Cal Signs Shannon Dowell For 2026-27 Season

The California women's basketball team has added senior transfer Shannon Dowell to its roster for the 2026-27 season, Cal head coach Charmin Smith announced Thursday.

Dowell, a 5-foot-10 guard from O’Fallon, Illinois, is transferring to Cal from Missouri. Prior to Missouri she played the 2024-25 and 2023-24 seasons at Illinois State.

“Shannon brings a veteran presence and a high-motor mentality to the team,” Smith said. “She has an aggressive mindset offensively and is a proven scorer that can be depended upon to get a bucket in crunch time. She truly is a triple-threat option that has shown the ability to attack the glass and get others involved on the offensive end of the court. Having played in the SEC last season, she will be an impact player right away and be ready for the ACC.”

In 2025-26 during her junior season, Dowell appeared in 30 games with 29 starts averaging 29.3 minutes per contest. She ended the season second on the team in scoring (14.9), rebounding (6.1) and assists (70). She posted nine 20-point games and topped 30 points twice including a season-high 33 points against Oklahoma to go along with 10 rebounds – one of her five double-doubles on the season.  

In 2024-25, she was named to the All-Missouri Valley Conference Second Team after appearing in 37 games with 36 starts and averaging a team-high 17.1 points per game along with 5.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. She totaled 651 points, which ranked second on Illinois State's single season-scoring list and was one of four players in program history to tally 600+ points in a single season. Dowell reached double figures in 33 games, scoring 20+ points in 14 games and 30+ points in two games, including a career-high 37 points in the WNIT semifinals against Troy, which was tied for the second-most points by a Redbird in a single game in program history.

During her freshman season in 2023-24, Dowell started 20 games and appeared in all 34 games for the Redbirds on her way to being named to the All-MVC Freshman Team. She averaged 9.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game and reached double-figures in 17 games. Dowell was the only true freshman in the MVC to score 20+ points in three consecutive games that year. She finished with two double-doubles on the season and was one of three true freshmen in the MVC to record multiple double-doubles.

“I am so excited to join the Cal women’s basketball program and I can’t wait to play for Coach Charmin,” Dowell said. “Coach Charmin will elevate my confidence and push me to fully step into my game. Her deep knowledge and the way she empowers her players creates the kind of environment I know I’ll thrive in.”