Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
Smith Added To Talented 2022 Women’s Basketball Signing Class
May 10, 2022 | Women's Basketball
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State women's basketball added another talented student-athlete to its roster for the 2022-23 season with the addition of Ahlana Smith, announced by head coach Sam Purcell on Tuesday.
Smith is transferring to Mississippi State after spending the previous two seasons at the University of Louisville. Smith joins a talented first signing class for Coach Purcell that includes a former Louisville teammate for Smith, Ramani Parker, who signed with the Bulldogs in April. Smith will have one year of eligibility remaining as she is using her covid year granted to student-athletes who competed during the 2020-21 season.
Ahlana Smith | 5-9 | Guard | Charlotte, N.C. | Mallard Creek HS | University of Louisville
Get To Know Ahlana
Smith comes to Starkville following two seasons at Louisville, where she appeared in 59 career games, making five starts. Smith, who has a plethora of experience in big games, shot over 43% from the floor in her two seasons with the Cardinals and helped Louisville reach the Final Four in 2022. Smith is an explosive guard that understands how to win and always puts her team first.
Before her time at Louisville, Smith spent the 2019-20 season at Gulf Coast State. She was named the NJCAA Division I Women's Basketball Player of the Year while earning First Team All-America honors and the Region VIII Player of the Year award. She led Gulf Coast Coast State with 20.3 points and 2.7 steals per game while recording 4.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per contest. She recorded a trio of 30-point performances during the season, with a season-high 39 points in a 97-89 win over Florida Southwestern.
Smith was ranked as the No. 30 player in the class of 2018 by espnW HoopGurlz and the No. 34 prospect by Prospects Nation. After an impressive high school career where she won a state title and was named a First Team All-MeCKa and the 4A State Tournament MVP, she attended UCLA, where she appeared in 32 games while averaging 12 minutes per night as a true freshman. In her collegiate debut, Smith scored 13 points with four rebounds.
Purcell on Smith
"Ahlana Smith is the last special piece we were missing to balance our roster. She is an explosive combo guard who brings a lot of experience as a graduate transfer. She understands how to win basketball games and plays with a passion that can't be denied. She is a young lady who can play on both ends of the floor and comes up with big plays that can change the outcome of a game. Most importantly, she is a team player who is hungry to help get this program back to an NCAA Tournament. We are excited to get Ahlana on campus soon and get to work."
2022 Signing Class
Debresha Powe
Kourtney Weber
Ramani Parker
Asianae Johnson
Aniya Palmer
Nyayongah Gony
Ahlana Smith
For the most up-to-date information on the Bulldogs, follow MSU women's basketball on Twitter, like them on Facebook, and join them on Instagram by searching for "HailStateWBK.
Smith is transferring to Mississippi State after spending the previous two seasons at the University of Louisville. Smith joins a talented first signing class for Coach Purcell that includes a former Louisville teammate for Smith, Ramani Parker, who signed with the Bulldogs in April. Smith will have one year of eligibility remaining as she is using her covid year granted to student-athletes who competed during the 2020-21 season.
She's officially a Bulldog ✍️
— Mississippi State WBK (@HailStateWBK) May 10, 2022
𝙃𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙪𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝘼𝙝𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙖 𝙎𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙤 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝘽𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙙𝙤𝙜 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮‼️
📰 » https://t.co/ueLb742NA8#HailState🐶 | @ahlanasmith pic.twitter.com/rCmAdcrMOl
Ahlana Smith | 5-9 | Guard | Charlotte, N.C. | Mallard Creek HS | University of Louisville
Get To Know Ahlana
Smith comes to Starkville following two seasons at Louisville, where she appeared in 59 career games, making five starts. Smith, who has a plethora of experience in big games, shot over 43% from the floor in her two seasons with the Cardinals and helped Louisville reach the Final Four in 2022. Smith is an explosive guard that understands how to win and always puts her team first.
Before her time at Louisville, Smith spent the 2019-20 season at Gulf Coast State. She was named the NJCAA Division I Women's Basketball Player of the Year while earning First Team All-America honors and the Region VIII Player of the Year award. She led Gulf Coast Coast State with 20.3 points and 2.7 steals per game while recording 4.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per contest. She recorded a trio of 30-point performances during the season, with a season-high 39 points in a 97-89 win over Florida Southwestern.
Smith was ranked as the No. 30 player in the class of 2018 by espnW HoopGurlz and the No. 34 prospect by Prospects Nation. After an impressive high school career where she won a state title and was named a First Team All-MeCKa and the 4A State Tournament MVP, she attended UCLA, where she appeared in 32 games while averaging 12 minutes per night as a true freshman. In her collegiate debut, Smith scored 13 points with four rebounds.
Purcell on Smith
"Ahlana Smith is the last special piece we were missing to balance our roster. She is an explosive combo guard who brings a lot of experience as a graduate transfer. She understands how to win basketball games and plays with a passion that can't be denied. She is a young lady who can play on both ends of the floor and comes up with big plays that can change the outcome of a game. Most importantly, she is a team player who is hungry to help get this program back to an NCAA Tournament. We are excited to get Ahlana on campus soon and get to work."
2022 Signing Class
Debresha Powe
Kourtney Weber
Ramani Parker
Asianae Johnson
Aniya Palmer
Nyayongah Gony
Ahlana Smith
For the most up-to-date information on the Bulldogs, follow MSU women's basketball on Twitter, like them on Facebook, and join them on Instagram by searching for "HailStateWBK.
– HailState.com –
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