Baylor lands impact player in transfer portal
11/03/2024 08:14 PM
The Baylor Bears had a good 2023-24 season, finishing with an overall record of 26-8 and advancing to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Nicki Collen and the Bears will be looking to build off that momentum. It's rare for a team to pick up a key player in the transfer portal this late, but Baylor did just that with the commitment of Aliyah Matharu on Sunday, as per Talia Goodman of On3 Sports.
Aliyah Matharu entered the transfer portal out of Florida just a couple of weeks ago and had actually been considering Baylor for the past couple of years. She transferred a couple of times before, from Mississippi State to Texas, and then from Texas to Florida.
Baylor had been on her radar since she initially utilized the transfer portal back in 2022.
"If I'm being honest, I wanted to go to Baylor after I had left Texas, but I don't think I was ready for the heat that would have come with that," Matharu said. "So I went a different direction. But I've watched Coach Nicki [Collen] since she's been at Baylor and I really like their style of play in the guards that they have and even the post players. At every position, they have really, really talented players and really good people."
Matharu will be eligible to play at Baylor for the second semester.
What Aliyah Matharu brings to Baylor
Matharu is coming off the best season of her college career last year at Florida. She appeared in 30 games, inlcuding 23 starts, at a little over 24 minutes per game. She averaged 19.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.7 steals with splits of 40 percent shooting from the field, 28 percent shooting from the three-point line and 80.1 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
She's a good point guard and was second in the SEC last season in scoring. While she won't be able to suit up for Baylor until later in the season, she's got the potential to have an immediate impact.
Matharu began her college basketball career at Mississippi State where she played two seasons from 2019-2021. She hit the transfer portal then and arrived at Texas where she played for the 2021-22 season. She entered the portal after that year and ended up at Florida.
As per NCAA transfer rules, she had to sit out the 2022-23 season since it was her second time transferring. She made her Gators' debut during the 2023-24 season.
Baylor begins the 2024-25 season at home on Thursday, Nov. 7 against Incarnate Word.
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