As Shayla Smith pushed her way through a group of defenders and sank a layup off the left-hand corner of the backboard, the timeout whistle blew and her teammates ran off of the bench jumping with excitement.
Smith had broken Philadelphia’s all-time women’s basketball scoring record with her 2,502nd career point, etching her name into city history on Feb. 13.
Committing to Penn State almost a year prior, the 5-foot-9 guard has shown a lot of potential at Universal Audenried Charter High School that could translate well for the Lady Lions.
Strong vision
As a guard, Smith’s ball-handling is expected to be among the best of the team. However, her passing has also shown to be elite.
At the 2024 Rare Footage Classic, the Philadelphia native used her vision to flip the ball to a wide-open teammate for an easy score.
Smith scoops and tosses the basketball in no-look fashion for an easy assist off the layup. pic.twitter.com/LVy2316jnZ
— Noah Aberegg (@aberegg_noah) July 14, 2025
Smith’s passing abilities go far beyond taking the ball down the court. Later in the season, she secured a defensive rebound and rocketed the ball down the court for another assist.
After securing the rebound, Smith launches the ball down court for an assist. pic.twitter.com/dzL16ckHmx
— Noah Aberegg (@aberegg_noah) July 14, 2025
When Smith’s chances of scoring are less than ideal, she puts trust in her teammates to get the work done.
Smith fights past a Notre Dame defender before dishing the ball to a teammate for a contested score. pic.twitter.com/NsP6qb8Cyn
— Noah Aberegg (@aberegg_noah) July 14, 2025
Guard Shayla Smith sits on the bench during a basketball game.
Courtesy of Marcellus Boone
Toughness to the basket
Despite having a smaller frame at 5-foot-9, Smith has shown her fight and grit when given the chance to score.
In a matchup with Paul VI High School in January, Smith backed down a defender and pivoted toward the basket, sinking the shot while taking contact.
Smith takes contact while backing down a defender for two points. pic.twitter.com/dCVU5NyWEp
— Noah Aberegg (@aberegg_noah) July 14, 2025
However, Smith doesn’t have to back down defenders to make it happen. Against Notre Dame a week later, Smith pushed right through two defenders to lay the ball in for a score.
Against Notre Dame, Smith pushes through a pair of defenders for a layup off the right side. pic.twitter.com/QENWrXi71J
— Noah Aberegg (@aberegg_noah) July 14, 2025
Later in the game, Smith took the ball down the entirety of the court, making her way around a whole team of defenders before capitalizing off another layup.
Smith sneaks her way under the arms of two defenders and up for another layup against Notre Dame. pic.twitter.com/aAiCIasg9n
— Noah Aberegg (@aberegg_noah) July 14, 2025
Guard Shayla Smith poses in front of a “We Are” sign during her official Penn State visit.
Courtesy of Marcellus Boone
Raining triples
Smith’s high school coach Kevin Slaughter compared her 3-point shooting to that of Steph Curry and Trae Young in an interview to The Daily Collegian in April.
Throughout her four years at Audenried, her shooting has come in all shapes and forms from behind the 3-point line.
Against Gloucester Catholic High School, Smith drove down the right side of the court and launched an off-balance 3-pointer over a defender.
Smith launches herself off her back foot to sink a corner 3-pointer over a defender. pic.twitter.com/6SUOHYPVZC
— Noah Aberegg (@aberegg_noah) July 14, 2025
After taking the inbound and making her way down the court, Smith stopped just shy of the logo and pulled up for a very long triple.
Smith launches a long-ball from near the logo after coming up the court from an inbound. pic.twitter.com/1htFVPKseh
— Noah Aberegg (@aberegg_noah) July 14, 2025
One of Smith’s final triples from her 33-point game came off a quick-decision to pull-up from the top of the arc for a 3-pointer.
Smith ends the game against Gloucester Catholic with a pull-up triple at the top of the key. pic.twitter.com/N5xXPPz1ce
— Noah Aberegg (@aberegg_noah) July 14, 2025
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