It all started with just a ball and a basket. Now Alayjah Sherer, a 5-foot-11 junior, is using her athletic talents to take her to the next level as a member of the Tupelo High School Lady Wave basketball team.

“I love basketball, because I have a passion for it,” Sherer said.
Every player has strengths and weaknesses, and Sherer said she has problems staying focused and handling herself in difficult situations during games.
“That’s the most difficult thing for me to do, so I’m working on it,” Sherer said. “Sometimes, I can handle it well, but other times I can’t. Staying focused can be hard with so many distractions.”
She was able to focus against West Point on Nov. 10, scoring a record 37 points.
Some of Sherer’s accomplishments in basketball are being named one of the Top 10 Freshman to watch in 2013, being selected in 2015 to play later this spring in the North/South All-Star Basketball Game, and being the No. 3 forward in Mississippi.
Basketball wasn’t always Sherer’s first choice. She once played soccer in middle school.
“I stopped playing soccer because Mississippi is one of the few states to play soccer in the winter, which is crazy,” Sherer said. “I had to choose, so I chose basketball.”
Sherer can play all positions in basketball, but she usually plays forward. She started playing basketball at an after-school program in the sixth grade, and then began playing for Tupelo Parks & Recreation.
Sherer’s skills have changed since when she played as a freshman to now as a junior.
“My shot has developed as well as my leadership skills,” Sherer said.
Sherer said she is impressed with the outcome of this season (18-8,4-1) because they practically have a new team. This team has no seniors, mostly sophomores, a few juniors and an eighth grader.
“We have been very progressive this year even though our team is practically brand new,” Sherer said. “We have shocked a lot of people this season.”
Team captain Reagan Cook said she admires Sherer.
“She’s a very great player and she will go far in playing basketball,” Cook said. “She has always been there for us on and off the court. We are like a family. I think with her being the oldest on the team she steps up on the court when she has too making the right plays at time that benefits us in the end.”
Sherer said her goals for the next five years are to graduate from college and possibly be drafted. She currently holds offers from Southeast Missouri State, Southern Mississippi, and East Carolina. Sherer is undecided on whether she wants to be a professional basketball player or not.
In the meantime, “I do it for God first,” Sherer said. “Because he blessed me with the talent that I have and then I do it for myself and my uncle who passed away.”