Indianapolis Native, Former Indiana Guard Among 3 Transfers Visiting Purdue WBB
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The Purdue women's basketball team is set to host three transfer prospects this weekend, including a former Indiana guard, as well as an Indianapolis native. A source confirmed to Purdue Boilermakers on SI that Tanyuel Welch (Memphis), Edessa Noyan (Virginia) and Lexus Bargesser (Indiana) will all be taking visits to Purdue.
Welch is a native of Indianapolis and played high school basketball at North Central High School, where she was a 1,000-point scorer. The 5-foot-10 guard spent three seasons at Memphis, but sat out of the 2023-24 campaign due to injury. She played in all 29 games for the Tigers this past season, making 24 starts. Welch averaged 10.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.
Noyan is a 6-foot-3 forward who spent two years at Virginia. She started in 23 of the 26 games she played in for the Cavaliers during the 2024-25 stretch, but missed six games due to illness. She averaged 5.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per contest.
Bargesser is a 5-foot-9 guard from Michigan who played three seasons at Indiana. She averaged 3.4 points and 2.2 rebounds per game this past season, but was known for her efforts on the defensive end of the court. She played in 90 career games with the Hoosiers, making nine starts.
Purdue has already two players from the transfer portal, although one played for the Boilermakers previously. Madison Layden-Zay was the first player to commit during the offseason, returning to the program after deciding not to play during the 2024-25 season. She has one season of eligibility remaining.
Coach Katie Gearlds and the Boilermakers also got a pledge from Northern Arizona guard Taylor Feldman, a veteran player who was an All-Big Sky selection this past season. She averaged 16.4 points and 3.9 assists per contest.
Since the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, Purdue lost six players to the transfer portal: Jayla Smith, Sophie Swanson, Jordyn Poole, Kira Reynolds, Mila Reynolds and Rashunda Jones. Those departures forced Purdue's coaching staff to bring in new talent from the portal.
The Boilers have already landed a few skilled prospects via transfer. Adding any combination of Welch, Noyan and Bargesser would certainly be nice pieces, as well.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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