Kyle Rossi

Destiny Leo. Photo: Cleveland State Athletics Earlier this month, as I sucked back the last inch of a cookies and cream milkshake at Cleveland State’s meet-and-greet for season ticket holders, I engaged in a “how’s your summer been going” conversation with assistant coach Shelby Zoeckler, who has been with the Vikings women’s program in various capacities for a decade. This is all very, very strange, I thought. How strange? Some context is in order.

Elisa Mevius. Photo: Oregon Athletics Over the last few years, the transfer portal has become the primary source of player movement in college basketball. Each summer, across the country, star players find a bigger stage with more available NIL money, lightly-used reserves bet on themselves and look for opportunities for more playing time, and high-achieving students move for specialized graduate programs and career-driven reasons.

Cleveland State’s 2026-27 roster grew to 11 on Tuesday, as the team announced the signing of forward Silvia Gonzalez. The 6-2 senior is a transfer from George Washington. “I chose Cleveland State because it felt like the best fit for me both academically and athletically,” she said in CSU’s release.