From CoE to TCU: Rising Gem becoming a young star

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The Texas Christian University Horned Frogs might as well change their colours from purple and white to green and gold.

Quickly becoming another college basketball powerhouse to establish itself as a pipeline for rising Aussie stars, featuring three talents from Down Under for the upcoming season in Lara Somfai as well as Jessie-May Hall and Sarah Portlock, the program will add another next season after Isabel Smith committed to the school last month.

Smith, currently playing for the Australian Gems at the FIBA Under-18 Women's Asia Cup in Malaysia, is a Mackay product who impressed at the recent FIBA Under-17 World Cup, where the Aussies claimed a bronze medal.

Currently a Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence scholarship holder, the 17-year-old is the latest to feature on the Triple Threat Tournaments Rising Stars segment on the Cut to the Jase podcast.

"Isabel Smith, I'm going to shine a light on her. A Mackay product who's at the CoE at the moment, a lefty, who as we know Jase, lefties are always tough to guard," WNBL assistant coach and co-host of Cut to the Jase Brayden Heslehurst said.

"A sort of two, three who from a very young age I coached against her, has had tremendous skill and not only is she shining at the world stage, she was awesome at the Under-17 World Cup for the Aussies as well.

"Is committed to go to TCU, she announced last week and of course that means she'll be joining the likes of Lara Somfai and Jessie-May Hall. So, another young Aussie on the rise."

Jason Cadee, an NBL legend and host of Cut to the Jase, said "TCU's figured it out" when it comes to recruiting Aussies.

"They've already got two of our better Australian girls and they had another one," he said on the basketball.com.au show.

"I think for (Smith) over the last 12 months, she's kind of moved from one of those girls and kids that's established and moved from like a talented junior into someone who has shown on the world stage she can really play.

"Like I think at those tournaments she's gone to for Australia, I think from memory she probably averaged double figures at all of them. I think she had a 20 point game against the US.

"When you start doing that at those tournaments, you're just now showing that there's a level to you that's probably going to say you're going to be a pro and then there's a level to you that's obviously going to move through the ranks pretty quickly as well.

"I think she's got a really bright future.

"It's really interesting these college decisions now because you're seeing some girls partner up together and go to schools together but we know with how it works now there'll be movement but I think TCU's picked up another great talent and I think Isabel's got a bright future ahead of her."

Smith is averaging 15 points and four assists for the Gems, who are dominating at the Asia Cup, after demolishing both the Philippines and New Zealand in their opening two games.

She is also coming off an NBL1 East season with the CoE, where she averaged 14.2 points, four rebounds and three assists.