Hayley Smith is making the transition from college student-athlete to professional athlete, as the former Ashland University women's basketball forward will go to Germany to play for the second-division TSV 1880 Wasserburg club.
"I'm excited to see how it goes, and I'm thankful for having this opportunity," Smith said. "I still think that I have a ton left to give and get better at."
Smith will report on Aug. 15, and she said her contract goes through mid-April, but that can be extended through the playoffs, if necessary.
In 2024-25, Smith was an Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) honorable mention All-American and first-team All-Great Midwest Athletic Conference, as well as College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District. She averaged 11.8 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game, while shooting 55.4 percent from the field and 76.9 percent from the free-throw line.
Her rebounding average was third-best in a season in program history, as were her 391 total rebounds – which put her third in NCAA Division II. Smith's 17 double-doubles as a senior put her in a tie for seventh place nationally.
Smith finished her Eagle career with 1,391 points (14
th all-time), 1,021 rebounds (second all-time) and a field-goal percentage of 57.3 (fifth all-time).
"I am so excited for Hayley to be taking this next step in her basketball career," said Ashland head coach
Kari Pickens, who herself played professionally in Australia following her Eagle playing days. "She has been a tremendous worker within our program, and I have no doubt that her best basketball is still yet to come."
"I was questioned by Coach P part of the way through the season. She just asked if it would be something I would be interested in," Smith recalled. "At first, I was not planning to do it, but then thought about it more and thought it was a good opportunity."
Two other former Eagles who have played overseas,
Sara Loomis (who served as an AU assistant coach during the second half of 2024-25) and
Laina Snyder (who most recently played in Australia and has played in Germany during a now-seven-season pro career) have assisted Smith in getting started professionally.
Last season, TSV 1880 Wasserburg finished 17-5 in the South Division of the Damen-Basketball-Bundesliga second division.
"Some of the rules are different, and their shot clock is shorter," Smith noted. "They love running in transition. When they slow down, they like to work it inside."
The team is located in Wasserburg am Inn, Germany – fairly close to the Austrian border.
"It's kind of in the southern part of Germany," Smith said. "I'll be close to Munich, which is really nice. We went to Italy with our team (in 2023), and that was really cool, but I haven't had any other experience in Europe."
