From left to right: Kaitlyn Chen, Raegan Beers and Janiah Barker

From left to right: Kaitlyn Chen, Raegan Beers and Janiah Barker

UConn was a win away from making it to the women’s national final but was stopped by the Caitlin Clark-led Iowa Hawkeyes in the Final Four.

Two of its key players – Aaliyah Edwards and Nika Muhl – bade farewell to the Huskies and were picked in the WNBA Draft.

Despite the departures of Edwards and Muhl, UConn still has an almost intact lineup, consisting of all-round guard Paige Bueckers, incoming sophomores KK Arnold and Ashlynn Shade, returnee Azzi Fudd and old reliables Caroline Ducharme, Aubrey Griffin, Ayanna Patterson and Jana El Alfy.

UConn also added rookies Sarah Strong, Morgan Cheli and Allie Ziebell to reinforce its squad as it seeks to make it to the final and get its first national title in nine years.

Coach Geno Auriemma and his staff will have work to do in finding replacements for Edwards and Muhl, and like other teams, they splashed into the transfer portal to spot potential replacements for both players.

There are still a lot of quality players looking for new destinations in the portal. With this in mind, here are the top three players UConn should take in the portal.

3 players Geno Auriemma should pick for the 2024-25 season

#1. Kaitlyn Chen, Princeton

The 5 ft. 9 senior from San Marino, California, has announced her intention to try out the transfer portal after three seasons with Princeton. Chen played well last season, averaging 15.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

She shot excellently from the field, making a career-high 48.8% of her shots. Her season-high was 31 points in the 61-58 win over Villanova.

Chen can contribute to the offense for UConn next season and will likely play off the bench if she gets picked from the portal.

#2 Janiah Barker, Texas A&M

Barker had two great seasons with the Aggies. The 6 ft. 4 incoming junior will bring her scoring and rebounding skills to her future team.

Barker played for 30 games with Texas A&M last season and averaged 12.2 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 1.4 apg and 1.3 spg. She shot 47.9% from the field, including 34.3% from the 3-point line, meaning she is capable of using her tall frame to play inside and outside.

UConn needs an athletic power forward to fill up the gap left by Edwards and Barker is ideal for this role.

#3. Raegan Beers, Oregon State

The 6 ft. 4 Raegan Beers used her size last season to produce a double-double and help Oregon State make the Elite Eight.

The incoming junior played well for the Beavers in both seasons. As a rookie, she was chosen as the Pac-12 Freshman and Sixth Player of the Year after tallying 13.3 ppg and 8.6 rpg.

Beers returned in the 2023-24 season and recorded better numbers. She averaged a double-double at 17.5 ppg and 10.6 rpg and topped the nation in field goal percentage at 66.4%.

Her excellent stats awarded her a third-team All-American honor in the just concluded season. She was able to record 16 double-doubles despite missing significant time due to a broken nose.