By Kalena Reynolds | Staff Writer
When graduate guard Aliyah Matharu joined Baylor women’s basketball as a mid-year transfer in the fall, she not only accomplished a long-time goal of joining the Bears but also settled in with her team and the community, leaving her with a feeling of unity.
“They’ve always been a top program, especially in women’s basketball,” Matharu said. “So ultimately, when I entered the portal, I kind of already knew where I wanted to go. Which is crazy, but I actually watched a lot of Baylor women’s basketball last year.”
Matharu was first drawn to Baylor for the style of play and ability to defend every position from guard to center. As the 2023-24 leading scorer in the SEC, Matharu was able to take her knowledge from previous years and apply it to the quick-paced environment within the green and gold.
“I love the style of play, the offense, ball screen… playing with good post players, and just the versatility that we have even before I got here.” Matharu said. “Everyone is so versatile.” “You could switch one through five, one through four. It doesn’t matter. Everybody can play multiple positions.”
When Matharu began the transfer process, she recalled the honesty that head coach Nicki Collen had with her on and off the court, and how that ultimately helped her mesh into the team and continue to gain momentum on game days.
“She was very honest with me, and that’s ultimately what brought me here,” Matharu said.
On the track of honesty, Matharu mentioned that she was nervous to make such a big move from Florida with the season quickly approaching. However, Matharu found she fell into place with the other girls on the team quicker than expected.
“I was very shy and very nervous about going somewhere new at such an awkward time,” Matharu said. “But, you know, just playing for the person next to you, I built the bond with these girls in such a short time that I just want to go out there and do the best that I can for them, for our team, in any way possible.”
To join the team dynamic as quickly as possible, Matharu immediately began reviewing film and studying the Bears’ gameplay and unique style.
“I did my part, I watched film, I studied the game, and tried to come in with as much knowledge as I could,” Matharu said. “And they were able to just feed into me a little bit more with that because, obviously, learning a whole new offense in the middle of the season can be tough for anyone. But like I said, it’s about the people; these are amazing people to be around, and every day is a testament to that.”
Collen said that in practice, they have focused on imitating gameplay and ensuring that Matharu is confident in her abilities as well as trusting her teammates.
“Her greatest challenge right now is really raising the level of what she’s doing in practice, so that what I think is going to happen in the game is what happens,” Collen said. “I don’t fear that she’s going to confidently take an open shot. But I want to know that she’s going to play downhill and make the right read. That she’s going to be in the right spot at the defensive end, that she can amp up and guard the ball really aggressively without fouling.”
After college, Matharu hopes to go pro with a selection in the WNBA Draft but first wants to ensure that she is able to make an impact on the team and leave her mark on the girls she gets to play with.
“My goal is moving forward, obviously, I want to get drafted,” Matharu said. “That’s always been my number one plan, and I just try to influence the people younger than me because I’ve been to a lot of different places, so I have a lot of good knowledge that I’ve been able to soak up, and my biggest thing has always been just trying to pour into others.”
The Bears will be back in action against Cincinnati at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Foster Pavilion.
