The number of reasons a player transfers is as numerous as the number of Division I college basketball programs. Depending on which side a fan’s allegiance falls, a transfer can be a savior or a detriment, but in the end, a player’s right to transfer into a different situation allows autonomy where there once was little. Sometimes it works out, and sometimes it does not, but nearly 10 months after forward Cotie McMahon announced her entry into the transfer portal, the move has been a win for all parties
involved.
On March 26, 2025, when McMahon’s entry first went public, the response from Ohio State fans was expected. There was pain, worry, and gratitude for what McMahon helped the Buckeyes accomplish over three and a half years in the program. McMahon joined Ohio State halfway through her high school career to get a leg up on preparation for NCAA basketball, and McMahon’s inclusion produced immediate dividends.
In the Centerville, Ohio native’s first NCAA game, the forward started against the No. 4 Tennessee Volunteers. McMahon had 10 points, two steals, and showed Buckeye faithful what was ahead. Over three seasons, McMahon helped lead the Scarlet and Gray through numerous comebacks, hit big threes against UConn to upset the Huskies in the 2023 Sweet Sixteen, and held off guard Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes in arguably the biggest regular-season game in program history.
Then McMahon was gone. The band-aid ripped off, and the Buckeyes wondered how, or more accurately if, the team would survive without the prolific forward.
Nearly 20 games through the 2025-26 season, the answer is that both Ole Miss and Ohio State benefited from the move — a rare moment considering the impact of some transfers over the years.
Swapping teams does not always work out the way it has in this situation. Look at last season’s USC Trojans side that added forward Kiki Iriafen from the Stanford Cardinal in the previous offseason. Iriafen helped the Trojans become a national contender, and the Cardinal missed its first NCAA Tournament, not due to COVID-19, since 1987.
Now, accepting that McMahon’s move helped the Buckeyes is tough to take, but the evidence is clear.
In college, more so than in the professional ranks, the head coach’s system plays an important role in how the team competes and either wins or loses. For head coach Kevin McGuff, he runs the offense through a point guard, and last season, Ohio State added the No. 1 point guard in the 2024 prospect class with Jaloni Cambridge.
At first glance, adding Cambridge alongside McMahon was a recipe for success, especially after the exits of guards Jacy Sheldon, Rikki Harris, and Celeste Taylor for either the pros or via transfer put the team in flux, but a recent interview McMahon had with The IX Basketball shows that McMahon wanted more. McMahon wanted to run the offense.
“I never had to do that [point guard], even when I first started playing basketball,” McMahon told The IX Basketball. “It’s a great opportunity because the ball is literally in my hands. I can create for [my teammates], for myself.”
The entire interview shows a thriving McMahon in an environment that lets her learn something new, and the forward-turned point guard is growing. McMahon leads the No. 16-ranked Rebels with a career-high 19.2 points per game and a career-tying high 2.4 assists.
Behind Sheldon and Buckeye veterans, McMahon did not have the opportunity to solely run an offense. While McMahon was a key piece of the offense, talking with McMahon even once, it is clear that she is destined to lead. At Ole Miss, McMahon has that opportunity.
With that is a rising draft stock. Look at who McMahon was as a freshman, the equivalent of a football running back going straight at the defensive line and breaking through, and then recall the increased skillset she showed in the 24-25 season with deep shots and an impressive midrange game. At Ole Miss, McMahon is free to do that, grow at a faster clip, and prepare for making it in the professional ranks at the end of her final season of eligibility.
Now look at Ohio State today. The Buckeyes are riding a high of two impressive road wins last week against the now-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini and then No. 8-ranked Maryland Terrapins. Leading those wins was point guard Jaloni Cambridge, the Big Ten and Naismith Player of the Week, who had a 41-point game against the Illini and nearly a triple-double against the Terps.
Last season, the partnership of McMahon and Cambridge was not working as the season progressed. There was a tug between the two stars. McGuff put the ball in the hands of Cambridge, and McMahon had more leadership on the team, but on the court was not free to play the game she wanted to play. The Ohio State offense was stagnant throughout the Big Ten season. Cambridge missed one Big Ten game, and that ended with a loss to the Penn State Nittany Lions, who only won that one conference game in an 18-game Big Ten schedule. Then, at the end of the season, the UCLA Bruins and Tennessee Volunteers humbled Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament and the NCAA Tournament’s Second Round, respectively.
Could the two co-exist this year? Maybe. Would it be productive? Maybe. Either way, time machines do not exist, and look at the results for both sides — all parties involved moved in big ways.
One night after Cambridge dropped 41 points in front of WNBA star A’ja Wilson, McMahon was in Norman, Oklahoma. Ole Miss had the No. 5 Oklahoma Sooners on their home court, and McMahon stepped up. The senior guard led Ole Miss with 22 points on the way to a 74-69 victory, and four days prio,r nearly toppled the then No. 2-ranked Texas Longhorns, in Austin, Texas, with 19 points and four assists, both team highs. Their performances, coincidentally enough, put them on the same team again after they both picked up their conferences’ respective Player of the Week awards, in a way.
After wins over Illinois and Maryland, Cambridge attributed her standout performances to having good days. The point guard is the clear leader of the Scarlet and Gray on and off the court as a sophomore. After every game, McMahon sits down and watches the entire game back or even meets with the coach to watch film together.
While every win, award, and achievement is welcome for the two stars, both McMahon and Cambridge appear happy. That is the definition of a win-win.
