LITTLE ROCK, Ark. —The Little Rock women's basketball team hit the recruiting trail hard this offseason and now welcomes four new commitments to the 2025–26 roster.
Taelor Coxford is a Vancouver, British Columbia native.
She played her freshman season at the University of British Columbia before transferring to California Baptist last season.
She plans to continue pursuing her dream of becoming an orthopedic surgeon.
"We are really excited to have Taelor join our family," head coach Steve Wiedower said. "Her size and skill fit in perfectly with our motion offense. Her ability to score at all three levels and defend multiple positions will also be a big asset as we compete for another Ohio Valley championship."
Aaliyah Taylor is a left-handed point guard from Cedar Hill, Texas. She graduated from Legion Preparatory Academy.
She is ranked the 58th-best player in Texas in the Class of 2025. In her junior season, Taylor earned 6A All-State honors, was named first team All-Region and was the District 7-6A Most Valuable Player.
"Aaliyah came to our elite camp last July and was a standout," Wiedower said. "While she was ruled ineligible to play her senior year due to transfer rules, but we always had in mind the type of player she was at camp. We saw that her game was just as impressive in some postseason all-star games, and we decided to invite her to our program."
Destinee Salgado is a 6-foot-1 transfer from Iona College. The Stafford, Virginia, native started eight games as a true freshman.
She averaged 4.3 points per game, including a double-double against Wagner.
"We think Destinee will be a tremendous addition to our squad," Wiedower said. "She comes from a basketball family and wants to get better and grow her game. She brings Division I experience and will provide us with some size, strength and athleticism next year."
Naomi Smitherman comes from the University of South Alabama, where she appeared in 20 games. The Birmingham, Alabama, native averaged 9.2 minutes per game and recorded a career-high eight rebounds against Coastal Carolina. She started the last 11 games.
"Naomi runs the floor extremely well," Wiedower said. "When I first watched her, I thought her athleticism fit well within our team and our league. We want her to anchor our defense and bring positivity to our locker room. Naomi is working extremely hard to prepare herself for the upcoming season. We believe she can bring her experience to our team and help us compete for a championship."
