On March 30, Seton Hall women’s basketball freshman guard Zahara Bishop announced her plans to enter the transfer portal on Instagram once it opens on April 6.
Bishop made an immediate impact in her first year with the Pirates. She played in all 32 games and made 18 starts, while earning a spot on the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team. Bishop averaged 8.4 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, while playing 22 minutes a night.
Bishop also stood out across the conference, leading the BIG EAST with a .892 free-throw percentage, which ranked as the third-highest single-season mark in program history. She was also one of the top defenders in the league, finishing second in the BIG EAST with 2.8 steals per game.
Bishop came up big for The Hall several times throughout the season. She scored in double figures ten times and had two 20-point games, including a career-high 21 points on 8-for-10 (80%) shooting at DePaul on Jan. 17. She also had a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds against Washington State on Dec. 16 and dropped 13 points with seven rebounds in the Pirates’ BIG EAST Tournament semifinal loss to Villanova on March 8.
Bishop earned BIG EAST Freshman of the Week honors three times during the season, showing her growth as a player as the year went on. Her ability to score and defend made her one of SHU’s most promising young players.
If Bishop follows through with entering the portal, it would be another potential loss for the Pirates, especially following Jordana Codio’s announcement last week. Seton Hall may need to lean on their returning players and an incoming recruiting class to help fill the roster as things could continue to change heading into the portal season.
Jaden Highsmith is the assistant editor of The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at jaden.highsmith@student.shu.edu.
