The legacy Gianna Kneepkens leaves at Utah, and what her entrance into transfer portal means for the Utes

Kneepkens expressed her appreciation for the University of Utah, the people she’s come to know while at the school and the education she’s received in her social media announcement entitled, “My next chapter.”

“I have been treated with respect, care, and generosity,” she wrote. “I am a better person and student-athlete because of my time at the University of Utah. I will always be proud of my decision to be a Ute.

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“Life also provides opportunities, challenges, and times of discomfort so people can stretch themselves. After conversations, prayerful discernment, and much introspection, I have decided to enter the transfer portal.”

It’s an unexpected move — the two most likely choices for her next year appeared to be playing one last season at Utah, which would have been her fifth season in the program after a medical redshirt year, or declaring for the WNBA draft and pursuing a pro career.

Kneepkens will be highly coveted in the transfer portal. She is a career 49.5% shooter, including 43.2% from 3-point range, and has averaged 15.6 points per game over her four collegiate seasons.

The 6-foot Kneepkens has earned a long list of accolades (the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year four years ago and three first-team all-conference honors among them) during her time at Utah and her ability to impact the game in a variety of ways — from shooting to facilitating to rebounding — will be appealing to numerous suitors.

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As she explained in her announcement, Kneepkens is embracing the unknown — much like she did during the 2023-24 season when a broken foot forced her to the sidelines and she stayed active in the day-to-day scheming and game plans even while being unable to play.

“The University has become a large part of who I am due to the love, support, and formation I have received over the past four years. I will carry Utah with me no matter where I am in life,” Kneepkens wrote.

“However, I am taking my grad year to pursue the education that comes with the unknown, seeking a difference that will enhance my educational and athletic journey.”

What Gianna Kneepkens has meant to Utah women’s basketball

Kneepkens has been a linchpin to Utah’s success since arriving in Salt Lake City ahead of the 2021-22 season as part of a recruiting class that included Jenna Johnson and Ines Vieira.

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Along with Kennady McQueen, who joined the program a year earlier and was granted an extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19, those four players have been a part of every team in Utah’s run of four straight NCAA Tournament appearances.

It’s only the second time in program history that Utah has made the NCAAs four straight seasons.

With Johnson, Vieira and McQueen out of eligibility, Kneepkens will be playing without those three for the first time in her career — and it makes sense that her fifth “bonus” season, made possible due to a medical redshirt because of last year’s broken foot, gives Kneepkens a chance to explore and find her best path to finishing her collegiate career.

“Those girls mean everything to me. They’re my best friends. I’m just grateful I have had the past four years to play with them. It’s gonna be weird knowing that we don’t play basketball again together.”

Gianna Kneepkens, on Jenna Johnson, Kennady McQueen and Ines Vieira

“Those girls mean everything to me. They’re my best friends. I’m just grateful I have had the past four years to play with them. It’s gonna be weird knowing that we don’t play basketball again together,” Kneepkens said after Utah’s NCAA Tournament first-round loss to Indiana on March 21.

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”But I know that they’ll hear from me, and I know I’ll hear from them. No matter where we go, what their next steps of life will be, (I’m) so grateful for the relationships (we have).”

What that group of four has accomplished together should be applauded, and it extends beyond the bounds of the court.

“The program just means everything to me. This was my dream all growing up, to be in this spot right here with Utah across the front of my jersey, and then to do it with these type of people, Gianna and my senior class that’s with me, us collective as a whole,” McQueen said after the Indiana game.

“They’re my best friends, and it’s just been awesome. Our conversations off the court, beyond basketball, have just been incredible here.”

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Prior to Kneepkens stepping on campus in the summer of 2021 alongside Johnson and Vieira — and joining McQueen — Utah hadn’t been to the NCAA Tournament in over a decade.

After coming off the bench the first eight games of her college career, Kneepkens joined Johnson and McQueen in the starting lineup during that 2021-22 season, helping the Utes reach the NCAA Tournament, where they advanced to the second round.

Kneepkens earned Pac 12 Freshman of the Year and All-Pac-12 first team honors that year while averaging 11.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.

The most successful season for this group of Kneepkens, Johnson, Vieira and McQueen — who also had All-American forward Alissa Pili as a teammate for two years — came two seasons ago, when the Utes earned a share of the Pac-12 regular-season championship and hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

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That team ended up making the Sweet 16, where it lost to eventual national champion LSU. It was the first time in 22 years that Utah made the Sweet 16.

Arguably one of the biggest what-ifs is what the Utes could have accomplished during the 2023-24 season if Kneepkens hadn’t broken her foot eight games into the year.

While Pili, a future first-round WNBA draft pick, headlined that group, there was a tremendous adjustment when Kneepkens was lost for the season.

That team, which started the year ranked No. 5 in the country, still made the NCAA Tournament and reached the second round.

Even though the Utes lost in the first round of the NCAAs this year, Kneepkens was the leader of a veteran group as she experienced a career year, averaging 19.3 points per game while being one of the country’s elite shooters in all three facets.

