Forward Rayne Tucker departed Temple Women’s Basketball and entered the transfer portal, a source told The Temple News Thursday night. Tucker will have one year of eligibility as a graduate transfer.
Head coach Diane Richardson hinted at losing some post players in her season-ending press conference on March 18, but Tucker will leave a significant void on the roster.
“We’ve got some holes to fill,” Richardson said. “We’ve got five graduating, so we have some holes to fill.”
Tucker spent two seasons on North Broad Street but only one year on the court after using a second transfer to follow Richardson to Temple from Towson. She played in all 32 games this season, averaging nearly seven points on 40 percent shooting and about six rebounds.
The senior was also a big part of the Owls’ stringent defense, becoming a force in the paint during their strong finish to the regular season. Temple held opponents below 63 points on average, which was third-best in the American Athletic Conference, and finished top-25 in the country in turnover margin.
Richardson will need to find someone to fill Tucker’s shoes this offseason. Temple has just one forward on the 2024-25 roster that saw significant playing time in freshman Jaleesa Molina. Center Sheyenne Swain-Price and forward Alexandra Wilkinson redshirted and did not see the floor.
The Owls could look to the transfer portal themselves to find another forward, as Richardson has found success in utilizing transfers like guard Demi Washington.
“We’ll be in the portal like every other coach in America,” Richardson said. “We’ll balance it out where we have needs.”
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