also credit GM Meghin Williams for getting these players to choose Cal. She's now had a whole year to work with the staff and to learn of their needs... player-wise and financially.

I also credit the benefactors who have made a renovated locker room a reality and will have it ready for next season.

And finally, those who have put into action the creation of a dedicated practice facility for both basketball teams.

These things are what helped Coach Smith go out and pitch the University of California as a basketball destination to those in the portal.

Schroeder71 said:

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I have never seen Carly Amborn play basketball. If nothing else, she should have no difficulty getting her three- point shots off since she stands 6-2! Anyone have any observations about her game? GO BEARS!

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I watched a few games last year when she managed to get some minutes. She is a VERY good shooter but she is also VERY slow. I vividly remember her doing a euro step past a defender to get to the basket and was pleasantly surprised she had that in her bag.

I don't know how much time she will see next year because of her lack of speed on defense. Of course that can change but I don't know since she is listed as a 6'2 guard. Although she has some height she definitely cannot guard in the post so she will need to improve her perimeter agility.

I'll go with Coach Smith's assessment:

"Carly brings tremendous size to the guard position," Smith said. "With her length not only will she be a matchup problem for opposing backcourts, she will also give us versatility on defense to guard multiple positions. I've been following her since high school and she is a lights out 3-point shooter so she will be a great compliment to our existing 3-point threats and fits our style of play extremely well."

CalFanatic said:

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Baygbear said:

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Schroeder71 said:

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I have never seen Carly Amborn play basketball. If nothing else, she should have no difficulty getting her three- point shots off since she stands 6-2! Anyone have any observations about her game? GO BEARS!

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I watched a few games last year when she managed to get some minutes. She is a VERY good shooter but she is also VERY slow. I vividly remember her doing a euro step past a defender to get to the basket and was pleasantly surprised she had that in her bag.

I don't know how much time she will see next year because of her lack of speed on defense. Of course that can change but I don't know since she is listed as a 6'2 guard. Although she has some height she definitely cannot guard in the post so she will need to improve her perimeter agility.

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Maybe her role will be as a long-distance sniper a la Mikayla Lyles. She shot 57% from three last year.

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Lyles was a good student and a 100% hustle player who always led the team in floor burns. I'll never forget the 4 threes she drained to help us beat Stanford when they were good.

Things I love about this recruiting class:

• We should have depth at every position in the 26-27 season
• If everyone stays then we should have legit starters at every position for the 27-28 season
• Love the emphasis on young players. Hope they all develop and graduate.

Watching some videos of the international frontline players. Several of them seem to have good touch on midrange shots. Time to incorporate those into the offense.

This roster is intriguing.

It seems most needs were addressed...and then some.

This looks to be the new norm: try to keep a core of 5-6 players and then bring in players around them (with the hope that newcomers can grow into more impactful roles)...and also expect that multiple players will leave from season to season.

While I don't like what's happening with the free-for-all player movement, it does provide a chance to sign players based on needs...whereas before the portal and NIL, you kind of had to recruit the best player possible and then try to fit them in once they arrive.

While several teams across the nation have been gutted, hopefully this is where the coaching staff and the GM will maintain the positive culture. I believe this is why the core of this team stayed.

With the newcomers, I have cautious optimism about next season...health always being the major concern!