Haylen Ayers

Haylen Ayers
No. 20 – USJ Lady Bruins
PositionShooting guard
Personal information
Born (2008-06-26) 26 June 2008
Listed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Career information
High schoolUniversity School of Jackson
(Jackson, Tennessee)
Career highlights
Medals
Women's basketball
Representing  United States
FIBA U18 Women's AmeriCup
2026 Mexico Team

Haylen Ayers (born June 26, 2008) is an American basketball player who currently attends University School of Jackson in Jackson, Tennessee. She is a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top-ranked players in the 2027 class.

Early life

Haylen Ayers was born on June 26, 2008.[1] Her parents, Joel Ayers and Ashley McElhiney, were basketball coaches, so she grew up immersed in the game, with her mother stating: "Her basic IQ of the game goes back when she was three years old."[2] When she was in the sixth grade, Ayers was spotted by Christian Simmons, a pro basketball trainer who took her under his wing.[2] "She stood out because of her frame," said Simmons, who started working with her from thereon out.[2]

Ayers attends University School of Jackson (USJ) in Jackson, Tennessee, where she plays basketball with her father as the head coach and her mother as an assistant.[2] She starred on the varsity team as an eighth grader,[3] earning Division II-A all-state honors from the Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA).[4] As a freshman, Ayers led the USJ Lady Bruins to their first-ever state championship, recording 30 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists in a 70–58 triple-overtime win over Goodpasture Christian School in the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) Division II-A title game.[5][6] In addition to garnering all-state honors by the TSWA,[4] she was named Tennessee Miss Basketball for Division II-A.[5]

As a sophomore, Ayers averaged 21.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game and won both the Tennessee Miss Basketball and the Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year awards.[7][8] She led USJ to the Division II-A state semifinals, where she posted 40 points and 13 rebounds in a 64–57 double-overtime loss to The Webb School.[9] As a junior, Ayers averaged 21.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game,[10] and led the Lady Bruins to an appearance in Division II-A state championship game, where she scored a game-high 24 points in a 60–49 loss to Providence Christian Academy.[11] She collected her third straight Tennessee Miss Basketball award in addition to being named the MaxPreps Tennessee Player of the Year.[10][12]

Aside from basketball, Ayers also plays softball at USJ.[13] As a freshman in 2024, she helped the Lady Bruins to an appearance in the state championship game,[14] earning all-state honors from the TSWA.[15] Ayers repeated as an all-state honoree as a sophomore.[15]

Recruiting

Ayers is a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2027 class, according to major recruiting services.[16][17] She received over two dozen college offers by the end of her freshman season, including LSU, South Carolina, and Tennessee.[5] On October 31, 2025, Ayers narrowed down her list of 30 offers down to her top five: Duke, Kentucky, Texas, UConn, and Vanderbilt.[18]

Ayers is also a highly-ranked softball recruit.[19][20]

National team career

Ayers won a gold medal with the United States at the 2026 FIBA U18 Women's AmeriCup in Mexico.[21] She averaged 8.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and three assists per game.[1]

Personal life

Her mother, Ashley (née McElhiney) Ayers, played college basketball at Vanderbilt and became the first woman to coach a men's professional basketball team before she was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.[2] Her cousin, McCall Sims, plays college softball at Tennessee;[22] the two were close growing up and played travel basketball together in their youth.[23]

In October 2025, as a high school junior, Ayers signed a Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deal with New Balance.[24] Just a few days after the announcement, she hosted her first free youth basketball camp with the help of her father, her trainer, and other players, drawing over 100 children.[25] In February 2026, Ayers helped put on a girls' youth clinic with New Balance in Los Angeles during NBA All-Star Weekend.[26]

Ayers has spoken about the importance of mental health and of finding one's identity outside of sports.[27]

