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WBCA National Freshman of the Year Transfers to Oregon State

Destiny Slocum is leaving Maryland for Oregon State after a stellar freshman year.

By Christopher Baumer
NCAA Womens Basketball: Big Ten Conference Tournament-Maryland vs Michigan State Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

It’s been an incredible three years for Oregon State women’s basketball, as Scott Rueck has guided the once-dismal program to three straight Pac-12 titles from 2015-2017. His squad earned the school’s first-ever Final Four berth in the 2016 NCAA Tournament, and Jamie Weisner and Ruth Hamblin were both taken in the first-round of the 2016 WNBA Draft. Despite the loss of those two stars, the determined Beaver women earned a Sweet Sixteen berth in the 2017 NCAA Tournament, and Sydney Weise was taken in the first round of the 2017 WNBA Draft.

Some Beaver fans might be looking at the loss of three pro-level athletes in the last two years and wondering what’s next for Rueck and the Beaver women.

Well, wonder no more: Destiny Slocum, the 2017 WBCA National Freshman of the Year, has decided to transfer from Maryland to Oregon State.

Slocum herself tweeted out a statement that confirmed the move:

Slocum, a 5’7” guard from Meridian, Idaho, played 30 minutes per game for a Maryland team that went 32-3 in the regular season and entered the 2017 NCAA Tournament as a 3-seed. The Terrapins saw their season end prematurely as they fell to 10-seed Oregon in the Sweet Sixteen.

Still, Slocum’s freshman efforts were good enough to earn the dynamic guard Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors as well as the WBCA National Freshman of the Year award. Slocum averaged 11.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists as the starting point guard on a Maryland team that ended the season ranked #8 in the country, one spot ahead of the #9 ranked Beavers.

With Weise having moved on to the WNBA, Slocum (the former #7 ranked recruit in the country) should be able to—after sitting out one year due to transfer rules—fill the void at point guard for an Oregon State team that is quickly becoming one of the premier programs in the country.

When she does take the court in 2018, Beaver fans will have plenty of time to become familiar with their newest star, as Slocum will still have three years of athletic eligibility once the 2018-2019 season begins.