Cal Women's Basketball: Bears Add Tennessee Transfer Marta Suarez

Suarez was on the SEC all-freshman team in 2020-21 but injuries limited her in two seasons

Cal announced this week that it has signed Tennessee transfer Marta Suarez to its women's basketball team for the 2023-24 season.

The 6-foot-3 Suarez is originally from Oviedo, Spain. She is a versatile player who averaged 12.4 minutes, 4.9 points and 3.0 rebounds per game as a redshirt sophomore in 2022-23.

She had to step away from the Tennessee team temporarily and return to Spain for personal reasons in January. She ended up playing in 14 games with no starts.

Suarez did not play at all in 2021-22 because of a lower-body injury, but she was named to the SEC all-freshman team in 2020-21 when she started the first 14 games of the season.  She averaged 4.1 points and 3.6 rebounds that season while shooting 41% from the field. She was averaging 6.4 points and 5.6 rebounds through 13 games before a lower leg injury limited her ability to practice and play. It ultimately ended her season early after 22 games.

"I'm extremely excited about Marta joining our circle," Cal head coach Charmin Smith said in a statement provided by the school. "She gives us great size on the interior and can stretch the floor and exploit mismatches on the perimeter with her versatility. Marta is an extremely skilled basketball player and a strong addition to our roster."

Suárez represented Spain at the 2021 FIBA U19 Women's World Cup in which she averaged 6.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

"I am very excited for what's to come," Suárez said in a statement. "Playing for Charmin, her values and her passion, not just for the game, but also for the person, is what I am looking forward to the most. Her experience as a player and coach will help me expand my game and build a good foundation for my basketball career after college. Cal has something special and a great foundation to do great things. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to become part of this family."

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