Completed Event: Women's Basketball versus Houston on February 14, 2026 , Win , 85, to, 68
Final
Women's Basketball
85
vs Houston
68
2026-27 Women's Basketball Roster
Roster
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's Basketball
Jersey Number 12
S'Mya Nichols
- Position:
- Guard
- Height:
- 6-0
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- Overland Park, Kan.
Get to Know S’Mya ...
What is the significance behind your jersey number?
My older sister, Tyra, wore number 21. When I was younger and I was wearing her jersey to a practice I went to for fun and they asked me what number I wanted to be. I looked down at the jersey because I wanted to be like her but the numbers were switched around and I said 12.
Who was your favorite player growing up? Who did you emulate your game after?
LeBron James, I try mimicking his dominance and passion for the game.
How would you describe your style of play to someone who has never watched you?
I play very aggressive, I’m fairly quiet on the court but you can catch me smiling a lot. I’m a pretty dominant player so I’m always trying to create an opportunity for my teammates and I. I also play with lipgloss every game.
Who is your biggest role model?
My mom. She’s a businesswoman so I am inspired to be one as well. She never picks her foot up off the gas and is just always trying to find something to improve in within herself.
Why did you choose KU?
I’m from Kansas and went to school at Shawnee Mission West, so why not play for the state that supported me growing up as well. The culture and family atmosphere is like no other, it’s a quick home away from home. They also catered Andy’s Frozen Custard on my visit.
NAME & HOMETOWN PRONUNCIATION
Career Honors
WBCA All-America Honorable Mention (2025-26)
All-Big 12 First Team (2025-26)
Big 12 Starting Five (Dec. 1, 2025)
Big 12 Starting Five (Dec. 8, 2025)
Unanimous Preseason All-Big 12 (2025-26)
Academic All-Big 12 First Team (2025-26)
Naismith Trophy Player of the Year Watch List (2025-26)
Wooden Award Watch List (2025-26)
Nancy Liebermann PG of the Year Watch List (2025-26)
WBCA All-America Honorable Mention (2024-25)
All-Big 12 First Team (2024-25)
Paradise Jam Island Division MVP (2024)
Academic All-Big 12 First Team (2024-25)
USBWA National Player of the Week (Dec. 17, 2024)
Preseason All-Big 12 (2024-25)
Jersey Mike’s Naismith Women’s Player of the Year Watch List (2024-25)
All-Big 12 First Team (2023-24)
Unanimous Big 12 All-Freshman Team (2023-24)
Big 12 Freshman of the Week (Jan 15, 2024)
Big 12 Freshman of the Week (Dec. 11, 2023)
Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team (2023-24)
Career Rankings (entering senior season)
#1 Free Throws Made – 627
#3 Free Throw% – 83.8%
#3 3-Point FG% – 40.5%
#7 Assists – 397
#10 Scoring – 1,693 Points
Single Season Rankings
#1 Free Throws Made – 243 (2026)
#2 Free Throws Made – 218 (2025)
#7 Free Throw% – 84.7% (2026)
#9 Assists – 167 (2026)
#10 Free Throw% – 83.8% (2025)
#10 Scoring – 628 Points (2026)
2025-26 (Junior)
Earned her second straight All-America recognition with honorable mention from the WBCA…Named to the All-Big 12 First Team for the third straight season…Was twice named to Big 12 Starting Five…Ranked second on the team and sixth in the Big 12 in scoring at 17.4 points per game…Led NCAA Division I women’s basketball in both free throws made (243) and attempted (287)…Set the Kansas single season record for FT made for the second straight season…Became KU’s all-time leader in FT made vs. Oklahoma State (Jan. 14)…Ranked third in the Big 12 in FT percentage at 83.8%...Also averaged 4.6 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game…Led the team with 39 steals…Started all 36 games, averaging 28.4 minutes per game…Scored in double figures 32 times, with 13 games of 20+ points and two games with 30+ points…Became the first Kansas player since 1984 to score 40+ points in a game when she scored a career high 40 vs. Georgia (Nov. 28) in the Fort Myers Tipoff…Set a new career high with 16 FT made vs. Troy (March 19), a mark that is tied for third most in school history for a single game…Shot 38.2 percent (173-359) from the field and 42.9 percent (39-91) from 3FG for the year…Dished out a season-high 9 assists vs. Houston (Feb. 14) and pulled down a season-high 7 rebounds at Missouri State (Dec. 7).
