By John "Woods" Armwood III
Very rarely, in one’s lifetime do they have the opportunity to witness greatness and history be made. Due to her athleticism and immense potential, superstar sixth grader Jayden McClain is projected to take the basketball world by storm. Over the past few years, we’ve seen the evolution of the big guards with familiar faces like Breanna Stewart, Chloe Kitts, and Elena Delle Donne. Undoubtedly, McClain has the potential and ability to further grow this narrative as she’s recorded to be 6 feet 5 inches and soon to be seventh grader.
Jayden McClain Intro to Basketball
Originally, McClain was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, however she later moved to Kentucky. Naturally, Cincinnati has a more city atmosphere in contrast to a much more rural landscape in Kentucky, therefore it comes as no surprise McClain admits she enjoyed the city much better. Initially, she began getting involved in sports at a fairly young age, in fact she began her athletic career participating in gymnastics.
“I started playing gymnastics at the age of five, however I transitioned to basketball around the time I began kindergarten,” McClain stated. “Since then, I’ve never looked back and have been playing basketball for the last six to seven years.”
McClain’s most natural part of the game was playing defense. Due to her size and frame, she didn’t have much trouble contesting and blocking shots. That said, she takes a lot of pride in playing defense and has the capabilities to guard positions one through five.
The Transition of McClain’s Mindset
Although McClain’s age may not resemble her mindset, her actions continue to prove she’s destined for greatness. For example, the fall before beginning her sixth grade school year, she already scoped out a list of goals she has for herself to complete prior to reaching high school. McClain explains at one of the Blue Star basketball camps she attended last summer, where one of her coaches advised her to write her goals in a notebook and the next time they encounter one another give the notebook to the coach.
“I have a notebook with all my goals written down,” she explains. “Going to a Blue Star Camp, I met a coach who asked me to write down all my goals, and the next time he sees me I’ll reveal my goals to him.”
McClain is looking forward to sharing her goals with that coach at the upcoming Blue Star 30 camp in Indiana. A step in the right direction to conquer these goals is having the capability of understanding the role and responsibilities of the team. Oftentimes, she’ll be the focus for opposing teams, that said she embraces the role in order to help her team win.
“At first, I didn’t like getting doubled because I had to deal with injuries (ankle and wrist).” McClain emphasizes. “Therefore, I stopped calling for the ball, but then I became used to it. Now, I embrace it and I take advantage of kicking out to an open teammate. I like to take on the challenge offensively and defensively.”
McClain’s “Sh3GotGame Moment”
At a young age, many are guided by their favorite entertainers as well as their surroundings. Since young, McClain has been surrounded by immense talent, therefore watching immense talent often. One of the more emerging and iconic stars of late has been LSU’s Angel Reese. During her game against the Tennessee Volunteers, Reese drew the foul while making the contested layup and proceeded to do the famous Tik Tok dance.
Naturally, as this dance became even more popular many began following the trend. During one of McClain’s games, she drove similarly to Reese and received the bucket additionally with the foul. Then, she proceeded to dance as one of her idols once did, and it also became a viral video.
@fbcyoungunz ♬ Her Way (Sped Up)
“During my most recent game, I was being doubled but I found an opening,” McClain stated. “So, I proceeded to lay the ball up and get the foul as well. After, I did the Angel Reese dance and I knew this was my ‘Sh3GotGame Moment’.”
Additionally, besides looking up to Reese, she’s grown a very good relationship with Tennessee Volunteers center Tamari Key. Key plays an older sister role in their relationship, in fact they often exchange basketball and attire advice. Both have extremely unique bodies, therefore it’s often hard to find clothes and sneakers that fit. Therefore, when Key isn’t offering advice on McClain's game she’s often offering her clothing brands and specific stores.
At the most recent tournament, these two were able to encounter each other in person for the first time. Naturally, they embraced one another and shared some small dialogue.
“I look up to TK [Tamari Key], I was very happy to see and meet her in person,” McClain happily explains. “We’ve spoken in the past, however every time I wanted to meet her she either had a game or was busy. She’s very tall, therefore she’s experienced similar things I endure during games.”
“Sometimes, we text and comment on attire and she’d send me a few shirts and websites that can help fit us both,” she continues.
Bright Future Ahead for Jayden McClain
In conclusion, McClain will be attending high school at Ryle High School and is graduating in the class of 2029. Although no offers have appeared as of yet, she continues to get interest from numerous universities like Ohio State, Louisville, Miami (FL) and Cincinnati.
That said when asked if was there any advice or encouragement she’d like to give to anyone following her journey, she responded:
“No matter what, don’t let things get to you. Whether it’s on the court or in life when things get hard and people try to bring you down, don’t let it get to you.”