No. 1 Women’s Recruit Kaleena Smith is Putting Up Big Numbers: 2027 Five-Star Averaging 34.9 PPG in 14-0 Start

The Ontario Christian point guard scored 129 points in her first three games, including a 51-point performance, and hasn't stopped dominating
Kaleena Smith, Ontario Christian junior point guard and No. 1 recruit for the 2027 class, is averaging 34.9 points per game while guiding the Lady Knights to a perfect 14-0 start.
Kaleena Smith, Ontario Christian junior point guard and No. 1 recruit for the 2027 class, is averaging 34.9 points per game while guiding the Lady Knights to a perfect 14-0 start. / Dennis Lee

Kaleena Smith isn’t messing around in 2025-2026.

One season after averaging 23.2 points in 32 games as a sophomore, the prized No. 1 2027 women’s high school basketball recruit has been on fire through her first 14 games as a junior. Right out of the gate, she dropped 43 points in the season opener on Nov. 21 against Nazareth (Brooklyn, New York), 35 the next night against O’Connor (Phoenix, Arizona) and netted 51 in a 113-34 blowout against Esperanza (Anaheim, California) on Nov. 25.

It seems as if Smith, a five-star 5-foot-6 point guard at Ontario Christian (Ontario, California), has recaptured some of the magic she had as a freshman when she averaged 34.9 points in 33 games. She’s back to averaging 34.9 through the first 14 games of the 2025 season while guiding the Lady Knights to a 14-0 start.

Elite Efficiency and Summer Circuit Dominance

While she’s hit 55 3-pointers this season, Smith has been staggeringly lethal inside the arc. She’s made 130 of 175 2-point shots (74%), including games where she went 13 of 13, 11 of 11, 12 of 15, 7 of 10, 10 of 11, 10 of 13, 11 of 14 and 13 of 15 on 2-point attempts.

Kaleena Smith PG Ontario Christian
Kaleena Smith scored 51 points in Ontario Christian's third game this season and has been near automatic from inside the arc. / Dennis Lee

This dominance follows a standout summer where she played for the elite squad 7 Days. Smith guided the team to the Adidas 3SSB Circuit championship and was crowned MVP of the league, showcasing her trademark ability to balance aggressive scoring with piles of assists.

Flirting with Triple-Doubles and the National Stage

The stat sheet reflects that versatility; she has two double-doubles this season and twice has finished one assist and one steal shy of a triple-double. Those near-misses occurred in back-to-back games on Dec. 10 and 11 when she had 32 points, 9 assists and 9 steals followed by 36 points, 9 assists and 9 steals.

In her 43-point season opener against Nazareth, Smith made 16 of 25 field goals (64%) — including 12 of 15 shots from inside the arc and 4 3-pointers — while chipping in 9 assists and 5 steals. She followed that up with 6 treys and 35 points in a win against O’Connor along with 6 boards, 7 rebounds and 6 steals before netting 51 points against Esperanza, shooting a perfect 13-for-13 from inside the arc with 8 3s.

Smith helped the Lady Knights improve to 4-0 with 26 points in an 86-63 win against Lancaster (Texas), then scored 33 and dished 8 assists in a 96-43 win against Denton Ryan (Texas). Her poise in high-pressure environments is well-documented; she was a member of the 2024 USA Women’s U17 National Team and attended the 2025 USA Women’s U17 National Team minicamp in Tampa, Florida.

The nation’s top junior only continued her torrid pace through December, netting 37 points with 5 assists and 5 steals in a 106-39 victory against Oak Park (California), shooting a perfect 11 of 11 inside the arc. She followed that with 30 points, 8 assists and 6 steals on 10 of 13 shooting on 2-pointers in an 89-43 win against Moreno Valley (California).

The Most Coveted Signature in the Class of 2027

Her first double-double of the season happened against Fairmont Prep (Anaheim, California) on Dec. 4, as she dropped 32 points while racking up 15 assists in an 88-41 victory. Her second happened in an 89-44 smackdown of Lynwood (California).

Sabrina Ionescu Keleena Smith women's basketball
Keleena Smith (right) stands with women's basketball legend Sabrina Ionescu after winning MVP honors at the 2024-2025 Sabrina Ionescu Showcase. / Dennis Lee

Smith’s relentless December performances included 28 points, 7 assists and 6 steals in a win over JSerra Catholic; 32 points, 9 assists and 9 steals against Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks); and 36 points, 9 assists and 9 steals against King/Drew. She also recorded 36 points against Colorado’s Riverdale Ridge and 36 points in an 82-43 drubbing of Missouri power Incarnate Word Academy (St. Louis) on Dec. 20.

Unsurprisingly, the recruiting trail has been on fire for Smith, who became the first girls player to sign an NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) deal with Adidas in 2024. Smith currently holds offers from UConn, UCLA, USC, South Carolina, Iowa, LSU, Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina, Syracuse and Tennessee.


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Levi Payton
LEVI PAYTON

Levi’s sports journalism career began in 2005. A Missouri native, he’s won multiple Press Association awards for feature writing and has served as a writer and editor covering high school sports as well as working beats in professional baseball, NCAA football, basketball, baseball and soccer. If you have a good story, he’d love to tell it.