Basketball runs in the blood of Shaylee Gonzales.
For the 5-foot-10 guard from Gilbert, Arizona, who transferred from BYU to Texas this offseason, basketball is a family affair. His earliest memories are of hardwood.
“I remember when I was super little, I used to go to my mom’s high school basketball camps,” Gonzales said. “I was always with the older girls and watching their practices. … I grew up in a gymnasium.
His mother, Candice, and father, Josh, played basketball for Grand Canyon University, and his four younger siblings also play basketball. She grew up around the game and her parents coached her when she was young and all through high school. They were integral to his decision to play basketball at an elite level.
“I really feel like they were really tough on me, but that’s why I feel like the player I am today,” Gonzales said. “They’ve been very supportive of me and they’re my number one fans. … I’ve learned a lot from them.”
Gonzales’ first Division I offer came after she attended an elite BYU training camp as a 15-year-old. BYU offered her on the spot and she got engaged two years later. Gonzales turned down several inside offers from other schools because she knew she wanted to make her mark at BYU.
“I wanted to be able to change the program and put BYU on the map,” Gonzales said. “I feel like I did that.”
During his three seasons at Provo, Utah, Gonzales averaged 17.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 2.2 steals per game. She scored 1,555 points, ranking 10th on BYU’s all-time record. When her head coach, Jeff Judkins, retired after 21 years coaching women’s basketball, she said it was time to close that chapter with him and explore other options.
“I had a great experience and really enjoyed the program,” Gonzales said. “But I decided I wanted to be on a bigger stage and be pushed more as a person and as an athlete.”
With two years of eligibility remaining, the 22-year-old said she had a crucial decision to make regarding where to pursue her basketball career. She said more than 80 schools contacted her once she was on the transfer portal. After narrowing it down to Oregon State, Texas and North Carolina State, the two-time West Coast Conference Player of the Week landed on the Texas head coach. Vic Schaefer and the Longhorns.
“I wanted to go further in the tournament,” Gonzales said. “I want to go to the Elite Eight and the Final Four and try to win a national championship, and I really think we can do that here in Texas.”
A three-time All-West Coast Conference first-team selection, Gonzales joins an already talented Texas team that reached the Elite Eight at last year’s NCAA Tournament. She said she wanted to do everything she could to make this team better than the year before.
“I’m a hard worker and like to do the little things that people don’t usually do,” Gonzales said. “Just being able to adapt to whatever comes my way is what I look forward to.”