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
Gold medal – first place2026 MexicoTeam

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. 1 2 "Haylen Ayers (USA)". FIBA. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 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. 1 2 "TSWA GIRLS BASKETBALL ALL-STATE TEAMS". Tennessee Sports Writers Association. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 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. 1 2 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. 1 2 "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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