Cal WBB signs Texas grad transfer Karisma Ortiz

On Friday, Cal women’s basketball announced the signing of Texas grad transfer guard Karisma Ortiz. Oritz has Bay Area roots, playing her high school ball at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose where he she was the 54th overall ranked player in her class according to espnW.

“With her size, length, and skillset, Karisma brings versatility on both ends of the floor,” Cal head coach Charmin Smith said in the team release. “She possesses the character and competitive spirit that we value here at Cal. Karisma will have a positive impact on and off the court. I’m excited to welcome her into our Cal women’s basketball circle.”

Oritz played her freshman year at Penn State where she averaged 3.6 points and 4.2 assists per game before transferring to Texas. After sitting out her sophomore year due to NCAA transfer rules, Ortiz averaged 3.6 points and 1.7 assists per game as a redshirt sophomore this past season.

One of the more impressive parts of Ortiz’ story is the fact that she is getting her undergraduate degree in sociology after just three years. She was on the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll for Fall 2019 and Spring 2020, doing a great job of taking care of business in the classroom.

As far as what Ortiz will bring to the Cal women’s program on the court, she’ll bring depth at the guard position and experience. Texas has been one of the better programs in the country the last few years and the Big 12 likewise has been one of the nation’s better conferences. Having a player who knows how to create for her teammates and has done so in a competitive conference is a welcomed addition for this Cal program. Assuming Cal is fully healthy next year, Cal should look radically different next year with Ortiz being a nice spark off the bench.