SoCon Freshman of the Year Announces Transfer to Purdue WBB
The Purdue women's basketball team continues to land new pieces through the NCAA transfer portal. Over the weekend, the Boilermakers added another pick-up to the roster, receiving a pledge from UNC-Greensboro's Nya Smith.
A 5-foot-9 guard out of Roswell, Ga., Smith is coming off an outstanding freshman campaign at UNC-Greensboro. She averaged 10.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and one steal per game in her lone season with the Spartans. At the end of the year, she received Southern Conference Freshman of the Year, Sixth Player of the Year, and first-team All-SoCon honors.
Smith was a member of a UNC-Greensboro squad that finished the 2024-25 season with a 25-7 record and earning a bid into the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament. The Spartans won both the SoCon regular season and confernece tournament titles before falling to top-seeded USC in the opening round of March Madness.
Smith has a strong ability to score the basketball, reaching double-digit scoring totals 21 times in her freshman season. She shot 36.2% from the floor.
Purdue has now added four players via the NCAA transfer portal since the conclusion of the 2024-25 season. Along with Smith, the Boilers have also landed commitments from Taylor Feldman (Northern Arizona), Madison Layden-Zay (Purdue) and Kiki Smith (Arkansas).
Related stories on Purdue women's basketball
BOILERS LAND KIKI SMITH: Former Arkansas guard Kiki Smith is transferring to Purdue, she announced Saturday. She averaged 10.2 points and 2.0 assists during the 2024-25 season. CLICK HERE
REYNOLDS SISTERS COMMIT TO UT-ARLINGTON: Ex-Purdue women's basketball players and sisters Mila, Amiyah and Kira Reynolds have announced they're transferring to UT-Arlington, where they'll play under former Boilermaker Shereka Wright. CLICK HERE
WHITE ON ESPN CALL OF PACERS-BUCKS: Former Purdue star and Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White will be on the call for Saturday's Game 1 matchup between the Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks. CLICK HERE
Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
Follow SchutteDustin