Previewing Miami WBB’s Transfer Additions

Miami women’s basketball lost seven graduating seniors from its historic Elite Eight team this offseason, including key starters Destiny Harden, Haley Cavinder and Lola Pendande. To fill these vacant roster spots, head coach Katie Meier and her staff acquired four high-quality transfers in the hopes of replicating similar NCAA Tournament success in the 2023-24 season.

Here’s what UM fans should know about each of these newcomers.

Lemyah Hylton

A four-star recruit in the class of 2022, Hylton, who is from Ontario, was the highest-rated international prospect in her recruiting cycle, according to ESPN HoopGurlz.

The 5-foot-11 guard played her freshman campaign at Arizona, where she averaged 1.5 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.4 assists in 15 games. She has great upside as a defender, as her length allows her to guard multiple positions. Hylton had a career-high four steals in a November win over Cal State.

Offensively, Hylton has room for improvement but showed growth in her freshman year, according to Wildcats head coach Adia Barnes in an article written by the Arizona Daily Star on Nov. 11, 2022.

“Lemyah does a great job of penetrating, jump-stopping and kicking, and that’s not something she did a few weeks ago,” Barnes said. “We’re asking a lot from Lemyah, because we are putting her at all these different positions. … Lemyah is picking up stuff fast and doing a tremendous job because it’s hard as a freshman trying to learn your spot and your two wing spots and then you get thrown to another one. There’s totally different rules and places to go.”

Jaida Patrick

Patrick, a graduate transfer who last played at Columbia, brings experience and proven production to UM’s backcourt.

Patrick began her collegiate career at Duke before transferring to Columbia ahead of the 2021-22 season. Last year with the Lions, the 5-foot-10 guard averaged 12.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game and was recognized on the Second Team All-Ivy League at the end of the season.

The West Haverstraw, New York, native, because of her four years of prior college experience, could be an instant contributor to Miami. Patrick, like Hylton, has the tools to be a defensive force, as she averaged a team-high 1.9 steals per game in 2022-23, good for ninth in her conference.

Ally Stedman

Pepperdine transfer Ally Stedman was one of the premier scorers last season in the West Coast Conference. The rising junior guard averaged a team-high 15.6 points per game, with the highlight of her game being her elite shooting stroke.

Stedman shot 34.5% from deep last season on 7.3 attempts per game. While it’s unlikely that she shoots at such a high volume on a more balanced team like Miami, her efficiency could increase because of the higher quality look she may receive.

Shayeann Day-Wilson

Day-Wilson might be the headline player in Miami’s 2023 transfer class.

The 5-foot-6 guard, who has two years of eligibility remaining, was a key contributor to a Duke team that finished second in the ACC regular-season standings.

Day-Wilson was the ACC Freshman of the Year in 2021-22 but struggled to replicate the same level of play in her sophomore season. Her scoring, rebounding and assisting averages all decreased, and she shot less efficiently from the field. 

Despite this drop-off in play, she still averaged a respectable 8.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.

If she can build on her elite freshman campaign, Day-Wilson has All-ACC First Team potential and could be one of the driving forces behind another deep NCAA Tournament run for the Hurricanes.