The Florida Gators women’s basketball program on Monday made a major move in the transfer portal, landing former Penn State guard Kiyomi McMiller, a former five-star and the No. 17 player in ESPN’s transfer rankings.
McMiller’s signing was first reported by On3’s Zach Abolverdi and confirmed by Florida shortly after. She has two years of eligibility remaining.
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“I really want the opportunity to coach Ki and teach her the things that she will need to progress to the next level,” head coach Tammi Reiss said. “Kiyomi is a relentless worker, lives in the gym, loves the game and wants to win. Obviously, she is extremely skilled, and her handle is the best I have ever seen from a female. She is a three-level scorer who can create her shot at any time and can really score.”
Reiss and McMiller have plenty of familiarity with each other, too, as Reiss, then an assistant at Syracuse, gave McMiller her first Power Four offer. McMiller was in the fifth grade at the time.
“Seeing Coach Reiss get the opportunity to coach at a school like Florida, I was really proud and just happy for her. And it really was exciting for me,” McMiller told Abolverdi. “As soon as she called, that’s the place I wanted to go.”
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Last season at Penn State, McMiller averaged 21.6 points, five rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. Her point average ranked 12th nationally. McMiller will aim to replace outgoing transfer guard Liv McGill, who signed with Oklahoma State after averaging 22.5 points per game last season.
Meanwhile, Reiss has nearly rebuilt the entire roster with only one player from last season in forward Jade Weathersby returning. Reiss signed junior forward Aurora Almn (Syracuse), senior guard Moriah Murray (Penn State),junior guard Taliyah Parker (TCU), sophomore guard Vanessa Harris (Rhode Island), junior forward Mallory Miller (Butler), junior forward Vivian Iwuchukwu (USC) and senior guard Jordan Jones (Arizona State) out of the transfer portal while also signing guard Bailey Harris out of the high school ranks.
Despite the roster overhaul she is undertaking, Reiss has made it no secret that she isembracing the challenge of building Florida’s women’s basketball program, which holds the distinction of being the only athletics program on campus without a conference title.
Reiss said the chance to build a program from the ground up drew her to taking the Florida job.
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“I need a certain investment in women’s basketball, and they did that. I’ve had other opportunities, but again, I’ve been very particular about the program that checks all the boxes and is a builder program,” Reiss said,via Florida Gators’ writer Scott Carter. “I don’t like inheriting. I want something to build. All I needed was someone to meet halfway. Florida came to the table, and they are ready. They want a good women’s basketball program, and they are ready to resource it accordingly.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/florida as Gators Women’s Basketball Makes Major Transfer Portal Move.
