Women's Hoops Portal Central: Seven Knights Announced to Lazo's Inaugural Roster

MIKAYLA JOHNSON

Guard | 6-1 | Pitt | R-Jr.

The Anchorage, Alaska, native was a staple of the Panthers over the past two seasons, playing in all but three games since 2024-25. Last season, Johnson paced Pitt in scoring, averaging a career-high 13 points per game, marking the second-consecutive campaign the future Knight has averaged double digits.

A scoring threat from all three levels, Johnson tallied 20 games with 10 or more points along with an impressive five 20-point performances. While her load stayed consistent from the season prior, she increased her field goal percentage to 33.2 percent while playing over 30 minutes per game.

Her physical style also showed on the defensive end, as she grabbed over five rebounds per game, including an impressive 42 offensive boards this season. Johnson added 43 steals and 24 blocks throughout her two seasons in Pittsburgh.

The future Knight averaged over a three-pointer per game in each campaign, though increased her clip from the free-throw line exponentially in 2025-26, knocking down 75.8 percent of her attempts compared to a 64.2 percent mark a season prior.

Johnson caught fire during the second half of the season, scoring in double figures in 10 of Pitt’s last 11 contests, highlighted by 14-point, 10-rebound double-double at SMU on Feb. 15. In 2024-25, the Alaska native tallied a career-high 27 points against Virginia, one of five 20-point outings across her two seasons against ACC competition.

CAITLYN JONES

Guard | 5-8 | Wake Forest | Fr.

A true point guard, Jones made an instant impact with the Deamon Deacons during the 2025-26 campaign, featuring in 28 games and garnering the starting nod in five contests. The future Knight averaged 8.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game across the campaign, while rising to the occasion in conference play.

The Knights saw first-hand what Jones is capable of on Thanksgiving, as she led Wake Forest to a 65-60 overtime victory in Puerto Rico, scoring 17 points on an 8-12 clip from the field in 30 minutes of action. Jones scored four of Wake Forest's last five points down the stretch to propel her side to the win.

After averaging eight points across 11 non-conference games, Jones played an expanded role once ACC play rolled around, boasting 10 games with at least 20 minutes of gametime and five starts.

Against Virginia on Jan. 29, the North Carolina native scored a career-high 18 points on an efficient 8-11 mark from the field, while also tallying five rebounds and three assists. Her performance placed her in the starting five for the next three games where she averaged 11 points per game.

Over 17 conference contests, Jones increased her scoring average to nine points per game and landed in double digits eight times. Jones ranked fourth among ACC freshmen with 2.6 assists per game.

Jones was marquee player on Rolesville High School's first-ever state title-winning team, scoring 27 points and dishing seven assists en route to being named MVP. She was named to the North Carolina All-State Team as a sophomore and junior and concluded her high school career with over 2,000 points.

SALOME BOYOMO

Forward | 6-2 | France

The French international has been one of the top players in the Croatian First Division over the past seasons, playing a marquee role for ZKK Ragusa. The 6-2 forward has averaged 13 points, 6.2 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game this season, which came on the back of a breakout 2024-25 campaign.

Boyomo led her squad to a league title, averaging 13.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game along the way.

Joining recently announced Candace Kpetikou, Boyomo continues the Black and Gold’s swift haul to commence the Lazo era. Hailing from Poitiers, France, she has continued to develop her game on the international stage, first playing ASVEL’s youth team that won the French Championship in 2022 before finishing runner-up in the French Cup that season.

During her first year in Croatia, she rose to the occasion in the playoffs, averaging 13 points per game, tallying double digits in four of the five contests. In the final, the future Knight scored 14 points to go along with five rebounds, two steals and a block.

Boyomo has boasted six double-doubles in her time with the Croatian staple, scoring a career-high 25 points against Studio Zagreb on 10 field goals.

NYLA MCFADDEN

Guard | 6-0 | Penn State | Fr.

Playing as both a guard and forward for the Nittany Lions throughout last season, McFadden averaged 4.5 points per game across 28 games, adding in an impressive 2.9 rebounds and 1 assist per game on a 47.4 percent clip from the field.

While the St. Thomas Aquinas products minutes were limited throughout non-conference play, she stepped into a more involved role as Big 12 play beckoned. The future Knight featured in at least 20 minutes in nine of Penn State’s last 14 contests.

McFadden produced multiple standout performances during the home stretch, including a career-high 15 points on six field goals at Oregon. That outing came during a stretch of consistent gametime for the freshman, who went on to garner eight starts in conference play after showcasing her versatile skill set.

Her first start came in a home bout with Illinois, clocking 27 minutes of floor time while authoring 12 points on five field goals. An efficient scorer, McFadden added a 34.4 percent mark from beyond the arc and a lockdown 82.1 percent clip from the charity stripe to her already productive rate from the floor.

Against Rutgers, McFadden dished out a career-high five assists to complement three rebounds and two steals. In all, the Fort Lauderdale native surpassed double-digits five times, including doing so in back-to-back contests to close the season vs USC and at Indiana.