Haylen Ayers: A Superstar in the Making

Haylen Ayers

There are thousands and thousands of athletes throughout the world in numerous sports. However, there are only a few that might be considered “superstars.” Think Shohei Ohtani, Caitlin Clark, and Patrick Mahomes.

Haylen Ayers, a freshman basketball player at the University School of Jackson, not only is one of these thousands of athletes but also has the talent, drive, and determination to eventually be part of the “superstar” category.

Haylen, who stands over six feet tall, is one of the top recruits in her class. This season at USJ, she averaged 20 points, seven rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. She shot 50 percent from the field and 39 percent from three-point range. She was also a USA U16 Invitee and named to the ESPN Freshman Watchlist Class of 2027. Her mom Ashley played basketball from 1999-2003 at Vanderbilt University and afterwards became a coach, so Haylen has been in the gym consistently from a very young age.

“It wasn’t probably my choice,” Haylen said. “But I was put in there, and I probably had a ball in my hand as soon as I was in there. As I got older, I started to work at it and kind of got good at it. And I was like, ‘Wow, this is kinda fun.’ Ever since like sixth or seventh grade, I realized this is what I want to do. I love this sport.”

Having been around high-level basketball for the majority of her life, Ashley knows what it takes for a player to succeed and to stand out from those around them. For Haylen, she believes the part that separates her from the rest is her deep knowledge of the game.

“Little ones when they’re in the gym, you may not think they’re paying attention because they’re doing their own thing,” Ashley said, “but I do think she was hearing and seeing and absorbing basketball information. And I do feel like her knowledge of the game you have to credit back to when she was in the gym at such a young age. It’s just kind of moved her forward in the aspect of the mental side of the sport. Her skills are really, really good. She constantly works at her skills. I do think the knowledge part is a separating factor.”

Ashley is also one of Haylen’s coaches, giving her a literal front row seat to her daughter’s work on the court. It was hard at first to manage the separation of the mother-daughter relationship and coach-player relationship, but over the years, they have succeeded in setting boundaries and have become very intentional with each other both on and off the court.

“She’s my mom off the court, but on the court, it becomes coach and player,” Haylen said. “I really don’t ever think about it like, ‘That’s my mom.’ I probably give her the look like the ‘you be quiet’ look, but I let her coach me. We feed off each other on the court and on the bench.”

Haylen’s favorite basketball memory is winning the state title with USJ this year. She and Ashley got to be part of it together, and it’s something they will never forget.

In addition to playing basketball, Haylen also plays softball. In fact, she played travel softball before she ever decided she was serious about basketball. She continues to compete on the diamond on top of everything she does on the court and is considered not only top in her class for basketball but also one of the best recruits in softball as well. Last year for USJ, she had a .677 batting average, nine homeruns, 24 RBIs, and a .716 on-base percentage.

“I’ve always worked at both of them,” Haylen said. “Now I probably work at basketball a little bit more, but I’ve loved them both always. And getting to do two things with two different teams, two sets of friends, I love doing it.”

As Haylen got older, she realized that even though she loved both sports, basketball was the one she truly wanted to pursue. However, that doesn’t mean she is giving up softball anytime soon.

“I’ve had a mindset like, ‘Do I still want to continue to do this?’ because there are times where I have to find gym time and then time to hit,” Haylen said. “But me mentally, I don’t know if I’d be the same on the basketball side if I didn’t have softball to go to.”

Ashley sees the work that her daughter puts in on a daily basis to be the best that she can be and is extremely proud of the young woman that Haylen is becoming.

“The skillset and the amount of work that she puts in, it’s night and day from what I did,” Ashley said. “I worked. I spent hours in the gym after practice. That’s the reason I was able to do what I did, but it’s nothing comparable to what she does. And not just her, other kids are doing it too, and they do it in multiple sports. I didn’t do it in multiple sports. That is one of the things that I’m most proud of is the way that she and her teammates and kids that are in her shoes manage life. They go to school. They manage sports. They manage social life. They manage family, but that’s real life. I think she is learning to excel at just managing her life.”

Even though Haylen is extremely talented and has a very strong work ethic, both she and Ashley know that none of what they are doing would be possible without their support system. Haylen’s ultimate dream is to compete at the highest level, and to achieve that goal, it takes a village.

“We do talk all the time about giving credit where credit’s due,” Ashley said. “She does totally work her tail off. Her support staff whether it be parents, coaches, teammates, trainer, she has it. And I do feel like she maximizes each role that those people play very good because she nor I nor anybody could do it alone, and I think she’s realized that too. It’s better doing it with people by your side, holding you accountable and pushing you in all the ways, so you do have to give credit to the people she’s surrounded by.”

Haylen’s journey so far has been one that very few athletes get the opportunity to experience. She knows this and strives to make the most of every chance she has not only for herself but also for those around her and for those coming after her.

“I definitely get the mindset of work harder,” Haylen said. “I’ve proven people wrong here and there, but being the top in my class, it really just pushes me to be a little bit more. Be a little bit more, maybe not for myself, but someone next to me or someone behind me.”

With numerous basketball offers already on the table from schools like Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and South Carolina, Haylen is going to have the opportunity to choose where she wants to further her education as well as her career, but that time hasn’t come yet. Instead of dwelling on it and wishing time away, she and her family continue the grind and enjoy every minute of the process.

“Just being present in the moment, don’t worry about what tomorrow is or isn’t,” Ashley said. “Just be present in the moment, and that’s a life lesson. When you are juggling all the things, you rob yourself of the moment if you can’t be present, and a time will come when conversations are having to be had and decisions being made, but I don’t think that time is now. I think you just sit back. You can watch. You can observe. You can weigh pros and cons of all the things that are in front of you. There is no decision right now. Just keep doing what you’re doing and keep finding a way to elevate. And then when it’s time to make that decision, you will feel comfortable enough to make it.”