Report: Louisville's Jalyn Brown, Zyanna Walker Enter Transfer Portal

The freshman guards saw minimal on court time in their first season with the Cardinals.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Monday marked the first day of college basketball's 60-day transfer portal window, and the Louisville women's basketball program was not immune to defections.

Guards Jalyn Brown and Zyanna Walker have entered their names into the portal, according to the Associated Press' Mitchell Northam.

Louisville has now lost three players to the portal during this academic year. Sophomore guard Payton Verhulst did so midway through the season back in early December, and would later sign with Oklahoma.

Brown and Walker were true freshmen who were both members of the Cardinals' 2022 recruiting class, and neither one saw much playing time during the regular season. The 6-foot Brown averaged 1.1 points and 0.4 rebounds in seven games, while the 5-foot-8 Walker averaged 2.6 points and 1.4 rebounds in five games played.

Both came to Louisville as highly-touted four-star prospects. According to espnW HoopGurlz, Walker was ranked as the No. 38 overall player in the 2022 cycle while Brown came in at No. 78.

The other two true freshman on Louisville's roster, Nyla Harris and Imani Lester, have had polar opposite seasons. Harris, a 6-foot-2 forward, has appeared in all 34 games and started the last 11 games for the Cardinals, averaging 4.4 points and 3.6 rebounds for the season. Meanwhile, Lester, a 6-foot-3 forward, has yet play in a game.

Even before Brown and Walker's entry into the portal, head coach Jeff Walz was already going to have his work cut out for him in the portal. Louisville is in line to lose six seniors and graduate students, and do not currently have a commitment in the 2023 class. They already have one commitment via the portal in former Georgia Tech guard Eylia Love, who joined the program in January.

Fifth-seeded Louisville (23-11) will kick off their run in the NCAA Tournament this weekend against 12th-seeded Drake. Tip-off against the Bulldogs from Austin, Tex. is set for Saturday, Mar. 18 at 7:30 p.m. EST. 

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