By Marissa Essenburg | Sports Writer
As Baylor women’s basketball begins piecing together a new-look roster after losing six players from its 2025-26 squad to eligibility and the transfer portal, the Bears made their first move of the offseason Friday, landing 6-foot-1 Utah transfer forward Reese Ross.
With the departure of leading rebounder and program great Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, Baylor entered the portal in search of size, physicality and proven production on the glass. Ross, who averaged 9.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game in her junior season at Utah, gives the Bears exactly that.
The former No. 1 player in South Dakota and the state’s 2023 Gatorade Player of the Year comes to Waco after three seasons at Utah, where she shot 47.2% from the field and 32.8% from 3-point range in 2025-26 while finishing second in the Big 12 in rebounding behind Littlepage-Buggs. Ross also added five double-doubles in her junior season, emerging as one of the conference’s most productive frontcourt players.
“Reese is an elite energy forward with the ability to run the floor, straight-line drive, move without the ball, make threes and defend multiple positions,” head coach Nicki Collen said. “She is an experienced Big 12 player who rebounds the basketball at a high level and does all the little things to help her team be successful. Our fans will love her tenacity, toughness and burning desire to win.”
Ross gives Baylor a veteran plug-and-play option after the Bears lost four of five starters from last season’s NCAA Tournament team, filling one of their most pressing roster holes with a player already proven in the Big 12.
Starting 30 of 32 games in her junior campaign, Ross steadily developed over three seasons at Utah before breaking out in her third year in Salt Lake City, surpassing 500 career rebounds while posting career highs of 22 points against Iowa State and 14 rebounds at Arizona.
Although just one season of eligibility remains for the junior forward, her versatility makes her an immediate fit in Collen’s system. She can operate as a traditional power forward or stretch defenses as a face‑up scorer, giving Baylor a frontcourt piece that can plug into multiple looks without losing physicality.
She also brings the ability to slide into small‑ball center lineups, using her strength around the rim and multi‑position defense to anchor different combinations. That flexibility gives the Bears room to experiment as they continue rebuilding their rotation through the portal.
Against Baylor in January, Ross grabbed eight rebounds in Utah’s loss to the Bears at the Huntsman Center. Now that same physicality and active presence on the glass heads to Waco as Baylor looks to climb back to the top of the Big 12.
