STANFORD, Calif. – Inés Sotelo, a veteran of Spain’s youth national team program and starter at Michigan State, has transferred to Stanford for the 2026-27 season and will have two years of eligibility remaining, Setsuko Ishiyama Director of Women’s Basketball Kate Paye announced Monday.
A 6-foot-3 forward from Ourense, Spain, Sotelo started 20 games for the Spartans last season and averaged 6.8 points on 45.1 percent shooting, 4.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.2 steals in 23.9 minutes per game. She had her best stretch during three games early in conference play against USC, Purdue and Michigan, averaging 13.0 points on 55.2 percent shooting and 6.3 rebounds. Sotelo scored a season-high 15 on 6-of-10 shooting and had eight rebounds against the No. 9 Wolverines on Feb. 1. She grabbed a career-best nine rebounds against Northwestern on Feb. 18.
“Stanford felt like a family,” Sotelo said of her decision. “It was easy to see how everyone in the program helps and supports each other and I loved meeting my coaches and my teammates. It felt like I was at home somehow and I knew this was the place for me.”
Sotelo played in all 32 games as a freshman in 2024-25 and started eight, averaging 5.8 points and 2.9 rebounds. She scored a career-high 17 points in 18 minutes against Wisconsin on Feb. 12, 2025.
The Spaniard has appeared in four FIBA-level youth tournaments for Spain. Most recently, she averaged 10.0 points and 6.6 rebounds in seven games to win gold at the FIBA U20 Women’s EuroBasket in Portugal in August 2025. Sotelo also helped Spain to podium finishes at the FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup in Czechia in July 2025 (8.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.5 apg), the FIBA U18 Women’s EuroBasket in Portugal in August 2024 (10.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.9 apg) and the FIBA U18 Women’s European Championship in Turkey in July 2023 (9.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.9 apg).
“Ines is the first of several transfer additions to our roster for 2026-27 and we are excited to add someone with her versatility and experience,” Paye said. “She’s had a successful first two years in college, been a major contributor for her country at the international level, and is a veteran of the LF Endesa, the highest league in Spain. Ines is a competitor who moves well without the ball and is someone who makes her teammates better. We thought she would a great fit for Stanford and are delighted that she decided this was the place for her.”
Sotelo is the fourth undergraduate transfer in Stanford women’s basketball history and the Cardinal’s fourth announced newcomer in 2026-27, joining freshmen Kiara Green, Elyse Ngenda and Jordyn Wheeler.