What’s next for Texas’ Shaylee Gonzales? – Deseret News

Former BYU Cougar Shaylee Gonzales’ collegiate career has officially come to an end.

On Tuesday, Gonazles announced in an Instagram post that she had declared for the 2024 WNBA draft, thanking God and her support system.

“First, I’d like to thank God for blessing me with ability to play basketball, I wouldn’t be anywhere without Him. I’d like to thank my family and friends for the endless love and support,” she said in the post.

What did Shaylee Gonzales say about playing at Texas?

The guard spent the first four seasons of her collegiate career — one of which was lost to an ACL injury — in Provo before transferring to Texas in 2022 for her final two years of her eligibility.

Gonzales did not mention BYU in her draft announcement.

“To my teammates, what a ride it’s been. I’m so lucky and blessed to have been able to go to war with through our ups and downs, I will never forget all the memories we made,” she said. “To Coach (Vic) Schaefer, thank you for giving me the opportunity to finish my last two years of eligibility at Texas. I have learned so much from you, not just about basketball but also about life. It has been an experience I will never forget and will always miss. To the coaching staff, thank you for putting your hearts into this team for teaching, guiding, and supporting us.”

Gonzales experienced the best year of her career as a freshman at BYU, averaging 17 points per game and 4.1 assists. Her point average was the second-best average nationally among freshmen, as the Deseret News previously reported.

After leaving BYU, Gonzales scored 814 points in the 74 games she started and played in for Texas. She led Texas in 3-pointers made (60) and steals (58) this season, according to the team.

Following her first season as a Longhorn, she was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Year.

This season, Gonzales and Texas made it all the way to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Women’s Tournament before falling to NC State.

Now Gonzales will have a chance to continue living out her basketball dreams with this month’s WNBA draft.

“And to that little girl with a crazy, big dream, all your hard work and sacrifice was worth it. You’ve been living out your dreams,” she wrote on Instagram.

The WNBA draft will be held April 15 in Brooklyn, New York.