Kaylene Smikle has stood out in her first five games as a Terp.
Kaylene Smikle entered her first season in College Park with an impressive résumé, but her performance thus far has surpassed all expectations.
Smikle has scored at least 20 points in each of No. 11 Maryland women’s basketball’s last four games, helping lead the Terps to a 5-0 start.
“Consistency is something that I take pride on,” Smikle said.
Smikle’s offensive efficiency has been remarkable. She is shooting 95.5% (21-of-22) from the free-throw line, 70.6% (12-of-17) from 3-point range and 52.6% (30-of-57) from the field. She’s also averaging 3.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.
Her potential to succeed in head coach Brenda Frese’s system was clear when she transferred in from Rutgers, but her quick rise to stardom was not completely expected.
Smikle was an effective scorer in her two seasons with Rutgers, and thus a highly-touted transfer. In her first season with the Scarlet Knights, she earned All-Big Ten second-team and All-Big Ten freshman-team honors from both coaches and the media. As a freshman, the Long Island native averaged 17.9 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 32 games and 19 starts.
She faced the Terps twice that year, impressing in both. On Jan. 2, 2023, in Piscataway, New Jersey, Smikle notched 29 points and nine rebounds. In her first game at Xfinity Center, she put up 21 points, five rebounds and two assists.
Her sophomore season with Rutgers was riddled with injuries. She played in 15 games, averaging 16.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists, before her season was cut short in December after suffering an injury against Northwestern.
As a former conference opponent, Frese was familiar with Smikle’s talent, and thus Smikle was entrusted as a starter and key focal point to start the season.
“[Smikle] doesn’t fear the moment, really an aggressive, attack mentality,” Frese said.
Smikle’s first game as a Terp wasn’t pretty, though. She posted seven points and three rebounds, going 2-of-6 from the field against UMBC. There were flashes of potential, but it seemed like it would take some time for her to adjust.
But Smikle quickly proved that her opening night performance was just jitters. She proceeded to score 20 points against Coppin State, 23 points against then-No. 11 Duke, 22 points at Syracuse and 21 points against Towson.
“[Smikle’s] just a competitor and a winner, and clearly just an elite three-level scorer,” Frese said.
She has headed Maryland’s renaissance from deep, going 12-of-16 from beyond the arc over the past four games. On opening night at UMBC, the Terps were 2-of-13 (15.4%) from deep, and Smikle was 0 for 1 herself.
Since opening night, her 12 3-pointers have cemented the team’s 52.2% pace from downtown.
However, Smikle still has improvements to make. She has turned the ball over 15 times this season, including a stretch against Syracuse where she turned the ball over on three consecutive possessions. Her defense is also still flawed — she has shown more miscues on the defensive end than Frese would like.
“Now we’ve got to work on our assist-to-turnover ratio and [Smikle’s] defense,” Frese said. “We’ve got one part of her game that’s really good. The other part we’ve got to really work on.”
Nonetheless, the Terps wouldn’t be ranked No. 11 in the country and have defeated difficult ACC opponents in Duke and Syracuse without her presence. Coming off a disappointing season, Maryland is trending toward improvement, and Smikle is spearheading the charge.