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BYU Women’s Basketball: Cougars sign two international recruits

By Shaun Gordon

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 05: Basketballs are shown in a ball rack before a semifinal game of the West Coast Conference basketball tournament between the San Francisco Dons and the Gonzaga Bulldogs at the Orleans Arena on March 5, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Bulldogs won 88-60. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 05: Basketballs are shown in a ball rack before a semifinal game of the West Coast Conference basketball tournament between the San Francisco Dons and the Gonzaga Bulldogs at the Orleans Arena on March 5, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Bulldogs won 88-60. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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Two new players have signed with BYU Women’s Basketball, and both will bring international experience to a team in transition.

Reinforcements keep coming in for BYU Women’s Basketball.

The Cougars announced that two international players have signed with BYU. Kaylee Smiler will come to Provo from New Zealand, while Signe Glantz is coming from Sweden.

Smiler is a 5’6 guard who played for the Waikato Province in national competition for both the U19 and U23 teams. She led both teams to national tournament titles. At Melville High School, she averaged 18 points and 7.8 rebounds in her senior season.

Glantz, a 6’1 forward, played on the Swedish National Team in three different age groups over the last four years. In 2017, she helped the U18 team win the FIBA Women’s European Championship.

Both players are coming to BYU during a time of transition for the women’s team.

The Cougars are losing four players from their 2017-18 roster, three to graduation and one transfer. The three graduates – Cassie Broadhead Devashrashrayee, Malia Nawahinee, and Amanda Wayment – were starters and key contributors in 2017-18. Liz Eaton recently announced her transfer, and she contributed off the bench for the Cougars in 21 games last season.

Those four players accounted for 55% of BYU’s scoring. That’s a lot of production to replace, and both Smiler and Glantz will have an opportunity to step in and compete for playing time.

The two new signees join three other commitments for the Cougars’ 2018 recruiting class. The other three are:

  • Shaylee Gonzales, a 5’9 guard from Gilbert, AZ. The 3-Star recruit led Mesquite High School to back-to-back championship game appearances, winning the title in 2017.
  • Tahlia White, a 5’10 wing from Orem, UT. As a senior, White averaged 23.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 3 assists per game.
  • Babalu Ugwu, a 6’1 forward from Raleigh, NC. She helped Friendship Christian High School to a 19-1 record in 2017-18.

The addition of Smiler and Glantz brings the number of international players on the team to five. They’ll join Maria Albiero (Brazil), Shalae Salmon (New Zealand), and Khaedin Taito (New Zealand).

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