Charish Thompson hits the transfer portal with a high ceiling and three years of eligibility

Charish Thompson hits the transfer portal out of Cal Poly and provides intrigue as a player with three years of eligibility remaining. A lot of the talent that has hit the portal recently only has one year of eligibility remaining. So, to find a player that has multiple years is something that teams should be interested in. Thompson had a good freshman season for Cal Poly averaging 14.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.

Thompson’s game still has the potential to keep growing. The hope is that she continues to improve on the defensive end to match her offensive game. The three years of eligibility remaining for her creates great upside. At 6’0, she matches the same height as Gianna Kneepkens that played on the wing. The Bruins would take a downgrade on the spacing as Thompson still has not developed her 3-point shot.

The Bruins main goal is to replenish their team, not try and replace players production fully. Because if you look at everything that is involved, they are not going to be able to replicate the success that they had this season. They had an elite defense, that was one of the best we have ever seen to pair with a good offense. They’re going to need to renovate their game plan and build a new identity with all the players leaving.

Thompson would be a really good building block to start this offseason with. Cori Close knows how to get the best out of her players and knowing she could have somebody for three years could be huge. Pairing with two players in Lena Bilić and Sienna Betts with three years of eligibility remaining also. UCLA can start to put together a new starting lineup and one that can chase success in 2026.