“So proud of you”: Kiki Iriafen, Lauren Betts hype up Jzaniya Harriel’s commitment to SMU

Modified Apr 10, 2025 21:36 GMT

Jzaniya Harriel is heading to a new school after spending the entirety of her college career thus far at Stanford. The point guard will be a Mustang, SMU women's basketball announced on Instagram Thursday.

College women's basketball players flooded the comments with their reactions to Harriel's transfer news. UCLA star Lauren Betts, who began her college career alongside Harriel at Stanford, showed her support. Betts was named Naismith Defensive Player of the Year and the 2025 Lisa Leslie Center of the Year.

"Go be great," Betts said. "I'm so happy for you❤️❤️"

Kiki Iriafen also had positive sentiments to share in the comments. Projected as a first-round pick in the upcoming 2025 WNBA draft, Iriafen spent this season at USC after previously teaming up with Harriel at Stanford.

"So proud of you JZ❤️," Iriafen commented.

Kiki Iriafen expresses her pride for her former teammate

UNC junior Indya Nivar is also a former teammate of Harriel's. They played together at Stanford in their freshman season. She too hyped up the guard on Instagram.

"Time to ball out🤩🤩," Nivar said.

Indya Nivar encourages Harriel to "ball out" at SMU

Jzaniya Harriel Player Profile

Jzaniya Harriel came to Stanford already a decorated player. She was the No. 78 overall recruit in her class by ESPN and the No. 14 point guard. Evaluations referred to her as an "athletic combo guard with green light scorers' mentality."

The guard has extensive experience, having spent the past four seasons at Stanford and also representing the school at the 2022 USA Basketball Women's 3x3 National Championship. The California native finished high school with 2,335 points, 284 3-pointers and 1,138 rebounds and has been a difference maker for the Cardinal.

NCAA Womens Basketball: Colorado at Stanford - Source: Imagn

Harriel redshirted her first season at Stanford but went on to appear in 19 games the following season. She has improved her stats with each passing year and is coming off of her best season yet.

In the 2024-25 season, Harriel averaged a career-high 17.9 points per game, 5.1 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game. While her field goal percentage was 39.8%, showing room for improvement, she excelled from beyond the arc with an impressive 43.1% 3-point shooting,

Bay Area Women's Classic: Ohio State v Stanford - Source: Getty

Like Stanford, SMU is looking to excel after its move to the ACC. Harriel will provide the Mustangs with a seasoned guard with a high ceiling.

About the author

Lindsey Ware is a college sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over five years of experience working with publications such as The News & Observer, The Daily Tar Heel, Triangle Tribune and Cardiac Cane. She has also worked for Major League Baseball, The Holly Springs Salamanders, The Tri-City Chili Peppers, Tuffy Talk, Super Meteors Basketball, Just Good Network and Living Sport.

Lindsey has a Bachelor’s Degree in Media and Journalism from UNC Chapel Hill. Her education allowed Lindsey to gain experience in sports communication, which she honed in internships. Other than being a storyteller and sports fanatic, Lindsey is also a social media and marketing specialist.

Her favorite college team is UNC, although she grew up a N.C. State fan as both of her parents are Wolfpack alumni. Michael Jordan was a huge deal in North Carolina when Lindsey was growing up, and after a summer spent at UNC’s Sports Journalism Camp back in high school, Lindsey was set on being a Tar Heel.

Lindsey's favorite college coach of all time is Roy Williams. During her time attending UNC Chapel Hill and writing for The Daily Tar Heel, Lindsey was lucky enough to meet and speak with Williams a few times. He was like a celebrity on UNC’s campus and was beloved for his coaching style and success with the Tar Heels, accumulating three NCAA championship titles in 18 years.

When not watching or writing about sports, Lindsey enjoys reading, trying new restaurants and coffee shops, and spending time with my friends, family and dog. She also likes to journal, watch movies and paint.

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Edited by Alvin Amansec