Hot Springs Lady Trojans point guard Jaylia Reed will be continuing her basketball career on the next level after signing a letter of intent Friday afternoon to play for Arkansas State University Mid-South.
Reed had other offers, but she said that her visit to the campus in West Memphis felt "like home."
"I went to visit there, it was like home," she said. "I knew from the jump that's where I wanted to be. It was like the environment, coaching staff, players, made me feel welcome, and I liked it."
A standout player for the Lady Trojans for the past three years, Reed took over as the team's primary scorer her junior and senior seasons after stepping into the point guard role as a sophomore.
"Watching her as a ninth grader, and they won conference in ninth grade, and they moved up to that team that we had," Lady Trojans head coach Josh Smith said. "We were so guard-heavy that she didn't get a ton of playing time moving up, but she stepped in and was a role player with them and did what she needed to do when her name was called. ... (I) watched her take the bumps and bruises she took as a sophomore and what she learned from that year to what she did as a junior, you know, is just -- that growth on the basketball court was amazing to watch, and just her maturing as a person, taking care of business in the classroom, being a leader, being the hardest working girl in the gym, day in, day out."
Smith is excited to see Reed transition to the collegiate level at ASU Mid-South.
"I think it's a great spot," he said. "You get a program that has really turned it around this year, and the coach there is doing a heck of a job getting her kids seen. They were nationally-ranked this year, made it to their national tournament. So it's a, it's a good spot for, and, you know, at the end of the day, I want Jaylia to go where she's gonna be successful and happy."
Reed hopes that this will be a situation that will help her transition to the next level and eventually go to a four-year college.
"I'll definitely go and work on my skills, my game, my leadership skills," she said. "You know, (learn) the importance of basketball, what it is to be a basketball player, and then develop into a four-year university."
Smith expects great things from his former point guard.
"I expect to see that and maybe even more," he said, reflecting on her high school career. "She's gonna probably spend more time in the gym. I'm not saying that she didn't, but when you get to the college level, it's a little different than the high school, and she's gonna have an opportunity to be in the gym a lot more. She showed, the amount of work she put in between that sophomore and junior year what her numbers did in one year, when she spent time in there, and you know, I expect all the percentages and all that stuff just to continue to rise for her."
Reed is looking into possibly majoring in sports management or a related degree.
"I might as well go into a field I know the most about," she said.