Australian guard heads to K-State via transfer portal

Stanford guard Tess Heal has signed with the Kansas State women’s basketball team via the transfer portal, the school announced Tuesday.

Heal, a 5-foot-10 native of Melbourne, Australia, becomes just the second Australian ever to suit up for the Wildcats, following Rebekah Dallinger, who played from 2021 to 2024.

Last season at Stanford, Heal averaged 8.0 points per game and led the team with a 50.3% shooting percentage, playing just over 21 minutes per game. She transferred to Stanford after spending her first two collegiate seasons at Santa Clara, where she was one of the top scorers in the West Coast Conference.

Heal brings a proven, veteran scoring punch to a rebuilding Kansas State roster.

While at Santa Clara in the 2023–24 season, she scored a career-high 40 points in a win over Pacific.

That same year, she posted 22 points against No. 17 Gonzaga, 18 points versus Texas Tech, and 21 points against Oregon. At Stanford, she recorded a season-high 24 points in a game against Wake Forest during ACC play.

In addition to her collegiate accomplishments, Heal has significant international experience. She has represented Australia on both the U18 and U19 national teams.

According to KStateSports.com, Heal averaged 7.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 4.0 assists at the 2023 FIBA U19 World Cup in Madrid, Spain.

The previous year, she helped lead Australia to a gold medal at the FIBA U18 Asian Championship (Division A) in Bengaluru, India, averaging 7.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game.

The Wildcats finished the 2024–25 season with a 28–8 record, including a 13–5 mark in Big 12 play, tying for fourth place despite entering the year as preseason favorites.

They went 17–1 at home and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament, where they fell to USC, 67–61.