ORLANDO- Jayla Kelly, a transfer from the Southeastern Conference, has signed with the UCF women's basketball team as the Knights gear up for their inaugural season in the Big 12 conference, head coach Sytia Messer announced Wednesday.
"Jayla has played in the SEC and knows what it's like to play in a Power 5 Conference," said Coach Messer. "I think that UCF is a great fit for her as we head into our inaugural season in the Big 12. She has experience in some big-time games that will help our team through this transition into the new conference. Welcome to the UCF family, Jayla."
Kelly, a 6-3 center from Chesterfield, Missouri, spent the last three seasons with the Missouri Tigers where she appeared in 58 career games. As a junior, she started 20 games and played in 26 games, scoring double digits in three games. Kelly recorded a career-high 14 points with nine rebounds against Tennessee, a 2023 NCAA Tournament Team.
Against Wake Forest, Kelly narrowly missed recording a double-double, as she pulled down a career-best 10 rebounds and had nine points in Mizzou's 69-47 win.
As a sophomore, Kelly saw action in 22 games with one start. She had 11 points against Kentucky and 10 against Georgia, as two of her top performances from that season. The Missouri native appeared in 10 games during her freshman campaign in Columbia.
Kelly arrived in Columbia as a top-100 nationally-ranked recruit, checking in at No. 72 in ESPNW's HoopGurlz Class of 2020 rankings. She was ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the state of Missouri by ESPNW and Prospects Nation and was tabbed a Missouri Basketball Coaches Association (MBCA) All-State selection.
She reached the 1,000-point (1,150) and 1,000-rebound (1,104) milestones at Parkway Central, becoming just the second player in school history to accomplish those feats. Kelly holds the Parkway Central school records for career rebounds (1,104) and rebounds in a single game (21).
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