Shaylee Gonzales Explained

Shaylee Gonzales
Number:2
Position:Guard
Height Ft:5
Height In:10
League:Big 12 Conference
Team:Texas Longhorns
Birth Date:2 May 2000
Birth Place:Chandler, Arizona, U.S.
High School:Mesquite (Gilbert, Arizona)
College:
  • BYU (2018–2022)
  • Texas (2022–present)
Draft Year:2024
Draft League:WNBA
Highlights:
  • Big 12 Newcomer of the Year (2023)
  • WCC Player of the Year (2021, 2022)
  • 3× First-team All-WCC (2019, 2021, 2022)
  • WCC Newcomer of the Year (2019)
  • WCC All-Freshman Team (2019)

Shaylee Gonzales (born May 2, 2000) is an American college basketball player for the Texas Longhorns of the Big 12 Conference. She previously played for the BYU Cougars.

High school career

Gonzales played basketball for Mesquite High School in Gilbert, Arizona, where she was coached by her mother, Candice.[1] As a junior, she averaged 19.8 points, 5.7 steals and 6.6 assists per game, leading her team to a 31–1 record and its first Class 5A state championship. She was named Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year.[2] In her senior season, Gonzales averaged 21 points, 7.7 rebounds and five steals per game,[3] helping Mesquite reach the Class 5A state title game.[4] A three-star recruit, she committed to playing college basketball for BYU.[5]

College career

In the second round of the 2019 NCAA tournament, Gonzales scored a freshman season-high 32 points in a 72–63 loss to Stanford.[6] As a freshman, she averaged 17 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game, earning first-team All-West Coast Conference (WCC) and Newcomer of the Year honors. Gonzales was sidelined for her second season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in her right knee.[7] She made her sophomore debut on November 27, 2020, scoring a season-high 30 points in a 67–51 win against LSU.[8] Gonzales averaged 17.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game as a sophomore.[9] She shared the WCC Player of the Year award with Jenn Wirth and repeated as a first-team All-WCC selection.[10] On February 12, 2022, Gonzales recorded a career-high 35 points, seven steals and six assists in an 84–69 win over Saint Mary's.[11] She was named WCC Player of the Year and made the first-team All-WCC for a third time,[12] averaging 18.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.[13]

After her junior season at BYU and the departure of head coach Jeff Judkins, Gonzales entered the transfer portal.[13] On July 11, 2022, she announced that she would transfer to Texas.[14] As a senior, Gonzales averaged 12.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, earning Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and second-team All-Big 12 honors. She opted to return to Texas instead of entering the 2023 WNBA draft.[15]

Career statistics

College

|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2019–20| style="text-align:left;"| BYU| 33||26||34.8||45.1||35.1||72.5||5.6||4.1||1.9||0.3||2.7||17.0|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2019–20| style="text-align:left;"| BYU| style="text-align:center;" colspan="12" |Did not play due to injury|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2020–21| style="text-align:left;"| BYU| 25||25||34.4||44.8||31.1||75.0||5.3||3.6||2.4||0.2||3.1||17.8|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2021–22| style="text-align:left;"| Texas|30||30||31.6||49.5||22.7||83.3||5.9||4.5||2.3||0.2||2.7||18.3|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2022–23| style="text-align:left;"| Texas| 36||36||33.3||41.7||35.1||86.2||4.3||2.7||1.6||0.5||2.3||12.7|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2023–24| style="text-align:left;"| Texas|38||38||31.8||41.4||38.0||78.6||3.4||2.7||1.6||0.2||1.8||9.4|- class="sortbottom"|style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career|162||155||33.1||44.7||33.3||79.1||4.8||3.4||1.9||0.3||2.5||14.6|- class="sortbottom"|style="text-align:center;" colspan="14"|Statistics retrieved from Sports-Reference.[16]

Personal life

Gonzales is the daughter of Josh and Candice Gonzales, both of whom played college basketball for Grand Canyon.[1] Her parents work in real estate and own a home health company.[17] In high school, Gonzales launched Sincerely Shaylee, a photography business.[17] She has a large social media following on platforms including TikTok and YouTube.[18] Gonzales has signed name, image and likeness deals with Mountain America Credit Union, among other companies. In college, she majors in journalism with a focus on sports media.[19]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Obert . Richard . Shaylee Gonzales needs little push from mom to drive Mesquite basketball team . . August 7, 2022 . November 22, 2017.
  2. Web site: Wollagnk . Kiana . Shaylee Gonzales: Arizona's Gatorade Player of the Year for 2016-17 . AZPreps365 . August 7, 2022 . September 19, 2017.
  3. Web site: Fitzgerald . Katherine . Taylor Chavez named Arizona High School Girls Basketball Player of the Year . . August 7, 2022 . March 17, 2018.
  4. Web site: Fitzgerald . Katherine . Chaparral girls basketball caps season with 5A state title . . August 7, 2022 . February 27, 2018.
  5. Web site: Gordon . Shaun . BYU Women’s Basketball: Cougars sign two international recruits . Lawless Republic . August 7, 2022 . May 30, 2018.
  6. Web site: Esper . Damin . Gonzales’ monster game not enough for BYU in 72-63 loss to Stanford in NCAA Tournament . . August 7, 2022 . March 26, 2019.
  7. Web site: Call . Jeff . BYU women’s basketball bolstered by return of Shaylee Gonzales — the Cougars’ version of Donovan Mitchell . . August 7, 2022 . November 26, 2020.
  8. Web site: Walker . Sean . 22 months later, Shaylee Gonzales reintroducing herself in big way for BYU women's hoops . . August 7, 2022 . December 10, 2020.
  9. Web site: Harper . Mitch . Becky Hammon Player Of The Year Watch List Features BYU Star Shaylee Gonzales . . August 7, 2022 . October 20, 2021.
  10. Web site: Zyhailo . Isabelle . BYU women’s basketball grabs 7 WCC honors, including Co-Player of Year and Coach of the Year . . August 7, 2022 . March 2, 2021.
  11. Web site: Cox . Kenny . Gonzales' career day downs St. Mary's 84-69 . BYU Athletics . August 7, 2022 . February 12, 2022.
  12. Web site: Walker . Sean . BYU's Shaylee Gonzales named WCC Player of the Year; Judkins repeats as Coach of the Year . . August 7, 2022 . March 2, 2022.
  13. Web site: Voepel . Mechelle . BYU Cougars' Shaylee Gonzales, the WCC women's basketball player of the year, enters transfer portal . . August 7, 2022 . June 3, 2022.
  14. Web site: Davis . Danny . Shaylee Gonzales to next play basketball at Texas as Longhorns continue offseason makeover . . August 7, 2022 . July 12, 2022.
  15. Web site: Gonzalez . Isabel . Texas' Shaylee Gonzales aiming to leave no what-ifs in pursuit of women's college basketball national title . . October 31, 2023 . October 30, 2023.
  16. Web site: Shaylee Gonzalez College Stats. Sports-Reference. April 15, 2024.
  17. Web site: Vejar . Alex . For BYU’s Shaylee Gonzales — a star on the court and an entrepreneur off it — it was ‘about time’ the NCAA changed its rules . . August 7, 2022 . January 16, 2022.
  18. Web site: Gonzalez . Norma . Meet one BYU athlete who is primed to cash in on the NCAA’s new rule change . . August 7, 2022 . July 2, 2021.
  19. Web site: Walker . Sean . Business of basketball: How BYU's Shaylee Gonzales balances game, entrepreneurship . . August 7, 2022 . March 7, 2022.