Carla Berube is already putting her fingerprints on Northwestern’s women’s basketball roster as the Wildcats landed their first two transfer portal additions.
Former Syracuse guard Camdyn Nelson announced her commitment to the Wildcats on Sunday via Instagram, while former Kentucky guard Lexi Blue committed Monday, according to On3.
The two new ’Cats counteract the departures of sophomore forward Tayla Thomas and freshman guard Angelina Hodgens in the transfer portal.
Nelson, a four-star recruit in the class of 2025 according to 247 Sports, was the 2024-25 Gatorade Player of the Year in Connecticut.
The 5-foot-8 guard appeared in 19 games as a freshman, including four starts. Nelson averaged 1.4 points and 1.4 rebounds per game, shooting 10-for-26 from the field. She had a career-high six points and six rebounds on Nov. 16 against Wagner in the 15 minutes she played.
Syracuse made the NCAA Tournament as a No. 9 seed in 2026, losing to No. 1-seed UConn in the Round of 32. Nelson played five minutes in the loss, recording an assist and a turnover.
The ’Cats are losing six players to graduation, including starting point guard Caroline Lau, the nation’s assists per game leader in 2025-26. Nelson and Lau both attended St. Luke’s School in New Canaan, Conn., playing one season together when Nelson was a freshman and Lau was a senior. Now, Nelson will help fill the void left by Lau’s departure in the backcourt.
Blue spent two seasons at Kentucky, playing in 51 total games. The 6-foot-2 guard averaged 2.1 points and 1.0 rebounds on 10.8 minutes per game in 2025-26 for a Kentucky team that reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
A former four-star recruit from Orlando, Fla., Blue won five state championships for Lake Highland Prep. She joins a wing rotation with expected returners: current junior guard Casey Harter, sophomore guard Kat Righeimer and sophomore guard Claire Keswick.
The transfer portal closes April 20. NU’s roster for next season now stands at 12 players, with eight returners, two transfers and two incoming recruits, leaving room for more additions.
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