Former Arizona Wildcats Bendu Yeaney and Semaj Smith have picked new schools, and one of them is staying in the Pac-12.
Yeaney will play her final college season at Oregon State, she announced Wednesday on social media. The senior guard was a somewhat surprising addition to the NCAA transfer portal last week; Yeaney was a starter on a Wildcats team that made the program's first-ever Final Four in 2021, and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament this year.Β
Smith, a reserve center, announced late Wednesday that she will play at San Jose State. The Spartans recently hired former UA assistant coach April Phillips to run the program.
Yeaney and Smith are the third and fourth Wildcats to commit to other schools so far this week. Forward Gisela Sanchez announced Monday that she had committed to Kansas State, and Netty Vonleh said Tuesday she was bound for Colorado. Former Wildcats Anna Gret Asi, Koi Love and Derin Erodgan are still looking for new schools. Taylor Chavez opted to bypass her final season of eligibility for a job in the private sector.
Oregon State marks a homecoming of sorts for Yeaney, who grew up in Portland and attended St. Mary's Academy before committing to Indiana. She spent two seasons with the Hoosiers before transferring to the UA.
Yeaney averaged 4.1 points and 3.1 rebounds for Arizona during the 2020-21 season, then put up 6.3 points and 2.7 rebounds per game last season while playing more than 25 minutes per game.
Smith's best season came in 2020-21, when she started eight games and averaged 3.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game, both career highs.
