Audenried record-holder Shayla Smith transfers home to Temple from Penn State
Smith, the all-time leading scorer in Philadelphia high school girls basketball history, averaged 2.6 points for the Lady Lions as a freshman. Temple also landed forward Timya Grice from ASU.
Former Penn State guard Shayla Smith has committed to Temple, she announced on her social media Saturday morning. Smith played one season for the Lady Lions and averaged 2.6 points and 2.6 rebounds in just under 10 minutes per game as a freshman.
The Philadelphia native played high school basketball at Audenried and compiled one of the best careers of any player in city history. Smith led the Lady Rockets to three straight Philadelphia Public League Championships and averaged 27.5 points per game as a senior.
At Audenried, she averaged 23.8 points per game during her career and surpassed Dawn Staley as the quickest player in PPL history to reach 1,000 career points. Smith finished her career with 2,666 points and was named to the all-state team three times. Last February in a game against Engineering and Science, she became the all-time leading scorer in Philadelphia girls basketball history.
» READ MORE: Audenried’s Shayla Smith went from overlooked to the city’s most decorated high school hoops player
But Smith’s freshman year at Penn State did not go as planned, as her playing time waned as the season wore on. She reached double figures in points just twice, shot 35.8% from the field overall, and failed to make a shot after Dec. 31.
Smith is the first player to commit to the Owls since the transfer portal opened on April 6. She returns to Philadelphia after being offered by Temple out of high school. Smith joins a roster that returns guards Kaylah Turner, Tristen Taylor, and forward Saniyah Craig.
The addition of Smith couuld help fill the void left by the departures of guard Drew Alexander, Kelian Cedano, Brianna Mead, and Savannah Curry.
emple welcomed a second portal addition Saturday in former Arizona State center Timya Grice, according to On3.com. The 6-foot-5 Grice played eight games for the Sun Devils and averaged 1.1 points and one rebound per game in 2025-26.
The addition of Grice bolsters a frontcourt that lost forward Jaleesa Molina to the transfer portal on March 20. The Houston native enrolled at Arizona State in 2024-25, but redshirted that season due to an injury. Grice will have three years of eligibility remaining
» READ MORE: 2026 women’s basketball transfer portal tracker: Big 5 moves, where Philly-area standouts are going