Stanford forward Kiki Iriafen enters NCAA Transfer Portal

The Stanford women’s basketball team just lost one of their biggest stars to the NCAA Transfer Portal. Kiki Iriafen has officially entered the portal with a no contact tag, according to On3’s Pete Nakos. The Cardinal just recently lost their longtime head coach, Tara VanDerveer, to retirement.

Iriafen was the leading scorer for the Cardinal this season, stuffing the stat sheet with 19.4 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. She also dished out 2.3 assists per outing. The gifted forward brought home Pac-12 Most Improved Player of the Year honors in 2024.

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Iriafen will clearly have no shortage of suitors in the transfer portal, as she figures to be one of the top options in all of women’s basketball. She helped guide Stanford to the NCAA Tournament, where they would lose in the Sweet 16 to the NC State Wolfpack, 77-67. Stanford lost in the Pac-12 Tournament Championship to the USC Trojans, 74-61.

Iriafen teamed up with the Pac-12 Player of the Year, Cameron Brink, to carry the Cardinal on the hardwood. Brink not only won Pac-12 Player of the Year honors, but she also brought in Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year honors. Brink stuffed the stat sheet with 17.4 points per game and 11.9 rebounds per game.

Brink figures to be one of the top prospects selected in the 2024 WNBA Draft.

During her time with the Cardinal, Iriafen helped guide the team to three straight Pac-12 titles (2022, 2023, and 2024). In her junior season, she also won honorable mention All-American honors from the WBCA. She won National Player of the Week honors from ESPN, after she averaged 28.5 points and 13.5 rebounds in the Cardinal’s two victories over Oregon and Oregon State.

The Stanford program will be moving on from Tara VanDerveer, who recently decided to call it quits.

VanDerveer’s career as a head coach was for 45 years, also working at Idaho and Ohio State. She was hired by Stanford in 1985 and had an abundance of success. The Cardinal reached 14 Final Fours and won three national championships (1990, 1992, and 2021) with her in charge.

Thankfully for Stanford, their relationship with VanDerveer will continue. An advisory role inside of the athletics department is where VanDerveer will transition.

On3’s Griffin McVeigh also contributed to this article.