Another Stanford Star Heads to Big Ten in Transfer Portal

Michigan is getting a terrific player that can be productive in a number of ways

Courtney Ogden, Stanford Cardinal | Bob Drebin/ISI Photos

Stanford women's basketball has produced star after star, but in recent years, too many of them haven't finished their careers on The Farm. A couple of weeks after completing their 2025-26 season, the Cardinal have seen several key players put their names in the transfer portal, including multiple starters.

Seeing the likes of Nunu Agara and Lara Somfai leave, the Cardinal are now in frenzy, scrambling to even put a team together. After Agara and Somfai announced they were leaving, the blows kept coming for the Cardinal, with junior Courtney Ogden also entering the transfer portal.

Ogden's time in the portal did not last long, with On3 Sports' Talia Goodman reporting on Wednesday that Ogden has committed to Michigan. Averaging 12.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists in her first year as a starter, Ogden heads to Ann Arbor where she is expected to be a big focal point for a Wolverines team that is coming off of just its second-ever Elite Eight appearance.

Graduating in only three years, Ogden is heading to Michigan as a grad transfer. With one season of eligibility left, she will use it to prove that she has what it takes to join the WNBA in 2027. A five-star recruit coming out of Westminster School in Atlanta, Georgia, Ogden chose to play for Tara VanDerveer and the Cardinal right out of high school.

But with VanDerveer now retired, and the program in a much different state than when she arrived, a change of scenery is what Ogden wanted ahead of a pivotal final season of college basketball.

A McDonald's All-American, Ogden has also played for Team USA, winning a gold medal with the Team in the FIBA U18 Women's Americas Championship in the summer of 2022. In the tournament, Ogden played a limited role, but still proved vital in the team's conquest, averaging 2.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists across five games.

Ogden earned playing time right out of the gate for the Cardinal, but with a crowded front court and players like Cameron Brink still on the roster when she got there, she did not start a single game, averaging 3.2 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 31 games off the bench as a freshman.

Improving in her sophomore year, Ogden entered her junior year as a headlining player for the Cardinal, bringing leadership and experience to a team that was young and led by a strong recruiting class.

Ogden's loss is a big one for the Cardinal, but now Michigan gets a player that it really needs.

While getting strong performances from a majority of their starting five, the Wolverines did not get the same type of production from their frontcourt, with Ashley Sofilkanich leading the way statistically, averaging 7.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists.

Ogden, a six-foot-one defensive anchor, and is also a terrific scorer that will provide a much-needed two-way player for an already solid Michigan program.

With Ogden joining the long list of departing players, the Cardinal have a lot of work to do if they want to see success next season. Set to bring in a couple of highly touted recruits, while also managing to retain a few pieces from last year, it will be interesting to see the direction the Cardinal go, and if they are able to build themselves back into a title contender.

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