Notre Dame transfer Kylee Watson joined Villanova women’s basketball on April 15, just weeks after she entered the transfer portal with a “do not contact” tag on April 2.
The senior forward celebrated this move with an Instagram post on Sunday where she had a photoshoot in the Wildcats’ jersey.
“new threads :),” Kylee Watson wrote in the caption of the Instagram post.
Watson became Villanova’s first pickup from the transfer portal this offseason, a much-needed addition after the Wildcats lost a handful of key players.
Sophomore guard Maddie Webber left via the portal for University of Illinois, while seniors Kaitlyn Orihel and Maddie Burke both exhausted their eligibility, along with graduate players Lara Edmanson, Bronagh Power-Cassidy, and Jaliyah Green.
Watson’s path to Villanova has not been exactly straightforward. The forward originally started her college career at Oregon, where she spent two seasons, but she did not see a ton of action there, making 50 appearances and just nine starts.
However, her move to Notre Dame really changed things, as she became a regular, starting all 64 games she played.
Statistically, she was pretty steady too, averaging 6.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game across her two seasons with the Fighting Irish.
However, she unfortunately missed the entire 2024-25 season after suffering a torn ACL during the ACC tournament in 2024. Before the injury, she was putting up 6.2 points and 5.0 rebounds a game through 31 appearances.
Watson’s exit was part of a bigger wave of departures at Notre Dame after this past season, with Maddy Westbeld, Liatu King, and Liza Karlen all graduating, while sophomore Kate Koval entered the portal and ended up at LSU.
Even All-American guard Olivia Miles transferred out, and she is set to play at TCU in her last collegiate season. Junior Emma Risch also transferred and will be playing for Florida State next year.
Kylee Watson celebrates Te-Hina Paopao draft selection
Former South Carolina guard Te-Hina Paopao was selected by the Atlanta Dream during the WNBA draft, and this was a move that made Watson quite happy.
“So sooo special being able to be there (& surprise) my bestie boo girl yesterday to see her get drafted. she deserves it all, & Atlanta is so lucky to have her (I am not mad about having to visit the A now either lol). pure joy and love for my twin flame, PRADA YOUUU ♥️,” Watson wrote on X.
Paopao and Watson were teammates at Oregon from 2020 to 2022, which was where they built a bond.
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Edited by Rajdeep Barman
