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South Carolina Transfer Sakima Walker Commits to Cal Women's Basketball

Originally posted on Cal Bears on SI | By Jake Curtis | Last updated Apr 27, 2025 11:09 PM ET

South Carolina transfer Sakima Walker announced on social media on Saturday that she had committed to Cal's women's basketball program.

.The 6-foot-5 Walker played in 15 games for the Gamecocks this past season and averaged 1.4 points and 0.7 rebounds. In 2023-24 she played in 31 games and had one start while averaging 2.0 points and 1.3 rebounds.

In Walker's two seasons at South Carolina, the Gamecoack were national champions in 2024 and national runnersup this season.

Cal will be the third four-year school for Walker, who played her first two college seasons at Rutgers. She is a graduate transfer with one year of eligibility remaining.

Walker is the first of several transfers Cal coach Charmin Smith is expected to bring in this offseason. Smith has had success with transfers, and they contributed to the 2024-25 Cal team that went 25-9 and got to the NCAA tournament..

Trusting God’s plan EVERY step of the way. Grateful for where I’ve been, excited for where i’m going. #GoBears #thisonespersonal pic.twitter.com/a2IxX9LI0z
— Sakima Walker (@SakimaWalker) April 26, 2025

Zahra King, who was a promising freshman on the Cal women’s basketball team this past season before entering the transfer portal, has committed to SMU, according to multiple sites.

Cal has had five players from the 2024-25 squad enter the transfer portal – King, Marta Suarez, Kamryn Mafua, Claudia Langarita and Natalia Ackerman – and three of them – King (SMU), Suarez (TCU) and Mafua (Utah) – have committed to new schools.

Cal coach Charmin Smith has not yet brought anyone in from the transfer portal, but that undoubtedly will change over the coming weeks. Smith has had success pulling in transfers who contributed to the 2024-25 team that went 25-9 and got to the NCAA tournament.

King did not play a lot for Cal this past season, averaging 8.2 minutes, 2.8 points and 1.3 rebounds in the 19 games she did play. But she did show potential.

Now she joins an SMU team that is overhauling its roster through the transfer portal under new head coach Adia Barnes, who previously was Arizona’s head coach. The Mustangs had nine players leave through the transfer portal since the end of the 2024-25 season, but they have brought in 10 transfers.

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This article first appeared on Cal Bears on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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