After a breakout season in her first season with Maryland women’s basketball, Kaylene Smikle opted to return for what was expected to be her senior season.
Smikle missed the first three games of the season with what was described as a nagging knee injury she had been dealing with since the preseason. She then returned and played in seven games for the Terps.
But on Dec. 7, Smikle announced that she would undergo knee surgery that would end her season and likely preserve her final year of eligibility.
However, that season will not be played in College Park. She is entering the transfer portal, announced on her Instagram Monday.
When she announced her surgery in a letter addressed to Terp Nation, she ended it with, “This is not goodbye, see you next season.”
Things have changed since then. Smikle was in attendance for the road game at Minnesota on the day of her announcement, but didn’t travel with the team for the remainder of the season.
Smikle decided to do her rehab for the most part outside of Maryland’s facilities.
In 2024-25, Smikle led Maryland with 18.2 points per game, and was named to the All-Big Ten first team by the media and second team by coaches.
Smikle was expected to be the leader of this year’s team. When she played, she was on track to do so. She averaged 13.1 points per game before shutting herself down for the season.
Smikle is the fourth Terp to enter the transfer portal this season, alongside Kyndal Walker, Isi Ozzy-Momodu and Breanna Williams. The Terps now have four open spots on their roster going into 2026-27.
