Ayanna Wimbush sat down in front of the Alcovy mascot on Friday afternoon to sign her letter of intent to play basketball at Truett-McConnell College with her family next to her and her friends watching she put the pen to the paper and solidified her collegiate career in basketball.

“This is a very special day, I’m very excited,” Ayanna said.

“I chose Truett-McConnell basically because when I went for the tryout I felt like I was gonna fit in. I felt like it was a family. They were very welcoming. I love the team, they were always encouraging me. I just felt like I knew this could be a place I could have a home,” she added.

“It’s like a dream come true. She’s really blessed and we’re really proud of her. Like I always tell her if you put in the hard work you’re gonna get blessed, no matter what. She put the hard work in and good things came out of it,” Rufus Wimbush, Ayanna’s father, said.

Wimbush’s coach at Alcovy, David Baker, says that he’s seen her game grow during his time with her. He says that she’s developed a better basketball IQ, and she has as good a work ethic as anybody. Baker says that Wimbush was a first-to-get-there and last-to-leave type of player.

“They’re getting a great student-athlete in every sense of the word. A high quality player. A player that’s gonna be willing to do whatever she’s asked to do,” Baker said. “One of her strengths that’s gonna help her at the next level is she’s been able, the last two years, to guard positions one through five, and she may be called on to do that in her collegiate career. They’re getting a player that looks to always get better and just works hard. She can see that her hard work has paid off.”

Wimbush is as versatile as they come in female basketball players. At Alcovy, Wimbush was a leader and a terrific defender. She never had eye-popping offensive numbers (averaged nine points and five rebounds her senior year), but her versatility on defense was her greatest strength.

“Her biggest skillset is really defense. She’s a real hard defensive player,” Rufus Wimbush said. “She plays hard, she never takes a play off. She really kind of got more into the offensive aspect of the game around her sophomore year really wanting to score the ball, but defense was her thing.”

Ayanna believes that her versatility will translate well at the next level.

“Because of the position I play I feel like I’m bringing size just for the guard play because I am able to play the one through the five even though I’m short. If they call my name to play the three, I’ll play the three. I’m able to play anything and I’m willing to play anything,” Ayanna said.

Ayanna started playing basketball when she was eight with Upward where she did AAU since then. Her father says he’s never had any problems out of her and that she’s worked hard to get where she is and he’s proud of her.

“It just seems like yesterday she couldn’t hardly pick up the basketball, couldn’t hardly shoot the basketball. We got out in the driveway every so often and she just learned the game real quick,” Rufus Wimbush said. “She’s real smart and we’re really proud of her.”