Fresh off one of its best seasons in recent memory, the California women's basketball team held its first official team practice for the 2024-25 season Monday.
 
Last year was the best of head coach Charmin Smith's tenure with the Golden Bears. The team won its most overall (19) and conference (seven) games in Smith's five years at the helm, played in the postseason (No. 2 seed in last year's inaugural NCAA Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament) and had weekend home and road sweeps of Pac-12 schools (Washington and Washington State) for the first time since 2018-19.
 
In addition, the Bears swept Oregon for the first time since 2012-13 and set a program record for 3-pointers (282) in a season. The season sweeps of Oregon, Washington and Washington State marked the first time Cal had swept three different Pac-12 schools since 2017-18. The Bears also advanced to the quarterfinals of last year's Pac-12 Tournament for the first time since 2019-20.
 
This season will be a lot different, however, for a couple of reasons. First, the team is welcoming nine new players with four transfers and five freshmen to the team. Second, Cal will begin play in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
 
Knowing the team would only be returning six players from last year's roster, Smith was presented with the challenge of not only filling out the team, but making sure the players she brought in gel together.
 
"We've kind of gotten used to this transition where you have to get a bunch of players acclimated," Smith said. "I think our team retreat is part of that process along with having them here for the summer. It's also who we recruit, who we bring in to make sure we're protecting our core values, and bringing in people, who are not just great basketball players, but high character as well."
 
Among the set of newcomers this season is the No. 22-ranked (ESPN) freshman class in the country, comprised of four rookies, including two who are part of ESPN HoopGurlz Top 100 - Kamryn Mafua (No. 54) and Zahra King (No. 76). The class also includes last year's Gatorade and MaxPreps Hawaii State Player of the Year Lola Donez, as well as Gabby Abigor who led the country in blocks as a sophomore during the 2021-22 season.
 
Smith is excited about what the group brings to the table and expects them to contribute right away.
 
"I think they're just all really bought in and want to contribute," Smith said. "I think they can help us right away. I'm looking forward to seeing Zahra help on the perimeter and help us facilitate our offense and attacking. Then you have Gabby and Kam who have the size and ability to make some noise around the block. Kam can shoot it from anywhere on the floor and has versatility. Lola's been really good at just staying active. She moves really well without the ball offensively. She knows where she's supposed to be all the time and is always in the right spots defensively. It's a really skilled group."
 
Balancing out the rookie class is a group of transfers that come with plenty of experience playing at the Power 5 level and should have no trouble adjusting to ACC play. Graduate guard Kayla Williams transferred from USC and sophomore guard Gisella Maul comes to Cal from Texas, with both having NCAA Tournament experience as each was part of her team's run to last year's Elite 8. Graduate guard Jayda Noble was a starter for the Washington Huskies the last two seasons and earned Pac-12 All-Defensive Team Honorable Mention after the 2022-23 season. Rounding out the transfers is graduate forward Natalia Ackerman, who was named First Team All-Big West after leading Cal Poly in scoring (12.1 points per game), rebounding (8.9 rebounds per game), blocks (2.1 blocks per game) and field goal percentage (58.1%) last season. Smith expects her high energy motor to translate well and give the Bears depth in the frontcourt.
 
The Bears' returning group is highlighted by Marta Suarez, Ioanna Krimili, Michelle Onyiah and Lulu Twidale, who were all major contributors to last year's success. Krimili earned All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention and Twidale received Pac-12 All-Freshman Honorable Mention.
 
Krimili enters the season as one of the most prolific 3-point shooters in the nation. Going into this season, she ranks first in the country in career games with at least five 3-pointers (24). Twidale is coming off a tremendous freshman season in which posted three 20-point games (2nd in the Pac-12 among freshmen) and was only one of two freshmen in the conference to either score 24 points or hit six triples in a game.   
 
With a mix of a highly-touted rookie class, experienced transfers and a core group of returners from last year's squad, fans should have a lot to be excited about this season.
 
"We want to push and play with pace," Smith said. "We've got shooters all over the floor, just like last year, but I think we could be an even better shooting team this year. We want to be aggressive defensively and pick it up a little bit there. We'll have that same high-energy, high-octane offense that our fans are used to seeing from us, and we're just trying to level up."
 
Even with all the successes the team experienced last season, Smith and the players have higher expectations.
 
"I expect this team to make a big step into the NCAA tournament," Smith said. "It's going to take everyone being better than they were last year, and that's why we talk about leveling up. There were a lot of 'what-if' moments, and we weren't satisfied with what we did, and we want more. I think it's a good reminder that we have to do more, and I think people are highly motivated."