Joni Taylor adds 10 players to Texas A&M's roster ahead of 2025-2026

Coming off a 10-19 regular season, the Texas A&M women's basketball team has had its share of struggles in 2024-2025.

Following an appearance in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, the program seemed to be taking steps in the right direction. However, last year’s injury-riddled squad underperformed and slumped to a 3-13 record in the SEC.

It is no secret that Joni Taylor's first three years in Aggieland have not been ideal.

Meanwhile, the SEC is surging as the most stacked conference in the country on the hardwood. In each of the last four seasons, the league has either had a team win the national championship or finish as runner-up.

Life in the SEC is never easy, but remaining competitive is a must entering Taylor's fourth campaign.

With three seniors exhausting their eligibility and six players finding new homes via the transfer portal, Taylor & Co. went to work rebuilding their roster.

Over the offseason, A&M added 10 players to the program — seven through the transfer portal and three freshmen.

The Aggies will have to rely on just three returners and plenty of new faces to carry them through.

Here is a breakdown of Taylor’s 2025-2025 women's basketball roster.

Returners

Will Huffman, TexAgs

Lauren Ware has appeared in 59 games in two seasons as an Aggie, including 58 starts.

Senior forward Lauren Ware
2024-2025 stats: 28 games, 6.7 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 1.2 AST/G, 43.3 FG%
Entering her sixth year of college basketball, Ware is the longest-tenured starter in Aggieland. A transfer from Arizona, she came to College Station after a significant injury in Tucson. After hurting her knee as a sophomore and missing a few games, she suffered a second patellar dislocation the summer before her junior season, electing to have it surgically repaired. Ware redshirted before deciding to join Taylor's roster two years ago. Averaging 9.1 points and 7.9 rebounds in her first season in Maroon & White, Ware helped lead the Aggies to their first NCAA Tournament appearance under Taylor. Last season, the veteran experienced a decline in production, as did the team, when star point guard Aicha Coulibaly was sidelined due to an injury. As one of the most experienced players on the floor, Ware's leadership and ability to create shots could provide a big boost for A&M this winter.

Junior guard Janae Kent
2024-2025 stats: 29 games, 6.3 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 0.7 AST/G, 31.4 FG%
Starting in all 29 games a season ago, Kent rode through the highs and lows of last season more than anyone on next year's roster, with 799 minutes played. Seeing limited action at LSU, Kent transferred to A&M last year but struggled in her role as the Aggies' primary shooting guard after the injury to Coulibaly. Throughout SEC play, the sophomore was inconsistent, averaging 5.8 points a game until a breakout performance against Auburn. She knocked down a trio of fourth-quarter 3-pointers to record a career-best 15 points. Firing at a 26.6 percent clip from 3-point land last season, the Aggies will need more production from deep as well as inside the arc from Kent.

Redshirt sophomore forward Vanessa Saidu
2024-2025 stats: Did not play due to injury
The 6-foot-2 Saidu did not see the floor once as a lower leg injury put the forward on crutches for the majority of the season. During her freshman year, she appeared in 13 games, with her longest stint lasting eight minutes against South Carolina. With 51 total minutes of playing time to her name, Saidu is the most inexperienced player on the roster, sans the incoming freshmen. A healthy Saidu should see an increase in minutes as her role evolves.

Zoe Kelton, TexAgs

In three seasons at Texas A&M, Joni Taylor has a 38-52 overall record with an 11-37 mark in conference play. The Aggies have been to the NCAA Tournament just once.

Transfers

Graduate guard Jordan Webster - Kansas
2024-2025 stats: Did not play due to injury
Webster was sidelined her entire time in Lawrence due to injury. Before that, the graduate played four seasons at UC Riverside, where she scored over 1,200 points in 101 games. In her final season as a Highlander, Webster led the Big West Conference in scoring at 17.1 points per game and guided UC Riverside to the WNIT. Originally from Dallas, Webster joins newcomer Salese Blow (more on her below) as another Lone Star State native who can thrive with the ball in her hands. Webster's substantial amount of experience will provide the Aggies with another veteran presence in the locker room.

Senior guard Lemyah Hylton - Miami
2024-2025 stats: 25 games, 2.6 PPG, 0.8 RPG, 39.0 FG%, 35.5 3FG%
Playing in 25 games last season, Hylton served primarily as a depth piece at Miami for two years, with nearly half of her made shots being 3-pointers. Her first year at Miami was her best, as she bolstered the bench with 10.6 minutes and 6.6 points per game while also leading the Hurricanes in 3-point field goal percentage. Before her time in the ACC, she began her career at Arizona, where she was teammates with Ware. With plenty of quality reps, the Aggies will look to Hylton to be a deep threat on the offensive side of the ball and strengthen their defensive style of play.

