Approximately 859 women’s basketball players have put their names in the transfer portal.

Chalk up another one for the Idaho State women’s basketball team.

Laura Bello is the latest departure. The 6-foot-3-inch junior post averaged 8.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game for the Bengals this past season. But there is chance she could come back.

Bello entered the portal last season only to come right back to Pocatello. However, whether she does so again this time around, is anybody’s guess.

Bello is the fourth ISU player from last season to jump into the portal. She joins freshmen Maddy Rendall, Ioana Stefanaki and Alaina Williams. But this would be the first significant loss for the Bengals as Williams was the only one of those three who played last season, and in her case, it was limited to just the fall semester.

It now gives Idaho State head women’s basketball coach Seton Sobolewski two scholarship openings available. He already has two high school commits in Aurora Elder, a 6-3 center from Newport Coast, California, and Molly Hays, a 5-9 guard out of Cody, Wyoming. Hays is the daughter of Idaho State football hall of famer Josh Hays and the sister of current quarterback Hunter Hays.

But don’t look for Sobolewski to look into the transfer portal himself to fill those spots. In his 16 previous seasons as the Bengals head coach, Sobolewski has had only one transfer player from either a Power 5 or Group of 5 program. That was Ivvana Murillo, who transferred in from San Diego State.

He has had tremendous success in getting talent from the junior college ranks. Bengal fans will remember the contributions of players such as Jessa Jeppesen, Freya Newton, Brooke Blair and Dora Goles have made over the years.

Idaho State isn’t the only program dealing with its players going into the portal.

As of March 28, there were already 36 Big Sky Conference women’s players in the portal. They include some pretty big names, including some who have already found new homes.

Summah Hanson, who was the Big Sky Freshman of the Year at Sacramento State, is staying in California by heading south to UC-Irvine. The Australian native will bring her 14.4 points and 8.8 rebounds per game to a team that made the NCAA Tournament this season.

All-Big Sky players Hannah Simental (Northern Colorado) and Esmerelda Morales (Portland State) will both probably have new homes, too. Simental told the Reporter-Herald that she’s hoping to get an opportunity to play at a Power 5 program. She’ll have one more year of eligibility.

Morales was the Big Sky Conference Preseason Player of the Year and one of the highest scoring players in the league at 16.5 points as a junior.

The transfer portal will remain open until May 1.