Rutgers transfer Kiyomi McMiller takes to Wall Street to announce transfer portal decision
Former Rutgers guard Kiyomi McMiller had a special way of announcing where she will be playing next season. The freshman shared that she will be transferring to the Penn State Lady Lions while at the New York Stock Exchange.
The former Scarlet Knight was joined by her family, as they took out Penn State shirts right after the announcement was made.
In her freshman season at Rutgers, Kiyomi McMiller averaged 18.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and three assists in 21 games for the 13-20 Scarlet Knights. She missed the final six games of the season with an injury.
While the Silver Spring, Maryland, native had strong court performances, questions remained about her relationship with head coach Coquese Washington.
Kiyomi McMiller was benched ahead of Rutgers' Jan. 5 game against the USC Trojans, and the freshman took to social media to announce she wouldn't play, also naming Washington as the one making the decision. The Trojans beat Rutgers 92-42. The freshman was also a late scratch for the following game against Minnesota.
McMiller could now be a building block for the Lady Lions. Last season, Penn State was the worst team in the Big Ten, finishing with a 10-19 overall record, but only 1-17 in conference play.
Penn State coach Carolyn Kieger will have to rebuild the roster, as all but two players entered the transfer portal. Having an explosive scorer like Kiyomi McMiller joining the program could help attract more talent to State College.
The Big Ten is one of the most competitive conferences in the nation, with USC, UCLA, Maryland, Indiana, Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Oregon, Washington, Iowa, and Illinois all making the NCAA Tournament last year.
Kiyomi McMiller is not the only former Rutgers guard to find a new home
As Kiyomi McMiller committed to play at Penn State, another member of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights backcourt also found a new home. Junior guard Mya Petticord committed to the Auburn Tigers, sharing the news on her Instagram account.
Petticord averaged 6.7 points, 2.1 boards, and 1.4 assists for the Scarlet Knights last season, playing a career-high 33 games in the season.
This will be Petticord's second stint in the SEC Before arriving at Rutgers ahead of the 2023-2024 season, she spent a year at Texas A&M.
While Petticord took a step back in the 2024-2025 season, the junior and McMiller will be missed by a Rutgers team that will have to rebuild its backcourt. Washington has already started, signing a couple of guards in Faith Blackstone (Stephen F. Austin) and Kaylah Ivey (Boston College).