The University of Houston and Houston Athletics are mourning the loss of Kaila Chizer, a two-time Houston graduate, former student-athlete and Women’s Basketball Director of Operations, who unexpectedly passed away Tuesday.

Chizer, 26, graduated with a degree in education from Houston in 2018 and earned her master’s in human resource development in 2020. She was the daughter of Senior Associate Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Development/SWA DeJuena Chizer, and her husband, Derrick.

“It’s awful, awful news to lose one of our children and somebody who has grown up here and means so much to us,” Houston Vice President for Athletics Chris Pezman said. “To lose someone so suddenly and so young is heartbreaking. We feel so much for DeJuena and Derrick and the rest of the Chizer family. There aren’t enough words to express our sorrow and how much we love them as they work through the grieving process.”

The former Houston Women’s Basketball student-athlete rejoined the program in May as its Director of Basketball Operations following one year as an Assistant Coordinator with the Arizona Women’s Basketball program.

The Pearland, Texas, native spent two seasons as a Houston Women’s Basketball graduate assistant from 2018-2020. During that time, she supervised the team’s managers while assisting with recruiting, community service and academic scheduling as well as taking the lead on equipment.

Chizer was a three-year letterwinner at Pearland High School before beginning her collegiate career at Texas A&M-Kingsville, where she played in 28 games across two seasons. Chizer played in six games, including one start, during the 2017-18 season with the Cougars.

Funeral arrangements are pending and will be announced soon.

https://uhcougars.com/news/2022/8/25/womens-basketball-houston-mourns-passing-of-kaila-chizer.aspx