Hanahan High School senior basketball standout Jaylah Hughes is the seventh annual Best of Prep Sports leadership award winner for a female.
Hughes has been outstanding in the classroom and on the basketball court for the Hawks, leading the way this past winter as Hanahan advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in 11 years.
The Spartanburg Methodist-bound Hughes averaged 11.7 points and 6.9 rebounds to garner all-region honors for the second straight season. She was Hanahan’s offensive MVP as a senior and defensive MVP as a sophomore.
“She kind of does it all,” Hanahan girls basketball coach Alison Cappelloni said. “She’s been a good student. I’ve never had any issues with her grades. She’s been a Girl Scout ever since I’ve known her. In terms of basketball, she was the leader on the team, but not just in her stats and game play. She set such a good example of working hard. She manages it all. She could have graduated at the end of last spring. She goes above and beyond in her academics.”
That’s not all, though. Hughes is a star off the court, too. She took advantage of an opportunity to learn American Sign Language online during the pandemic and later helped establish an all-deaf and hard-of-hearing Girl Scout troop with mentor Sonia Pagan. Girls grades 6-12 can join the Lowcountry troop.
Cappelloni said Hughes wants to be a coach down the road after her playing days are behind her. Just the other day, Hughes was fielding questions from a future Hanahan varsity player and Cappelloni was listening to the conversation.
“She’s going to be a wonderful coach,” Cappelloni said. “She’s naturally a leader and somebody people want to follow.”