References

  1. ^ a b "Haylen Ayers (USA)". FIBA. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d e Chastain, Austin (January 8, 2024). "Meet Haylen Ayers, the No. 3 women's basketball recruit in country for 2027". The Jackson Sun. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  3. ^ Vaughn, J.D. (December 28, 2022). "Senior Steals Spotlight From Eighth-Grader". The Greeneville Sun. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  4. ^ a b "TSWA GIRLS BASKETBALL ALL-STATE TEAMS". Tennessee Sports Writers Association. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  5. ^ a b c Shields, Brandon (March 16, 2024). "USJ's Ayers wins Miss Basketball". The Jackson Post. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  6. ^ Chastain, Austin (March 28, 2024). "How Haylen Ayers led USJ to first TSSAA girls basketball championship, what's next". The Jackson Sun. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  7. ^ Chastain, Austin (March 13, 2025). "Sophomore Haylen Ayers, a Lady Vols recruit, wins Tennessee girls basketball Gatorade Player of the Year". The Jackson Sun. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  8. ^ Robinson, George (March 18, 2025). "Lady Vols recruit Haylen Ayers among 12 honored as TSSAA Mr. and Miss Basketball winners for 2025". The Tennessean. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  9. ^ Shames, Jacob (March 6, 2025). "How Ohio State signee Dasha Biriuk outdueled Lady Vols target Haylen Ayers in TSSAA basketball semifinal". The Tennessean. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  10. ^ a b Williams, Aaron (March 18, 2026). "Haylen Ayers named 2025-26 MaxPreps Tennessee High School Girls Basketball Player of the Year". MaxPreps. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  11. ^ Palmateer, Tyler (March 7, 2026). "Haylen Ayers talks recruiting timeline after USJ's TSSAA basketball state final loss". The Jackson Sun. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  12. ^ Robinson, George (March 10, 2026). "Vanderbilt target Haylen Ayers wins third straight Miss Basketball award". The Tennessean. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  13. ^ Chastain, Austin (May 17, 2024). "How Haylen Ayers had to change role for USJ softball's path to state tournament". The Jackson Sun. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  14. ^ West, Jake (May 24, 2024). "Nifty Fifty! Silverdale reaches 50-win mark, captures back-to-back softball titles with victory over USJ". Fetch Your News. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  15. ^ a b "TSWA GIRLS SOFTBALL ALL-STATE TEAMS". Tennessee Sports Writers Association. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  16. ^ "Haylen Ayers, University School of Jackson, Shooting Guard". 247Sports. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  17. ^ "Haylen Ayers 2027 High School Girls' Basketball Profile". ESPN. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  18. ^ De Anda Delgado, Isaiah (October 31, 2025). "Five-star shooting guard Haylen Ayers announces top 5 schools, including UConn, Geno Auriemma". The Jackson Sun. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  19. ^ "Haylen Ayers: 2027 Extra Elite 100's #1 Outfielder". Extra Inning Softball. May 18, 2025. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  20. ^ "Elite Athletes Share Benefits of Playing Multiple Sports". Extra Inning Softball. June 1, 2025. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  21. ^ Stefanoudakis, Maria (June 15, 2026). "USA Beat Canada 90-72 for 12th Straight Gold Medal at 2026 FIBA U18 Women's AmeriCup". USA Basketball. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
  22. ^ Chastain, Austin (January 27, 2025). "With offers from Lady Vols, UConn basketball, Haylen Ayers isn't short on Power 5 interest". The Jackson Sun. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  23. ^ Chastain, Austin (November 25, 2024). "How family connection pushes USJ's Haylen Ayers and cousin McCall Sims, of Westview, to new heights". The Jackson Sun. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  24. ^ De Anda Delgado, Isaiah (October 15, 2025). "Lady Vols basketball target Haylen Ayers announces NIL deal with New Balance". The Jackson Sun. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  25. ^ De Anda Delgado, Isaiah (October 21, 2025). "How Haylen Ayers' rising recruiting platform is serving youth in Jackson area". The Jackson Sun. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  26. ^ Palmateer, Tyler (March 6, 2026). "Haylen Ayers' young fan club grows at TSSAA girls basketball state tournament". The Jackson Sun. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  27. ^ De Anda Delgado, Isaiah (January 7, 2026). "How USJ basketball's Haylen Ayers handles pressure of being at top of game". The Jackson Sun. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
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