What Will the Cal Women's Team Look Like in Year 2 in the ACC?

UPDATED

Cal women’s basketball returns just one starter from a team that won 25 games and reached the NCAA tournament for the first time in six seasons.

But coach Charmin Smith expects the Golden Bears to remain relevant in Year 2 in the ACC.

“We learned that it’s a different level of athleticism in the ACC than we were used to,” Smith said during ACC media day at Charlotte, NC. “It’s first time though. We’re looking forward to being more competitive in season 2.”

The Bears were plenty competitive a year ago. They won 25 games for the first time in 12 years and finished seventh in the 18-team ACC at 12-6, just one game out of a share of fourth place.

Cal junior guard Lulu Twidale | Photo by Neil Redmond, theACC.com

Back to lead the Bears is Lulu Twidale, a junior guard from Australia. Smith brought in three transfers she expects to have impact and four freshmen, including two top-100 prospects.

“I think they’ll be ready for the challenge,” said Smith, who last spring signed a new five-year contract through the 2029-30 season. We have a really exciting group, and I think we're all ready to do more. We were excited about making the (NCAA) tournament, but we want to go further and want to do better in the ACC as well."

Smith said this may be her deepest Cal team and she hopes it will bring a strong defensive presence.

On a balanced and veteran team last season, Twidale found a role as a 3-point scorer, connecting on 94 shots from beyond the arc — second-most in program history. She averaged 13.2 points.

“I’m really proud of Lu because she just continues to get better,” Smith said. “We challenged her to be more of a threat as a three-level scorer. I’m so excited by the leap she made.”

"Last year most of my points came from the three, so I just think being able to finish at the rim at a more consistent and high level, and also developing my midrange to be a three-level scorer to help benefit my team in the long run," Twidale said of expanding her game.

Twidale said her role on the team also includes leadership. “I’m a veteran now. We have a very new team and to be able to get these newcomers and show them the ropes," she said, when asked about her contributions in that area.

Among the newcomers, LSU transfer Mjracle Sheppard, a former four-star high school prospect from Kent, Washington, is expected to have an impact on the defensive end. A 5-foot-10 junior guard, she averaged 3.9 points off the bench and had 32 steals for a Tigers team that reached the Elite Eight round of the NCAAs.

“We have to start with the defense — she’s such a great defender. I think she can lock up anyone in the country,” Smith said. “She’s put in the work to develop more offense as well.”

Sheppard embaces her reputation for defense but plans to prvide her new team with more than that. "The goal for me now is to develop my three a lot more and still be as competitive in the lockdown defender on defense," she said.

Also coming on board are Sakima Walker, a 6-5 graduate transfer who came off the bench on South Carolina’s undefeated national championship team, and Naya Ojukwu, 6-1 sophomore forward who averaged 17.1 points and 9.0 rebounds as the MEAC Newcomer of the Year at Morgan State.

“It’s really a guard-heavy league,” Smith said of the ACC, “but we needed size based on what we were losing.”

The headliner among the freshmen is point guard Aliyaha “Puff” Morris, a McDonald’s All-American who led Etiwanda High School to three straight California open-division state titles.

Freshman forward Taylor Barnes of Grand Prairie, Texas, powered her team to a 33-4 record and was rated the No. 70 prospect in the country by ESPN HoopGurlz.

The Bears open their season on Nov. 3 against Vanderbilt in the Oui-Play 2025 event at Paris, France.

Smith brought in a French chef to prepare her team for a new cuisine and players have also taken a few French lessons.

"I didn't take the French class. I took part in the food," Twidale said.

"The escargot, it was interesting. It wasn't what I was expecting. We had baguettes. We had chocolate croissants. It was good. It was exciting to have a chef come in and cook for us. Yeah, it was a great experience for all of us."

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