| No. 11–Ontario Christian Lady Knights | |
|---|---|
| Position | Point guard |
| Personal information | |
| Listed height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Ontario Christian (Ontario, California) |
Kaleena Smith (born c. 2009) is an American basketball player who currently attends Ontario Christian School in Ontario, California. She is a consensus five-star recruit and the top-ranked player in the 2027 class.
Smith was born to parents who both played college basketball and is the oldest of five siblings. [1] She began playing basketball when she was three years old after being gifted a ball by her grandfather, looking up to players like Kyrie Irving. [1] [2] At age eight, Smith began playing on a boys' club team based in Riverside, California, coached by her dad. [1] [3] In 2017, she was featured in a USA Today article which described her as a "basketball prodigy". [3] Smith played against boys throughout her youth and received the nickname "Special K"; [4] she was later sent a box of Special K cereal by Kellogg's in 2025. [5] She was homeschooled through middle school while growing up in Perris, California, but started playing in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) at age 12, initially at the 16U level, with the California Storm. [1] [6]
Smith chose to attend Ontario Christian School in Ontario, California, located about 35 mi (56 km) away from her home in Perris, in part due to her wanting to "to grow [her] faith in God". [1] On December 15, 2023, she broke the school single-game scoring record with 55 points — including a state-record 11 three-pointers — to go with 10 assists and 10 steals in three quarters of a 136–29 blowout win over Woodcrest Christian. [1] [7] On January 19, 2024, Smith broke her own school record by scoring 62 points, including 10 three-pointers, in a 132–21 rout of Linfield Christian. [8] She eclipsed the 1,000 point mark in her 31st career game. [9] As a freshman, Smith averaged 34.9 points, 6.5 assists, and 4.2 steals per game while shooting 50.3 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from three-point range, leading her team to a 28–5 record. [10] [11] She broke the state record with 179 three-pointers, surpassing the previous mark of 169 set by Danielle Viglione in 1992, [7] and was named the MaxPreps National Freshman of the Year. [10]
In addition to playing on the EYBL circuit with the Cal Storm that offseason, Smith played in Overtime Select, a new high school girls basketball league for top recruits. [12] She served as one of only two freshman captains during the league's inaugural season in 2024, leading her team in points (20.8), assists (7.8), and steals (2.5), en route to a championship game appearance, where she scored 20 points for ISO WRLD in an 85–75 loss to Double Dynasty. [13] [14] Smith was also named the MVP of the UA Next Elite 24 showcase in Brooklyn after scoring 20 points, including the game-winning three-pointer, to help Team Fire beat a Saniyah Hall-led Team Ice. [15] [16]
As a sophomore, Smith averaged 23.2 points, 8.1 assists, and 4.5 steals per game while leading the Lady Knights to a 30–2 record and their first-ever CIF Southern Section Open Division championship, hitting the game-winning free throws in a 65–63 win over Etiwanda. [17] [18] They also reached the CIF Southern Region Open Division final, where she scored a game-high 22 points in a 67–62 loss to Etiwanda. [19] While her scoring average decreased in her second season, Smith showed a marked improvement as a facilitator. [20] In addition to being named the MaxPreps National Sophomore of the Year, [21] she became just the second sophomore to ever win the California Gatorade Player of the Year award, following Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis in 2009. [18] Smith also earned player of the year honors from the Los Angeles Times. [20]
That offseason, Smith debuted on the Adidas 3SSB circuit with 7 Days. [22] She helped them win the 17U championship, scoring 22 points in a 57–56 overtime win over the Nation Williams-led Utah Lady Prospects in the final, and earned circuit MVP honors after averaging 23 points and a tournament-high 5.9 assists per game. [23] [24] Smith was invited to the 2025 Adidas Eurocamp in Italy, but was unable to attend due to injury. [25] She also returned for the second season of Overtime Select, once again pacing her team in points (26.8), assists (8.3), and steals (2.8). [26] [27] Smith guided ISO WRLD to the championship game for the second year in a row, where she scored 28 points in an 87–71 loss to the All Knighters, led by Saniyah Hall. [27]
Smith is a consensus five-star recruit and is considered the top high school prospect of the 2027 class. She received her first NCAA Division I offer from California Baptist at age 11 or 12 after attending a camp at the school. [4] Smith received additional offers from UConn, South Carolina, USC, and UCLA before entering high school, [4] and had around 20 by the middle of her freshman season. [6] In October 2024, she was named the top prospect in the 2027 class in the inaugural women's high school basketball rankings released by 247Sports. [28] [29]
Smith has volunteered with the Salvation Army, as a youth basketball coach, and a youth Bible study group supporter. She also interned with the Creative Artists Agency. [18] Smith has known JuJu Watkins, whom she called her "big sis", since her youth. [5]
In November 2024, Smith signed a name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal with Adidas, becoming the brand's first-ever high school women's basketball NIL partner. [30] She was also Adidas' first signing under its new president of women's basketball, Candace Parker. [13]