GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Riley Hayes had a goal to play professional basketball after her college career ended, and she's taken the first step toward that goal. On Saturday (June 21), the Colorado Mesa shooting guard signed a contract to play for the Dillingen Diamonds in Dillingen, Germany.
Hayes, who transferred to CMU last year from Arkansas-Fort Smith, averaged 12 points per game. She was second in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in 3-point shooting percentage (33.1) and 3-pointers made per game (2.5).
She made nine 3-pointers against New Mexico Highlands this season, tying the program record of Jaylyn Duran, now an assistant coach for CMU, and scored a career-high 33 points. She and Olivia Reed Thyne became the first CMU duo to both score 30 or more points in a single game,with Reed Thyne scoring 31 against the Cowgirls.
Hayes, from Cave Springs, Arkansas, attempted a program-record 19 3-pointers (making eight) in the second game of the season, coming off the bench in that game. She moved into the starting lineup in the fourth game of the season after Mason Rowland sustained a season-ending injury.
Hayes, a second-team All-RMAC selection, is the third CMU women's player to sign professionally in the past four years, joining Daniella Turner (2021-22) and Laura Gutierrez (2023-24). Gutierrez signed with a team in Costa Rica and Turner is playing for the Essex Rebels near London, England.
The Diamonds play in the 12-team 2nd Toyota Women's Basketball Bundesliga South and reached the playoffs last season. The season begins in September and runs through March.
The Dillingen Diamonds have players ranging in age from 14-31, with a second team playing in the Premium Women's League, as well as several age-group teams.
Dillingen is a town in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, located between Stuttgart and Munich.
