LSU women’s basketball lost its second straight Elite Eight matchup under head coach Kim Mulkey Sunday afternoon, and all eyes are officially shifting to what the future may have in store. While things are still fresh, there’s clearly no offseason in the world of college athletics anymore, as the Tigers most recently suffered its second transfer portal loss of the week, as senior guard Last-Tear Poa will look for something new in 2025.
LSU women’s basketball junior Sa’Myah Smith enters the 2025 transfer portal just one day following loss to UCLA
In the current era of college athletics, one of the most confusing times of the year is the transfer portal season. For some in the world of basketball, that season began in early March, immediately following the regular season. For others it still hasn’t begun, as they continue to push forward to the upcoming Final Four.
For LSU women’s basketball, the season has only just begun, as they fell to No. 1 UCLA (35-2) on Sunday, and already, it appears that we could be in store for yet another eventful offseason under head coach Kim Mulkey.
While the four-year LSU coach has largely built a reputation for bringing in some of the biggest names in the sport (F Angel Reese, G Hailey Van Lith, F Aneesah Morrow), she’s also no stranger to losing a player or two each season.
Just last year, the Tigers had four players transfer out, including four-star freshmen Janae Kent and Angelica Velez, as well as proven veteran guards Kateri Poole and Hailey Van Lith. In turn, it was largely expected that the program would once again suffer at least a couple losses this coming offseason, but I’m not so sure it was expected to happen so quickly. Just one day following Sunday’s elimination, high-potential redshirt sophomore forward Sa’Myah Smith entered her name into the 2025 transfer portal, marking the second Tiger loss in as many days.
In many ways, it makes sense for the talented forward to take a chance on herself ahead of a big-time redshirt junior season in 2025. Having earned 27 starts out of her 36 game appearances, Smith was truly playing her best basketball towards the end of the year for the purple and gold.
Averaging 13.8 points and 10.3 rebounds per game in LSU’s four NCAA Tournament games this season, she quickly turned herself into one of the most important players on the floor for a Kim Mulkey squad that had national championship aspirations throughout the entire 2025 campaign.
Having initially joined the program as a top 100 recruit, Sa’Myah Smith improved every season during her time in Baton Rouge, LA. Now, she’ll enter the 2025 offseason as one of the top-rated portal targets in the country.
Add in the fact that rebounding master Aneesah Morrow is headed to the WNBA this coming offseason, and LSU women’s basketball could have their hands full in the near future as they look to rebuild their frontcourt from the ground up.
Last-Tear Poa set to look for new school ahead of final year of eligibility
Important to note, the Tiger frontcourt isn’t the only group facing a tough loss this offseason. Just a few days following the initial Smith announcement, veteran guard Last-Tear Poa announced Wednesday morning that she would also be entering her name into the transfer portal ahead of her final year of eligibility.
A defensive specialist during her three years in Baton Rouge, LA, Poa initially made her way to LSU women’s basketball via JUCO, as she began her career with Northwest Florida State, where she averaged 23.0 points on 40 minutes per game.
While that offensive efficiency wouldn’t exactly translate to the SEC, her basketball IQ and willingness to put her body on the line certainly did. Averaging 1.1 steals per game as a junior in 2023-24, all while taking 31 charges on the season, the Melbourne, AUS, product was consistently one of the best defenders for the purple and gold.
With Last-Tear Poa officially headed elsewhere, and junior Flau’Jae Johnson still working on a decision for next year, head coach Kim Mulkey has no shortage of work ahead of her over the next few months.
For now, expect to hear plenty from the youth left on the team, as first-year guard Jada Richard and incoming freshmen Za’Kiyah Johnson, Grace Knox, Divine Bourrage and Bella Hines could all be in-store for some big minutes in 2025-26.
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