Wisconsin women's basketball lands former MEAC Player of the Year in transfer portal
Wisconsin women's basketball landed a commitment from Howard transfer guard Destiny Howell on Wednesday.
Howell becomes the third transfer addition for the Badgers this offseason, joining forward NC State guard Laci Steele and former Southern Illinois forward Gift Uchenna.
After missing the entire 2023-24 season with an ACL injury, Howell averaged 14.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals in 30.2 minutes per game for the Bison in 2024-25. Those outputs came with shooting rates of 35% from the field and 34% from 3, plus earned her a spot on the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's First Team for the second time in her career.
The Queens, New York, native first broke out as a sophomore in 2022-23, averaging 12.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.4 steals. That preceded a career-best junior season, which included a conference-best 16.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists and one steal per game, plus a conference-leading 40% shooting from the field and 35.6% from 3. Those outputs earned Howell the 2023 MEAC Player of the Year award.
If not for her injury, Howell may have further increased her scoring average during her senior season. Still, she transfers to Wisconsin with a clear offensive skill set and the ability to score at multiple levels.
Howell will likely fill the void left by former Wisconsin starting point guard Ronnie Porter, who elected to enter the transfer portal in March along with superstar Serah Williams and starting center Carter McCray. Porter averaged 8.6 points and 5.1 assists per game during the 2024-25 season, something Howell could certainly replicate given her dexterity with the basketball.
With Howell's addition, UW now rosters a total of nine players. Newly hired head coach Robin Pingeton inherited a roster of only six players after top-down turnover followed the conclusion of the 2024-25 season. The Badgers new head coach is now transforming the program's foundation in real time.
Wisconsin went 13-17 in 2024-25, struggling mightily against Big Ten opponents. UW's culture and reputation were in disarray. Early in the transfer cycle, Pingeton appears to be steering the ship back in the right direction.
The work is far from over, however. With all of Wisconsin's recent departures, Pingeton will need to land several more players in the portal before expectations can be set for the upcoming campaign.
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