Kansas coach Brandon Schneider is jubilant during the game against Missouri during the second round of the WNIT on Monday, March 20, 2023. Kansas advances with a 75-45 win over Missouri.

Just one day into its European exhibition trip to Italy and Greece, the Kansas women’s basketball team dramatically bolstered its depth by officially announcing the addition of three new players.

Transfers Ryan Cobbins (from Alabama) and Skyler Gill (North Alabama), as well as freshman center Paris Gaines from Orlando, Florida, have joined the Jayhawks as scholarship players for the 2023-24 season as they look to build upon last season’s Women’s National Invitation Tournament title.

The signings will help KU replenish its lineup after it lost five major contributors to the transfer portal in the offseason, though it did retain four experienced starters.

The 6-foot Cobbins, listed as a guard/forward, whom head coach Brandon Schneider said in a press release he expects “to make a seamless transition and immediate impact in our program,” comes to Lawrence as a fifth-year senior following three seasons at North Dakota State and one at Alabama. She came off the bench for 13.6 minutes per game for the Crimson Tide last season; previously, she averaged double-digit points per game across 82 starts in three seasons for the Bison. Her tenure at North Dakota State coincided with that of current KU assistant Morgan Paige.

Gaines, a 6-foot-3 center who graduated from Orlando’s Jones High in 2022, averaged a double-double in her final two high school seasons.

“We are thrilled to add a frontline player with Paris’s upside and potential,” Schneider said in the release. “Her skill level, feel, and passing ability have really stood out in our late July practices.”

Gill, a two-time Atlantic Sun Conference defensive player of the year at UNA, was previously expected to play at Oregon this season but instead returned to her home state. She is also listed as a guard/forward on the KU roster. Gill totaled 161 blocks in two seasons at UNA, averaging 10.3 points and 8.5 rebounds, and will enter as a junior.

“Her toughness, defensive mindset, and ability to rebound will bring instant value in a significant area of need for our team,” Schneider said.

Gill, from Wichita, and Cobbins, from Kansas City are both Kansas natives. Walk-on guard Aysia Arrowood, who also recently joined the Jayhawks’ roster, is also from Wichita and previously played at Kansas City Kansas Community College.