Nov. 12, 2014

DALLAS (SMU) - The SMU women's basketball program signed four players for the 2015-16 season, including local Skyline standout Dai'Ja Thomas. The Mustangs also signed Karlie Cronin, a state-championship winning guard from Virginia, Arkansas transfer McKenzie Adams and a third player from the Australian national program in Stephanie Collins.

"I am excited to have these young ladies join our Mustang family," SMU head coach Rhonda Rompola stated. "They will add depth to a young but talented team. We are building something special here at SMU."

Thomas, a 6-2 forward from Skyline High School in Dallas, averaged 10 points and seven rebounds as a junior. In 39 games as a sophomore, she averaged 12.0 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, leading Skyline to a 29-10 record and a trip to the regional semifinals. She is shooting 53 percent for her career, including a 56 percent clip as a junior last season, earning all-state honors.

Cronin is a 5-9 guard from Oakton High School in Vienna, Va. She started 31 games as a freshman, leading the varsity squad to a 31-0 record and the Virginia state championship. As a junior, she led Oakton to a conference title, earning All-Conference 5 First Team and Defensive Player of the Year honors. She averaged 10 points per game as a junior, with a season-high 14 twice. She also won the 2012 AAU national championship as a member of the Fairfax (Va.) Stars.

Adams started all 30 games for Arkansas last season, averaging 8.6 points, fourth on the team, shooting 35.5 percent from 3-point range, 43-of-121, and 35.8 percent overall, 88-of-246. A 5-9 shooting guard, Adams averaged 19.3 points per game as a junior at Frisco Centennial High School in Frisco, Texas, earning District 9-4A MVP honors. She will enroll in classes for the spring semester, and will be eligible to play at the end of the fall semester in 2015. SMU is applying for a waiver to gain eligibility for the entire 2015-16 season.

Stephanie Collins, a 6-5 center from Melbourne, who represented Australia at the 2012 FIBA U17 World Championship for Women, initially signed with the Mustangs in May 2014, is expected to begin classes in January and would be immediately eligible to play. She follows the signing of Alicia and Keely Froling, a pair of 6-2 twins who also competed in the national program. The three girls were teammates for the Centre of Excellence team in Australia. Playing for Victoria in the Australian state nationals, Collins captured gold in the U18 division in 2011, and earned a bronze in 2012. She competed in an international tournament in China in 2012, leading the Australian team to a 9-1 record against college teams from America.