By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Jayden McClain has enrolled for her freshman year at Ryle High School, but the 6-foot-6 basketball phenom has been drawing so much attention from college recruiters this summer that her plans could change.
Earlier this week, two starting players on the Newport boys basketball team — James Turner and Griffin Starks — announced that they will transfer to basketball academies that offer intensive training focused on skill development for high school players looking to advance to the next level.
That’s an option McClain, 14, and her mother, Samantha, are also considering.
“We have looked into prep schools, but we’re not sure about Jayden’s route yet,” Samantha said.
Jayden averaged 10.2 points and 8.8 rebounds as an eighth-grade starter on Ryle’s varsity team last season. She also set a team record with 128 blocked shots, the third highest total ever recorded by a 9th Region girls player.
In April, Jayden was one of two eighth-graders who attended the USA Basketball Women’s Junior National Team minicamp in Tampa, Fla. There she took part in drills and scrimmages with elite players of all ages.
“It was a little frustrating, but it was fun,” she said of working with older players she knew “were going to be stronger and faster.”
Shortly after that, Jayden signed an NIL contract with EZ Sports, a global sports management and marketing firm. Her mother and father, Anthony, both played college basketball long before anything like that was allowed.
“With elite shot-blocking skills and a unique inside scoring touch, she’s one of the most promising incoming freshman prospects in the country,” EZ Sports Group representative Trey Dees said in the announcement.
Jayden has spent most of the summer practicing and playing with the FBC United Youngunz 15-under AAU team that takes a 3-2 record into the final five games of the Under Armour Next elite summer circuit this weekend.
Jayden had 18 blocked shots in her team’s first four games that were played in April. She picked up scholarship offers from Georgia and Purdue after that session.
The college teams that made her offers before that include Ohio State, Kentucky, Xavier, Cincinnati, Mississippi State, Florida State, Clemson, Ole Miss and Pittsburgh.
She could add to that list after being invited to the Blue Star All-America Camp in August 8-10 in St. Louis. That will conclude a busy off-season for the tall, talented post player.
“It’s fun. but it’s also been hard because I want to hang out with my friends and stuff,” Jayden said of her summer odyssey. “But it’s also fun playing basketball with my teammates and just training in general.”
She said her off-court training sessions are designed to make her quicker and stronger in the paint. She’s also been working on ball handling and shooting to improve her offensive skills.
She’s been doing all of that to prepare for her freshman season that will be at Ryle or an out-of-state basketball academy.
“We just kind of sat down and talked about how serious she was, if she wants to be an elite player, and how far she wants to take it,” said her mother.
“We had talks about the requirements and how sometimes you do have to make sacrifices if you want play on an elite level and miss out on some social events. But I think she’s done pretty good at balancing it and trying to be a kid at the same time.”
The two players leaving the Newport boys basketball program are headed in different directions to basketball academies. Turner will be joining AZ Compass in Arizona and Starks will enroll at Southeastern Prep in Florida.
Both of them were starting forwards for the Wildcats last season. Turner averaged 14.2 points and 7.2 rebounds as a junior. Starks averaged 10.7 points and 7.3 rebounds as a sophomore.