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Washington St. says Charlisse Leger-Walker in transfer portal

Washington State star guard Charlisse Leger-Walker has entered the transfer portal and will have one year of eligibility remaining due to the COVID-19 waiver, the school confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday.

Leger-Walker, whose season ended in January because of an ACL tear, indicated her departure on Tuesday in a social media post.

"This was not how I envisioned my career as a Coug coming to an end, but I do know that being a Coug has been one of the greatest periods of my life and I have absolutely no regrets," she wrote.

A 5-foot-10 senior guard from New Zealand, Leger-Walker helped the Cougars gain prominence both in the Pac-12 and nationally in her four seasons; they made three straight NCAA tournaments (2021 through 2023) after reaching the Big Dance just once previously, in 1991. Washington State also made waves last season when, as a 7-seed, it won its first Pac-12 tournament title.

Leger-Walker, a four-time All-Pac-12 selection, was limited to just 21 games this season because of the ACL tear. She was averaging 13.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists at the time of the injury.

A three-time honorable mention All-American, she averaged 16.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists for her career.

Washington State coach Kamie Ethridge called Leger-Walker "the greatest and winningest impact player in WSU women's basketball history" in January following her injury.

Washington State and Oregon State were left out to dry when the other 10 Pac-12 schools bolted for other Power 5 conferences. The basketball programs at both schools will join the West Coast Conference for the next two seasons as affiliate members.