Texas Women’s Basketball lands former Duke transfer G Kyra Lambert

A very notable pick up for the Texas women’s basketball program out of the transfer portal dropped on April 16, with former Duke guard Kyra Lambert.

The latest addition to the Texas women’s basketball program is a big one out of the NCAA Transfer Portal on April 16. On her Twitter timeline on April 16, former Duke Blue Devils three-year starter and 5-foot-9 guard Kyra Lambert announced that she would transfer to Texas. She will be eligible immediately to play as a graduate transfer.

This is big news for the Texas Longhorns women’s basketball program, who had a lot of change sparked in the last month. Texas made the move to let former head coach Karen Aston see the door earlier in the offseason after a season that could’ve seen them miss the NCAA Tournament. Then Texas athletic director Chris del Conte made a big splash hire with former Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Vic Schaefer.

However, landing Lambert will help turn the page to more prosperous times in all likelihood for Texas women’s hoops. Lambert will also get to come a bit closer to home, since she is a Cibolo, TX, native. Texas is also hopefully a good landing spot for Lambert after she missed two of her last three seasons due to two different severe knee injuries.

Lambert averaged 6.6 points per game, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.6 assists, while shooting 40.8 percent from the field, 35.1 percent from beyond the arc, and 70.1 percent from the charity stripe. Her best season came during her 2016-17 season, which was her second at Duke. In the meantime, she missed two seasons due to various aforementioned injury problems.

She was previously an All-ACC Academic Team honoree on multiple occasions, 2018-19 preseason Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List member, and a three-time captain with Duke. Torn ACL’s were an unfortunate part of her past with Duke women’s hoops, but this is an opportunity to turn that around with the extended offseason due to the novel coronavirus pandemic-induced early season cancellation.

There is a lot of potential in the Longhorns landing Lambert out of the transfer portal. She will only be on the Forty Acres for one season, but Lambert could help push this Texas team over the hump next year. Lambert helped Duke end their 2019-20 regular season on a high-note, winning seven of their last eight games.