It is fitting that the City of Angels was the center of the women’s basketball universe on Sunday. The Los Angeles Sparks held a celebration in honor of Candace Parker, during which they retired her No. 3 jersey and recognized the contributions Parker made not only to the Sparks, but to the WNBA and women’s basketball overall. From a personal standpoint, I got great joy out of seeing this happen as I have been privileged to work with Candace on the NCAA Tournament studio coverage for the last few years. I’m here to testify that as great as she was as a player, she’s a much better person — and that’s saying a lot.

Once the 2025-26 women’s college basketball season gets underway, the spotlight will remain on L.A. The biggest question hanging over the season will be when JuJu Watkins, who tore her ACL during an NCAA Tournament game in March, will return to USC’s lineup. As our correspondent Zach Davis reports from his recent visit with Trojans coach Lindsay Gottlieb, there is no timetable, but it’s not out of the question that Watkins could be back by January, perhaps even sooner.

Across town, All-American forward Lauren Betts will be back for UCLA, but her coach Cori Close told our Eden Laase that she might be playing a different role, partly because her younger sister, Sienna, will be a freshman.

Let’s hope Watkins gets back soon, because as Candace Parker has proved over the years (and Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers are proving right now), there’s nothing like star power to fuel interest in a growing sport. It will be a terrific season in women’s college basketball, but it will be a lot more interesting if JuJu is JuJu again.

I hope you enjoy our stories on these two superstars and all the other great content we have for you today. Have a great Monday and thanks as always for your support of Hoops HQ. —Seth

Ranking All 18 ACC Transfer Classes

By Drew Blouin and Riley Frain

As rosters continue to take shape for the 2025-26 college basketball season, clear-cut winners and losers have emerged.

In an offseason loaded with NIL-related controversy, recruiting the transfer portal has become tougher than ever. Hoops HQ has partnered with  The Portal Report, which has built a data-based algorithm to rank every transfer class throughout the country. In the coming weeks, we will be ranking the men’s and women’s classes from each of the five major conferences. We begin today with a look at the ACC men’s classes.

18. DUKE

Incoming transfers: Jack Scott, 6-foot-6 senior guard (Princeton); Ifeanyi Ufochukwu, 6-foot-10 senior center (Rice).

The skinny: Early in the offseason, Duke received a commitment from one of the nation’s most coveted transfers in 6-foot-6 senior guard Cedric Coward, previously of Washington State. But when he opted to remain in the NBA Draft (he went in the first round to Memphis), the Blue Devils were left empty-handed. Ufochukwu and Scott are likely walk-ons.

17. STANFORD....

UCLA Has a New Plan for Star Lauren Betts. Will It Work?

By Eden Laase