UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Penn State women’s basketball head coach Tanisha Wright announces 2025-26 Mountain West Freshman of the Year Skylar Durley has signed to Penn State. Durley becomes the seventh addition to Wright’s roster and sixth portal pickup. She arrives in Happy Valley as a sophomore transfer from Nevada
“The addition of Skylar really strengthens our team in many ways,” said Wright. “Skylar is a proven leader, showcased by the Mountain West Freshman of the Year. Skylar is a tough nosed guard who isn’t afraid to mix it up, evidenced by her ability to rebound the ball. We can’t wait for Skylar to bring those skills to the Lady Lion family.”
The Nevada transfer entered the collegiate scene with a splash, putting up major numbers in her rookie campaign. Durley started in all 31 games and averaged 31.9 minutes per game. She reached double figure scoring on 19 occasions. The sophomore transfer delivered a career high 22 points in the regular season finale against Utah State and grabbed a career best 14 rebounds against Wyoming earlier in the season. Throughout her rookie campaign, she averaged 11.8 points per game to total 367 on the year and owns 186 rebounds, 70 assists, 28 steals and seven blocks.
In addition to her Mountain West Freshman of the Year title, the guard also landed on the All-Freshman team and secured conference Freshman of the Week honors five times throughout the season.
Durley started her high school career playing for Classen SAS where she won a state championship in 2022. In 2022-2023, the standout freshman was named the All-City Athletic Conference (ACAC) Player of the year and followed up her junior year in 2023-2024 being named the ACAC Offensive Player of the Year. As a senior, Durley transferred to Edmond North High School where she capped off a great high school career averaging 13.7 points per game, 5.4 rebounds and three assists. The Oklahoma City native was ranked by Prep Girls Hoops as the No. 9 player in the state of Oklahoma out of high school.
The sophomore transfer played club basketball for Team Moriah Jefferson during which time she was tabbed as one of the top players on the Adidas 3SSB circuit. She garnered the Adidas 3SSB Session II Breakout MVP after averaging 18.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2,3 assists and 1.8 steals per game. In the summer of 2024, Durley was named the Pangos All-American Girls Camp Offensive MVP.