RAPID CITY — Taaliyah Porter is expanding her horizons in college.  

The recent Rapid City Stevens High School graduate committed to play college basketball at Division I Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. The Pioneers were Porter’s lone Division I scholarship offer, and she felt the opportunity was too good to pass up — albeit 1,700 miles from home. 

“I feel like if I didn’t then I would probably regret it and it’s just a good opportunity, especially coming out of South Dakota,” Porter said. “Most kids stay in South Dakota. So I wanted to venture out a little bit and see where my career takes me.”

Prior to committing to Sacred Heart University, Porter was considering the junior college route and eventually parlaying that into a Division I opportunity. But Sacred Heart University entered the picture late in the recruiting process, and offered her Porter a scholarship. 

“I just felt like it was a good place for me,” Porter said. “I wouldn’t have to wait to play. That was one of my main reasons for me to have an impact on the school that I can find to commit to. So I wanted to have an impact from day one.”

Porter was a three-time Class AA all-state selection, including a first-teamer in 2024 and ‘25. A 5-foot-8 senior guard, Porter averaged 22.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game for the Raiders (17-7) this season.

She shot 83.4% from the free-throw line and 48% from the field. Porter scored 1,667 career points, the most in Rapid City Stevens basketball history and sixth all-time on the Class AA girls basketball scoring list. She added 632 rebounds, 205 assists and 201 steals during her career. 

Porter was named the 2025 South Dakota Miss Basketball, joining Becky Hammon (1994) as the only two Rapid City Stevens girls to receive the honor. 

The college offers, however, were slow early in the recruiting process. But Porter said picking Sacred Heart University felt like “destiny and it happened at the right time.”

“I just put my trust in God and focused on what I needed to do right now and I just knew it would come to me either way,” Porter said. “Playing college basketball is obviously at the top of my list, but I just went through the season and just weighed out my options. It was definitely late, but I wasn't really stressed about it.” 

The Pioneers, who play in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, have qualified for the NCAA Division I tournament two out of the past three seasons. Porter said the Sacred Heart University coaching staff envisions her playing shooting guard and small forward, similar to her high school days. 

Porter, who is undecided on her major, also hopes to be a role model for other Native American basketball players. A member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, Porter said he’s excited to represent her tribe and Native American basketball players at the Division I level. 

“It means a lot because a lot of kids — especially on the Rez — don’t get this opportunity that I am taking,” Porter said. “So I feel like that’s a pretty good thing and it just gives a lot of the younger kids hopes and dreams they can go on and play at the next level and just to really keep working hard and they will eventually be seen if they keep trusting the process.”