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Over the final 14 games of the season, Kneepkens scored 20 or more points 10 times, including a career-high 32 in a win over UCF.

She also averaged 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game, impacting the game in a variety of ways.

Utah ended up going 4-4 in the NCAA Tournament over the past four seasons with this core group, and that included advancing to the second round three times.

Kneepkens will graduate from the University of Utah in May, and she’ll have a grad transfer year to continue her pursuit of becoming a pro basketball player.

Her impact at Utah, though, will long be remembered at Utah.

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“Gianna came to us in 2021 as part of a special recruiting class with Jenna Johnson and Ines Vieira, and they immediately made our program better,” Utah first-year coach Gavin Petersen said in a statement in response to Kneepkens entering the transfer portal.

“They were instrumental in elevating Utah women’s basketball to the position it is in now, and after four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances they leave Utah together.”

What it means for the immediate future of Utah women’s basketball

With Kneepkens’ departure, Petersen will have to replace all five starters next year as he heads into his second season as Utah’s head coach.

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In addition to Kneepkens, the Utes primarily started four seniors this year, including Johnson, McQueen, Vieira and Rhode Island grad transfer forward Maye Toure.

Specifically along the guard line, Utah will look quite a bit different beginning next season, though a couple familiar faces will be back, barring any further transfer portal movement.

Maty Wilke, a former Wisconsin transfer with two years in the Utah system, started 19 games over the past two seasons when other players have gotten hurt, and she’s made plenty of critical plays over her time in Salt Lake City, none bigger than her game-winning half court shot against BYU in overtime on March 1.

She’ll be a senior next season with experience in the Big Ten, the Pac-12 and now the Big 12.

Brooke Walker showed promise as a true freshman point guard. She ended up averaging 10.6 minutes per game and shot 42.6% in a limited role this season and should expect to take on a bigger part of the mantle going forward.

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There were two other guards on this year’s roster, true freshmen Kylie Ray and Grace Foster. Ray has also entered the transfer portal, according to On3 Sports’ Talia Goodman, while Foster played just six games in her freshman season while dealing with injuries.

The Utes are also bringing in a pair of top 50 guards in their latest recruiting class.

Five-star point guard Leonna “LA” Sneed is ranked No. 26 in ESPNw’s top 100 in the 2025 recruiting class, while four-star guard Avery Hjelmstad is ranked No. 47 nationally by ESPNw.

Both players should get their chances to make an early impact at Utah.

Expect the Utes to be extremely active recruiting in the transfer portal this year, not just along the guard line but in the post as well. Toure was Utah’s top rebounder and best post scorer, but she was a grad transfer and is out of eligibility.

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Another transfer from last season, former Michigan forward Chyra Evans, missed all of this season due to injury.

The most experienced front line player coming back is small forward Reese Ross, who has shown growth over her first two seasons at Utah and will be in line for an expanded role.

She averaged 7.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game this season.

Samantha Crispe will be a senior in her third year in the program, and she averaged nine minutes per game this year. Another freshman, small forward Ella Todd, is also coming into the program this year.

“That’s why I think we have a connection and that’s what makes her so good, though. She will not rest until, I mean, if there was an open gym, she’d probably go shoot free throws, to be honest. That’s the competitive fire and that nature that I love about her and how that feeds off into our program. She’s just the ultimate competitor.”

Utah coach Gavin Petersen, on Gianna Kneepkens

Utah, still, will need to go searching for a good amount of help in the transfer portal, particularly to help fill leadership and experience positions across the roster.

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Finding shooting and an impact at as many levels as Kneepkens was able to accomplish — not to mention her leadership qualities and work ethic — will be difficult.

Following what ended up being Kneepkens’ final game in a Utah uniform, the Utes’ NCAA Tournament loss to Indiana, Petersen described what makes her the “ultimate competitor” — and something the coach and player share.

“We focus on what we did wrong. It might be a small glimpse, it might be outweighed 20 to 1, but we’ll dwell on that one,” Petersen said.

“That’s why I think we have a connection and that’s what makes her so good, though. She will not rest until, I mean, if there was an open gym, she’d probably go shoot free throws, to be honest. That’s the competitive fire and that nature that I love about her and how that feeds off into our program. She’s just the ultimate competitor.”

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The Utah system and its ability to produce success — which it has with four straight NCAA Tournament appearances — will be greatly challenged this next season.

While Petersen understands what Utah is losing in Kneepkens, he’s also confident in the future of a program that has made reaching the NCAAs its standard.

“Our coaching staff is going to strive hard to live up to the new standard, which we’ve established. It’s not going to be easy, but we welcome that,” he said after the Indiana loss. “We’re going to roll up our sleeves. Our player development is second to none. We take pride in that, and we’re going to hit the offseason with those returning and our newcomers coming into our program.

“I want to give this group something in five years to come back to, and hopefully we’re hosting (the NCAA Tournament first and second rounds), and it’s just something that they can continue to be proud of.”