Quinnipiac women’s basketball has found itself in quite a predicament since the conclusion of its 2025-26 season.
Since the Bobcats lost to Stanford in the second round of the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament 81-69 — despite ending the season with a strong 27-7 record and a MAAC record of 19-1 — the Bobcats are dropping like flies.
Currently, only three rostered Bobcats remain who haven’t graduated out or entered the transfer portal. Those three Bobcats are rising senior guards Maria Kealy, Paige Girardi and Ava Sollenne.
To say the program will be experiencing a major roster turnover is an understatement.
With key players from this season hitting the transfer portal almost as soon as it opened, including standout rising sophomore guard Ella Ryan and rising senior forward Anna Foley, the Bobcats will need a major rebuild going into next season.
Foley’s departure from Hamden would be confirmed April 13, as she announced her transfer to Villanova University.
In her junior campaign, the Andover, Mass. native averaged 10 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, while leading the Bobcats with 36 blocks across 34 games. She was also named to the All-MAAC Third Team.
Ryan would also confirm her departure from Hamden April 13, announcing her transfer to Arizona State University via Instagram.
In her lone season in Hamden, the Brentwood, Tenn. native averaged 10.4 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. She further earned herself a spot on the MAAC All-Rookie Team.
With junior guard Karson Martin entering the transfer portal April 4, only to announce her commitment to Tennessee Tech University a week later, the Bobcats are experiencing one major punch to the gut after another.
Additionally, sophomore forward Emma Lizotte announced her commitment to the College of Holy Cross March 11, after seemingly never announcing her planned departure from Hamden.
Amidst all the roster chaos, the program can look for light at the end of the tunnel with the arrival of new head coach Roman Owen, who boasts a long and successful coaching resume behind him.
Going into next season, the Bobcats await four commits in Imani Mullings, Mya Alston, Uliana Doronina and Ava Thomas. These commits will bring in three strong combo guards, paired with a strong shooting guard, to a Bobcat squad that needs to rebuild its depth before next season.
Yet, everything comes in pairs, doesn’t it?
With all the roster turnarounds women’s basketball is experiencing, men’s basketball is right alongside them, with some of its most influential players hitting the transfer portal.
Sophomores guard Jaden Zimmerman and forward Grant Randall both announced their decisions to enter the transfer portal after both having fantastic seasons for the Bobcats.
Zimmerman finished his season second on the Bobcats squad in points per game with 15.1, while Randall finished in fourth with 11.4, and both ending with 393 points and 365 points, respectively.
Zimmerman’s agency, 3v Group, announced his commitment to Grand Canyon University April 14.
Partner those departures with the exit of senior forward Amarri Monroe, and Quinnipiac will lose some of its most influential Bobcats.
Despite Monroe graduating, rumors have circulated that he may be able to appeal for an extra year of eligibility, yet many expect him to enter the transfer portal if he is given another year.
Looking at the incoming Bobcats, Quinnipiac can find hope in six-foot-four commit Malik Fields from the Bronx, N.Y. Fields has been a standout athlete at Cardinal Hayes High School.
On April 13, the Bobcats also saw their first transfer into the program from Assumption University: rising senior guard Tayshawn Cunningham-Pemberton.
In his junior campaign with the Greyhounds, the New London, Connecticut native averaged 14 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. He was also named to the Northeast 10 All-Conference Second Team.
With all the movement, transfers and commits on the line, the question still stands: is it really panic time just yet?
