Stanford Women's Basketball Lands Inés Sotelo to Bolster Frontcourt Depth

Stanford women's basketball has landed its first transfer addition of the offseason from Michigan State. Inés Sotelo is coming off of a solid sophomore season with the Spartans, where she developed into a regular starter for a team that made it to the NCAA tournament and was eliminated by Oklahoma in the second round.

⚠️SIGNED⚠️

⛹🏻‍♀️ Inés Sotelo
🎓 @StanfordWBB
✍🏽 NCAA D1
🔝 Enhorabuenaaa! 🔝

⛹🏽‍♀️💎🇪🇸✈️🇺🇸🏫🎓🤝🤩
YESSSSS!💥🚀 pic.twitter.com/6ryBrcSwQp
— Elite Sports Academy 🏀🎓 (@EliteSportsESP) April 19, 2026

As a freshman, she played in all 32 games, starting eight, and this past season she missed the first nine contests due to a foot injury. Once she returned on December 14 against DePaul, Sotelo became a regular for the program.

In 23 games (20 starts) she averaged 24 minutes per game, putting up 6.8 points, four rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game. At 6-foot-3, the native of Ourense, Spain is a presence down low. She only shot 20.6% on three pointers last season (28.3% as a freshman), so this isn't necessarily expected to be part of her game. Sotelo does most of her damage inside the arc.

Michigan State head coach Robyn Fralick said of Sotelo when she arrived on campus, "Inés has a high-level motor, incredible versatility and wonderful experience competing for the Spain National team. She is a great passer and moves really well without the ball."

Sotelo will still has two seasons of eligibility remaining when she arrives on Stanford's campus.

Impact on Stanford's roster

Michigan State's Ines Sotelo, top, is called for a charge as Ohio State's Jaloni Cambridge defends on a shot during the fourth quarter on Sunday, March 1, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Stanford has had to deal with half of the roster leaving via the transfer portal, including starters Nunu Agara and Lara Somfai. The addition of Sotelo won't make up for all of those losses, but she's certainly a good start.

With 6-foot-5 Kiara Green also headed to The Farm, the Cardinal is adding some size to this year's roster. Along with Green and Sotelo, Stanford will also have 6-foot-4 junior Kennedy Umeh, 6-foot-2 Nora Ezike and 6-foot-5 sophomore Alexandra Escmeyer.

With nine players currently on the roster following this recent addition in the portal, six of them are six-foot or above, with incoming freshman Jordyn Wheeler also sitting at six feet exactly. Last year they had nine players above six feet, but there is also the potential for some added height on the 2026-27 roster with as many players at 6-foot-3 or above already matching last year's squad.

The big question will come down to the athleticism that comes along with the height. If these new additions are able to move and make adjustments, then this program could end up being a surprise.

It will be tough to have any final judgements on the roster until we know who will be on it, but this first transfer portal addition is certainly a step in the right direction. There could also be more opportunity for Sotelo on The Farm with a less established offense at the moment, which could mean a focus on her skills in the fall.

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