Breaking records: Philadelphia junior helps her team make basketball history

Christie Ileto Image
Tuesday, April 9, 2024
Philadelphia junior helps her team make basketball history
Breaking records: Philadelphia junior helps her team make basketball history

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Shayla Smith is dribbling her way to greatness.

The 11th-grade MVP from Universal Audenreid High School in Grays Ferry is a scoring sensation on the court-breaking records, and making history for her school.

But if you ask her, she's just having fun.

It's been a season of firsts as the girl's basketball team at Universal Audenreid reached the semifinal round for the first time in the school's history.

Leading the charge of the history-making season is Smith, who was just named Pennsylvania MaxPreps High School Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

"First time winning a city championship and second time winning the public league," said Smith. "This season we made it real far into the states."

Shayla has been dominating headlines since her sophomore year. Last year she became the fastest player in the Public League history to reach 1,000 points.

"Throughout the season, I wasn't thinking about getting 1000 points," she said. "Next year I am probably going to have 2,000."

"She loves to work. She wants to practice and play basketball every day, where a lot of kids don't," said Coach Kevin Slaughter.

It's not lost on Slaughter how special this season has been.

"For us to be able to go that far down the road. It was amazing," he said.

Smith is now leaving a legacy at her school that's nothing short of legendary.

"I'm just trying to play basketball, I want to play basketball. I don't know how to take everything in," she said.

Smith already has dozens of college offers and even a Name Image and Likeness deal.