They’ve gone from starring on the local high school basketball courts to making an impact at the college level.
Courtney Whitson, Alasia Smith and Jaycie Jenkins are putting up big numbers for their teams this season.
Courtney Whitson, MTSU
Whitson, a Dobyns-Bennett alum, was the Times News/Johnson City Press Northeast Tennessee player of the year and NET female athlete of the year her senior season. The all-time leading scorer (2,456 points) and rebounder (1,476) in school history, she was a McDonald’s All-American nominee in 2019.
Now a junior for Middle Tennessee State, the 6-foot Whitson is living up to the hype. She had her moments as a freshman with averages of 6.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while playing for Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame coach Rick Insell.
As a sophomore, she scored 10.6 points and led the team with an average of 7.7 rebounds per game. She was named to the Conference USA’s all-tournament team after averaging 15.3 points per game and hitting 52.2% from 3-point range. She and her Lady Raiders teammates lost to Tennessee in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Whitson ended the 2021 calendar year in style. Shooting 6-for-11 from 3-point range, she scored a career-high 31 points to lead MTSU to an 85-56 win over Texas-San Antonio on Thursday night.
Whitson is leading the team with 13.7 points per game while also averaging 6.5 rebounds while guiding the Lady Raiders to a 9-2 record entering weekend play.
Her totals include a 17- point, 10-rebound effort in a 62-52 win over Illinois in the Daytona Beach Invitational on Nov. 27.
Alasia Smith, Gardner-Webb
Smith, a Science Hill alum, was the 2020 Times News/Johnson City Press NET player of the year her senior season.
The 5-10 forward was the Big South Conference freshman of the year after starting a team-best 23 of 24 games with averages of 11.3 and 8.3 rebounds per game. She posted three double-doubles, led the team with 15 blocks and ranked second with 65 steals.
In her sophomore year, Smith has upped her scoring average to 12.3 points per game while grabbing 6.3 rebounds per game. Through 12 games, she’d already matched the 15 blocks from last season. A quick-handed defender, she is tied for the team league with 30 steals.
Season highs include 21 points against Mercer and 19 rebounds against Austin Peay. She’s also matched the three double-doubles from last season, including a 17-point, 13-rebound performance in the Bulldogs’ 64-50 win over High Point on Dec. 29.
Jaycie Jenkins, Milligan
Jenkins was the 2020 NET female athlete of the year at Daniel Boone after starring on the volleyball and basketball courts and on the softball diamond. The daughter of Milligan Hall of Fame inductee Tonya Bailey Jenkins is making her own name with the Buffs.
Named the Appalachian Athletic Conference freshman of the year after averaging 17.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, Jaycie Jenkins ended her freshman season with career highs of 34 points and 17 rebounds in Milligan’s 93-78 loss to CIU in the AAC tournament.
Through the first part of the 2021-22 season, Jenkins leads the team with an average of 25 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. She has three 30-plus points games this season, including a new career-high 36 in an 82-54 win at Montreat on Nov. 6.
Milligan’s roster also features several other local players, among them one of Jenkins’ high school teammates, Madi Runnels.
Former Unicoi County standout Hailie Padgett, a 5-11 senior forward, is averaging 10.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game for the Buffs. Lily Griffith, a 5-6 senior guard out of Dobyns-Bennett, is coming in with 7.9 points and 4.3 rebounds a game.
Shy Tuelle, Campbell
After an outstanding high school career at Hampton, where Tuelle ended with 1,750 points, 950 rebounds and 705 assists, she’s excelling at the college level.
Tuelle, a 5-10 senior guard, was a preseason All-Big South Conference preseason pick. That was her latest honor after she was named to the Big South freshman team, then averaged 8.9 points per game for the Camels as a sophomore. Last season’s effort was highlighted by a game in which she hit seven 3-pointers in a win over USC Upstate and the team captured the regular-season conference title.
She was All-Big South as a junior with averages of 11.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. Through the first nine games of her senior season, she is averaging 8.8 points per game with a season-high 15 against Norfolk State.
Sullivan Central graduate Bre Yarber is redshirting her freshman season for Campbell while recovering from a shoulder injury.
Kalee Johnson, Virginia-Wise
Kalee Johnson is Happy Valley’s all-time leading scorer with 2,004 career points. Now as a redshirt senior at Virginia-Wise, she is averaging 14.4 points and 6.9 rebounds for the Cavaliers.
The totals include 19 points and five steals against Tusculum and 16 points and 13 rebounds against Limestone. Johnson surpassed 1,000 points for her college career at the end of last season.
Other area players
Another leader for UVA Wise is former Sullivan Central star Meg Crawford, who’s averaging 9.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.
Former Daniel Boone standout Sydney Pearce is finishing up her senior year at Carson-Newman. The 6-3 Pearce, a NET defensive player of the year in high school, had 29 blocks her junior year in helping the Eagles win the South Athletic Conference regular-season title. She is averaging 3.5 points and 4.6 rebounds as a senior.
Abbey Crawford, another former Sullivan Central star, is averaging three points per game at Wofford. She posted a 12-point effort against Brevard on Dec. 8.
