Purdue women's basketball signs former Arkansas guard, JUCO national champion
WEST LAFAYETTE — Purdue women's basketball filled a major gap at shooting guard through the transfer portal with a player who brings both talent and elite experience from the SEC.
Former Arkansas guard Kiki Smith will join Purdue in 2025-26, Smith confirmed to the Journal & Courier.
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Smith averaged 10.2 points and shot 40.6% from 3-point range. She started in 22 of 27 games during her sophomore year with the Razorbacks in 2024-25.
Before attending Arkansas, Smith was named the 2024 NJCAA DI Women's Basketball Player of the Year and First Team All-American after leading Hutchinson Community College to the program's first NJCAA National Championship in 2024.
More: Purdue women's basketball guard Madison Layden fueled by family and closure
Arkansas guard Kiki Smith (2) looks for a path past Vanderbilt guard Mikayla Blakes (1) during the first quarter at Memorial Gym in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025.
The addition of Smith comes as a huge splash for the Boilermakers that was sorely in need of a perimeter threat.
Purdue ranked 142nd last season in 3-point field goal percentage as a team at a 32.1% clip while Smith was the 28th best 3-point shooter in the country ahead of former Notre Dame turned Texas Christian guard Olivia Miles.
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More: Purdue women's basketball guard Madison Layden fueled by family and closure
Smith originally signed a scholarship to the University of Evansville before choosing the junior college route at Hutchinson and led the Blue Dragons to an undefeated 37-0 record.
The 5-foot-7 Smith proved she could play at a high level against the country's top teams.
Smith scored 18 points and went 7 of 13 from the field including 4 of 8 from 3-point range against South Carolina on Feb. 20.
The season high 23 points for Smith came against Alabama on 8 of 15 shooting including 4 of 9 from 3-point range on Jan. 19. Smith sank four 3-pointers on nine different occasions last season.
Arkansas guard Kiki Smith (2) pushes past Texas Longhorns guard Shay Holle (10) during the game at the Moody Center on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025.
Smith enters her junior year after Purdue added former Northern Arizona guard Taylor Feldman while seeing the return of Madison Layden-Zay who starred in 2020-21 to 2023-24 before taking a year off last season.
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Purdue returns incoming sophomore forwards Lana McCarthy and Kendall Puryear. Puryear averaged 7.2 points and 3.7 rebounds last season primarily off the bench with one start and McCarthy averaged 6.4 points and 4.8 rebounds with 26 starts.
More: Northern Arizona guard Taylor Feldman joins Purdue women's basketball
Junior guard McKenna Layden is the lone returning guard for Purdue from 2024-25 after making nine starts and averaged 4.6 points and 4.2 rebounds.
Purdue hopes to get consistent results from incoming freshmen 4-star guard Keona Douwstra of Netherlands and 6-foot-7 center Avery Gordon.
Gordon, from Brownsburg, Ind., is the 63rd ranked recruit of the 2025 class by ESPN shot 59% with 20.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.3 blocks during her senior year.
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Ethan Hanson is the sports reporter for the Journal & Courier in Lafayette. He can be reached at ehanson@jconline.com, on Twitter at EthanAHanson and Instagram at ethan_a_hanson .
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue women's basketball signs Kiki Smith from Arkansas
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