Cali Smallwood announced her decision to sign with Mississippi State on Wednesday, news confirmed by the program on Thursday, joining her younger sister Lani, one of the signees in MSU’s 2026 recruiting class.
The elder Smallwood was the top scorer at UAB last season, averaging 14.1 points per game with 147 field goals made, including 93 three-pointers with a 41.9% hit rate from beyond the arc. Her prolific campaign saw her become one of just five players in the country to shoot 50-40-90.
Her three-point expertise saw her average 3.1 treys per game, which ranked fourth in Division I, with eight games of five or more triples and double-figure scoring in 24 of 29 appearances.
Smallwood scored a season-high 29 points against Alabama A&M.
The Smallwood sisters were both high school stars under their mother and head coach, Natasha Smallwood, who coached Cali at Susan Moore and Lani at Albertville.
Lani was named a nominee for the 2026 McDonald’s All-American girls team after a sensational senior year at Albertville, averaging 26.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.3 steals and 3.3 assists per game. She was the 75th overall player and 43rd-ranked guard in the ESPN NEXT 100 recruiting rankings.
Cali is the first transfer for head coach Sam Purcell, joining a Bulldog squad that returns top scorers Favour Nwaedozi and SEC All-Freshman and All-Defense selection Madison Francis. Melissa Guillet, a midseason signee out of France, is also set to return with incoming freshmen Lani and Andrea Flores, the latter being named Tennessee’s Miss Basketball as a high school senior.
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