2024-25 (Sophomore)
Earned her first All-America selection, receiving All-America Honorable Mention from the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA)…Named to the All-Big 12 First Team for the second straight season…Led the Jayhawks and ranked fifth in the Big 12 in scoring, averaging 18.6 points per game…Led the Big 12 and ranked second nationally with 218 free throws made, which shattered the previous school record…Now ranks fifth in Big 12 history with 218 made free throws and shot 83.8 percent (218-260) from the line…Became the 33rd player in program history to score 1,000 career points, doing so in her 58th game to become the second-fastest player in school history to hit the milestone…Started all 30 games, scoring in double figures 26 times with 16 games of 20 or more points…Her 16 games of 20+ points ranks fifth in school history for a single season…Had two streaks of five consecutive games scoring 20+ points, which ranks as the third-longest such streak by a Jayhawk since 1999…Scored a season-high 28 points in the final game of the Paradise Jam against Auburn (Nov. 30)...Recorded her first career double-double with 20 points and a career-high 12 assists against Iowa State (Feb. 15)…Averaged 3.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game for the year…Shot 46.2 percent (156-338) from the field and 38.0 percent (27-71) from three for the year.
2023-24 (Freshman)
Named All-Big 12 First Team and was a unanimous selection to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team…Two-time Big 12 Freshman of the Week, earning the award on December 11 and January 15…Led the team in scoring with 508 points, the second highest for a freshman in program history… Averaged 15.4 points per game, which is the most by a freshman in the Brandon Schneider era, tying the second-highest by a freshman in program history…First in free throws made and free throw attempts for a freshman (166-of-201)…Attempted the third-most free throws (201) in a single season in program history…Scored over 10+ points in 29 of her 33 games and 20+ point in nine contests…Totaled 92 rebounds, 89 assists and 45 steals…In the final regular season game, scored a career–high 29 points behind 13 free throws to give Kansas its third ranked win with an 83-74 victory over No. 20 Oklahoma (March 2)…Averaged 18.5 points in her first showing at the NCAA Tournament, scoring 15 against Michigan (March 23) and going for 22 against USC (March 25).
High School
Five-star prospect, ranked No. 5 at her position and No. 22 in the country by Collegiate Girls Basketball Report…As a member of the 2022 Team USA U18 National Team, won a gold medal at the FIBA U18 Americas Championship…One of 50 prep players named to the watch list for the 2023 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Girls High School Player of the Year award…Nominated to compete in the McDonald’s All-America Game…One of five Kansans named as a Female Direnna Award Semifinalist for the best player in the Kansas City Metro area…’Sports in Kansas’ Girls All-Classes Top 5 selection as a senior in 2023…Three-time All-Class 6A First Team selection (2021, 2022, 2023) by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association (KBCA)…’Sports in Kansas’ Second Team All-State All-Classes selection in 2022…2021 DeSoto Hardwood Classic Tournament MVP…Second Team All-State Class 6A selection by ‘Sports in Kansas’ and CJOnline.com in 2020…Led Shawnee Mission West to the Class 6A State Tournament for the first time since 2016, earning the Vikings the No. 7 seed in 2022…Scored a career-best 31 points in the sub-state championship win over Olathe South…Coached by Mark Rabbitt at Shawnee Mission West…Scored over 1,000 points for her career, averaging 19.0 points per game as a senior…Played AAU basketball for the Missouri Phenom program started by former KU Associate Head Coach Terry Nooner…Committed to Kansas in October 2022…Chose KU over Tennessee, Arizona, Oklahoma, Missouri and many others.
Personal
Daughter of Latreena Lambert and Sam Nichols…Stepfather Dane Griffin played football at Kansas from 1982-85…Has five sisters: Tyra Cole, Kyra Nichols, Kyla Nichols, Janiya Nichols and Tyerra Nichols.
Elle Evans State Farm 3-Point Championships
Monday, April 06
WBIT Semifinals Media Availability
Sunday, March 29
Women's Basketball Postgame Press Conference vs. San Diego State
Friday, March 27
Women's Basketball Highlights vs. San Diego State
Friday, March 27
