By Foster Nicholas | Sports Editor
No. 12 Baylor women’s basketball bolstered its roster with the addition of Florida transfer Aliyah Matharu. The fifth-year guard signed with the Bears on Sunday, making her eligible to wear the green and gold during Big 12 play.
The Washington, D.C. native joins the Bears after stops at Mississippi State, Texas and Florida. During her senior campaign with the Gators, Matharu finished second in the SEC in points per game (19.0) and led the team in assists (2.4) and steals per game (2.7). The point guard missed the 2022-23 season due to NCAA rules, which required her to miss the year since it was her second transfer.
“We are thrilled with the addition of Aliyah to our backcourt,” head coach Nicki Collen said. “She fits perfectly into our style of play with her speed in transition with or without the ball in her hands. Aliyah is an elite playmaking guard who has the ability to get downhill to the rim as well as make 3’s. Her defensive pressure will help raise the level of our defense and will give us depth on our short roster this season. Our fans are going to love the intensity she plays with every time she steps on the court.”
In her lone season with the Longhorns in 2021-22, Matharu was an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention. She averaged 12.0 points per game while shooting 42.1% from 3-point range in her only season competing in the Big 12. Baylor was already on Matharu’s radar before her second transfer, which made it a preferred landing spot for her final year of eligibility.
“If I’m being honest, I wanted to go to Baylor after I had left Texas, but I don’t think I was ready for the heat that would have came with that,” Matharu told On3 after announcing her decision. “So I went a different direction. But I’ve watched Coach Nicki [Collen] since she’s been at Baylor and I really like their style of play in the guards that they have and even the post players. At every position, they have really, really, talented players and really good people.”
According to Talia Goodman of On3, the 5-foot-7 guard thought about entering the transfer portal during the spring window as she tried to make things work with Florida. Instead, Matharu entered the portal in early October, which made the recruiting process unique since she would only be active for the spring semester.
“The timing was kind of bad, because it happened right before the season was about to start…” Matharu told On3. “I’m coming in at such a late time that I’ll have to be really focused and committed to helping the team. That’s all I really want to do. It’s just building that relationship with [Nicki Collen], as far as coming in and watching film and getting to know her as a coach and learning how she likes her point guards to do things.”
Matharu will finish out her academic semester at Florida and be active for the Bears in January. No. 12 Baylor women’s basketball opens up the season against Incarnate Word at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Foster Pavilion. The Big 12 slate on opens Dec. 21 against Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence before returning to the Foster Pavilion to take on Oklahoma State on Jan. 1, 2025.
