UK basketball recruiting two-sport star. Could she also play softball for Cats?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Haylen Ayers ranks No. 5 nationally in 2027 basketball and excels in softball.
- Ayers holds over 20 Division I offers but keeps recruitment process private.
- Ayers earned Gatorade honor her mother won in 1999, continuing family legacy.
Each time Haylen Ayers steps onto the basketball court or takes the softball field, she’s working to honor her childhood self.
Ayers is the No. 5 national prospect in the class of 2027 on the hardwood, but also ranks as one of the class’s top outfielders. From the University School of Jackson (Tenn.) to TN Flight Silver EYBL to Birmingham Thunderbolts, Ayers manages to put on a show wherever she is — and regardless of the sport she’s playing.
“I think you kind of know from a young age that you can be good at it if you work hard,” Ayers said. “And I enjoy working at it. The work ethic is there, and I don’t like sitting and letting someone else outwork me. Just the enjoyment of playing the game with people that I love, and the passion. It all comes with confidence. I work on it a lot, but I think it’s just making the little me proud. I think that’s the reason why I continue to do it.”
Ayers hasn’t yet decided if she’d like to pursue both basketball and softball at the collegiate level, but she said that the opportunity to play the two sports in high school has benefited her “mentally.”
“When I’m playing one, the other one’s an outlet for me,” Ayers said. “Having both of them there when I’m in the middle of one season, I can go work at another and take a break from one. It’s a great thing. And a lot of athletes, I think they take it for granted if they play two sports. They need to use both of them to their advantage.”
In August 2024, TN Flight Silver posted a list of several scholarship offers held by Ayers when announcing that she’d been invited to participate in last year’s Wootten Camp in Las Vegas. That list of more than 20 schools included Louisville, Ole Miss, Notre Dame, South Carolina, Tennessee, UCLA, Vanderbilt — her mother Ashley’s alma mater — and Kentucky.
The Herald-Leader spoke with the 6-foot-1 guard and back-to-back Tennessee Division II-A Miss Basketball honoree last weekend in Chicago following TN Flight Silver’s overtime loss to Why Not Premier on Saturday morning.
Kentucky associate head coach Lindsey Hicks, alongside tens of other Division I coaches, were in attendance to scope out Ayers and other high-level recruits, including TN Flight Silver guard Whitley Rogers, the No. 41 prospect in the class of 2026 who announced her UK offer in May 2025.
Despite the massive interest, Ayers isn’t one to post about offers, or detail her journey to college. When it comes to her recruitment, Ayers and her family are “taking it one step at a time.”
“We don’t really talk about it that much,” Ayers said. “We just kind of go with the flow. I mean, whatever happens, happens. And I just think building a relationship is very important to me and my family. We’ve taken that part very seriously. A lot of people, they’ll put out their top-whatever. I think just keeping everything to ourselves, keeping it just within our circle, is a big thing for us.”
Ayers knows what she’s looking for, and keeping things close is a point of emphasis. It helps that, though the process looks different in 2025, she has the guidance of someone who’s been there before. This spring, Ayers became a second-generation girls basketball Gatorade State Player of the Year, following in her mother’s footsteps.
Ashley (McElhiney) Ayers received the honor in 1999 while playing for Gleason (Tenn.) High School, and went on to play point guard for the Commodores from 1999-2003. During that time, Vanderbilt won the SEC Tournament in 2002 and made back-to-back Elite Eight appearances in the 2001 and 2002 NCAA Tournaments.
Ayers said the chance to learn from her mom as a daughter, an athlete and now a fellow Gatorade Player of the Year is “amazing.”
“My mom is an awesome role model for me,” Ayers said. “Obviously, she’s been there and done it, and so I’m gonna be receptive and learn from her. Might not play the same position, but mentally, she’s really, really good for me. She kind of keeps me in check, keeps me in line. Kind of give each other the face where I know it’s go time whenever she looks at me, and it’s just one of those things that, like not a lot of people have that in their family.”
Now having scored 1,620 points and counting during her high school basketball career, Ayers averaged a dominant 21.8 points, eight rebounds, four assists and 1.8 steals per game during her sophomore season with the Bruins. With Ayers’ help, the University School of Jackson posted a 26-4 record and reached the Division II-A state tournament semifinals.
Ayers finished this summer’s EYBL season ranked third in points per game at 18.4, and tacked on 2.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 24.6 minutes per contest. She is a three-level scorer who excels at creating scoring opportunities, both for herself and others.
“I’m definitely an unselfish teammate,” Ayers said. “I’m gonna look for the one more pass. I’m gonna tell you ‘good pass’ when you pass to me, I’m gonna defend and get you an open layup down the court.”
Though Ayers is keeping her recruitment journey within her inner circle, she did tell the Herald-Leader that she’s enjoyed getting to know both Kenny Brooks and Kentucky assistant Josh Petersen, and that she’s looking forward to planning a UK visit.
“I love him. I mean, he’s amazing,” Ayers said of Brooks. “He’s so easy to talk to on the phone. I can’t wait to get on campus and see what they have. And Coach Josh, he’s been amazing too. He checks in all the time. They’re very supportive. They’ll tell you the good things. They’ll also be like, ‘Hey, this is what I saw you could work on.’ That’s the type of coach I’m looking for. I want the hardcore coach but I also want the family off the court. They seem like they have it there.”
This story was originally published July 23, 2025 at 3:11 PM.
