Houston women’s basketball adds Williams, Hamilton through transfer portal

Houston women’s basketball has signed its first two players in its 2026 transfer portal class, bringing in guards Janiyah Williams and Kaelyn Hamilton for their sophomore and junior seasons, respectively.

Williams, who ranked as the 53rd overall recruit in the 2025 class, comes in after spending her freshman season at Oregon. She played 28 games and averaged 2.8 points and 0.6 rebounds in 7.2 minutes. The Ducks made it to the NCAA Tournament as an eight-seed and lost to No. 1 Texas in the second round.

Hamilton joins the Cougars after spending her first two seasons at San Diego State. In the 2025-26 campaign, she played 33 games with one start, averaging 7.7 points and 2.5 rebounds in 18.4 minutes per game. She earned the Mountain West Conference Sixth Player of the Year award and helped the Aztecs obtain the conference regular season title.

The two guards bolster Mitchell’s roster, which will include just three returners from his first season at Houston.