Senior guard Ny'Ceara Pryor - Sacred Heart
2024-2025 stats: 29 games, 19.6 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 3.9 AST/G, 4.1 steals/game, 43.9 FG%
A 5-foot-3 guard originally out of Baltimore, Pryor has spent the entirety of her college career at Sacred Heart University. Leading the Pioneers to two NCAA Tournament berths, Pryor is a winner and fighter. As the nation's leader in steals a year ago (120), she was well deserving of the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year honor. A dynamic guard on the offensive side and a ballhawk on the defensive side, the rising senior will have an opportunity to grow her game on the SEC stage.

Junior forward Fatmata Janneh - Saint Peter's
2024-2025 stats: 29 games, 18.2 PPG, 11.6 RPG, 2.4 AST/G, 42.9 FG%
Janneh is the Aggies' most significant addition in terms of production from the portal. Averaging a double-double and recording 19 last season, the native of London was the No. 1 defensive rebounder in the country with 9.7 per contest. Representing a huge portal win for the Aggies, A&M will need consistent output from the All-MAAC first-teamer. Likely a key piece to A&M's frontcourt this upcoming season, Taylor & Co. need Janneh to be nearly as efficient as she was at the mid-major level if the Aggies want to be an NCAA Tournament-bound team.

Zoe Kelton, TexAgs

Returning guard Janae Kent hails from Oak Forest, Ill. On A&M’s 2025-26 squad, only three Ags will be native Texans: Jordan Webster, Salese Blow and Chaney Spencer.

Junior guard Salese Blow - Wichita State
2024-2025: 32 games, 12.1 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 1.7 AST/G, 35.9 FG%
The Murphy, Texas, native returns to her home state. Blow started all 32 games for the Shockers last season, finishing in double figures 20 times with four 20-plus point performances, including a 30-point outburst vs. Tulane on March 9. Leading Wichita State in minutes (30.3 per game), Blow proved to be a needed asset to their offensive prowess, sitting second in scoring on the team. Unafraid to drive to the hoop and get a bucket, the incoming junior will serve as another threat in A&M's upgraded backcourt.

Redshirt junior guard Pien Steenbergen - Liberty
2024-2025: 33 games, 5.2 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 0.8 AST/G, 36.9 FG%, 36.4 3FG%
After playing in 66 games during a three-year career at Liberty, Steenbergen transferred to Aggieland, adding another perimeter shooter and size to Taylor’s roster. Standing at 6-foot-1, the Berlicum, Netherlands native played a role in helping the Lady Flames win the Conference USA Tournament, the regular-season title and earn an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Nailing multiple 3-pointers in 22 games of her career, the Aggies will be looking to utilize her shot selection from deep in 2025-26.

Redshirt sophomore center Emerald Parker - Little Rock
2024-2025: 30 games, 7.6 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 0.2 AST/G, 52.8 FG%
A&M received more frontcourt depth when Parker committed to the Aggies. At 6-foot-3, she serves as a young piece in a veteran-heavy position group. She led all Ohio Valley Conference freshmen in rebounds per game and sat in the top 10 among rookies in points per game in that league. Scoring in double figures 13 times, Parker will have an excellent opportunity to learn under a handful of her experienced teammates.

Freshmen

Guard Chaney Spencer - Montgomery, Texas
A four-year letterman at Lake Creek High School, Spencer played a massive part in leading the Lions to their first and second-ever Region III-5A area championships during her sophomore and junior campaigns. During her senior season, the floor general surpassed 2,500 career points, earning All-Region and All-State point guard honors. With time in a college system, Spencer could be a rising star in the making.

Forward Anita Franchini - Verona, Italy
One of two European prospects joining the Aggies with four years of eligibility, the 6-foot-1 forward helped the Italian U18 squad achieve a 5-2 record at the 2024 European Championships, averaging 15.6 minutes per game. For two years, Franchini also played in one of the top clubs in the country, Umana Reyer Venezia, in the Italian Serie A1 league. Additionally, her 16U squad placed eighth in the FIBA Women's European Championships. While she has competed against Europe's best in the past, Franchini will soon have a taste of what America's best has to offer.

Guard Talia Kavoka - Évry-Courcouronnes, France
The final addition to Taylor's roster is Kavoka, who is the youngest member of the team. During the 2024-25 Eurocup regular season, the 17-year-old played for 10-2 Lattes Montpellier, receiving minutes in two games. At the 2024 FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup, the incoming freshman averaged 5.3 points and a team-high-tying 2.6 assists per game, helping France to a fourth-place finish. Kovoka also won a gold medal with France in the 2023 FIBA U16 Women's European Championship. Combine her extensive international background with age on her side, and Kavoka's game should grow immensely in four years in Aggieland.