Lady Bruins set to challenge for another state title

University School of Jackson's girls' basketball team accomplished something it had never done last season when it won the Division II-A state championship.

The Lady Bruins nearly have the entire team back from that championship run as Ava Barham was the only senior on that team.

Ellie Driver is the only senior on this year's team.

"I'm excited about this season coming off the championship and the schedule we have in front of us," Driver said. "We proved that we're good enough to compete at the state championship level, and we're working toward accomplishing that goal again."

Head coach Joel Ayers put together another tough non-district schedule that includes public school powerhouses South Side and Westview along with Hutchinson and Houston.

"We took some lumps last year early on with a 2-4 start, but we were in every game," Ayers said. "And early in the season, it's about getting better, stringing together quality possessions against top competition and just trying to be better this week than we were the week before."

Haylen Ayers had an eventful offseason, participating in a number of camps and exhibitions that top recruits are typically invited to.

Ayers is regarded as one of the nation’s top prospects in the 2027 recruiting class with offers from the likes of Tennessee, LSU and a host of others.

She led the Lady Bruins in scoring last year and was the catalyst down the stretch of the third overtime in the championship win over Goodpasture.

Ayers said as she traveled to her various camps over the summer, there was a group text among the players on the team.

“There was always someone texting the group something like, ‘Hey I got 200 shots up today’ or something about a workout,” Ayers said. “And I come into this gym all the time and there’s high school girls on down all the time in here trying to get better and do their part getting this team better.

“It’s refreshing to know that we can all depend on each other to work hard because we know we’ll have a target on our back this year.”

The elder Ayers said it was hard during certain times of the offseason to do much since so many of the Lady Bruins aren’t just basketball players, but they play on other USJ teams.

Both members of the Ayers family came home from the championship Saturday night and were with the softball team practicing the following Monday because Joel is the softball coach too. (Those Lady Bruins fell just short of the second state championship of the school year for the Lady Bruins as they finished runner-up to Silverdale Baptist at Spring Fling.)

“On one hand, I just had to tell everyone to just go be you during the offseason, and when we can work together as a team in the summer, we will,” Joel Ayers said. “But at the same time, they’re continuing to compete representing their school, which gives them a break from basketball but also keeps them moving and working hard.”

Driver was a member of the Lady Bruins track and field team in the spring and soccer in the fall. The soccer Lady Bruins made it to Chattanooga for the state semifinals for the sixth straight year this past fall.

“It was tempting to celebrate too much that championship, but getting back to work and getting into track got me past that,” Driver said. “Now that basketball season is about to start, I’m excited about the teams we’re going to play and our opportunity to hopefully compete for another state championship.”

Being the only junior on last year’s team behind one senior, Driver said that she began to embrace a leadership role on the team because she was one of the older and more experienced players.

She says that’s helped her going into this year as she’ll be called upon to be that senior leader.

“If that’s the role I need to play, I’m ready, but we’re all ready to play whatever role we need,” Driver said.

The season is set to begin on Nov. 25 with a trip to Obion County Central.

Brandon Shields, brandon@jacksonpost.news