Hughley a scoring force
Growing up as a huge basketball fan who also plays the game, Jayla Hughley says her all-time favorite player is former Philadelphia 76ers point guard Allen Iverson. Hughley definitely has worked on one aspect of her game that Iverson excelled at during his NBA career — the crossover dribble.
“I take a lot of pride in my dribble. That is something I work on a lot,” Hughley said. “Since I was little, people always knew me for having a lot of handles. I use my dribble to get around bigger defenders and to get me open.”
Hughley uses her dribbling mastery to create havoc. During a Patroon Conference contest Feb. 1 vs. Hudson, Hughley poured in a career-high 49 points in a 70-61 loss against the Bluehawks. The junior guard scored in double figures in all four quarters, including scoring her team’s opening 27 points.
“It was a pretty hard battle,” Hughley said. “Our team did well and we handled things. I feel like they are getting the concept of things more. We were close to getting that win.”
Hughley also tallied 37 points in an 84-40 loss against Coxsackie-athens.
For her efforts, Hughley has been selected as the Times Union Girls’ Athlete of the Week for Jan. 30-Feb. 5.
Hughley scored 10 points in the opening quarter against Hudson and added 12 in the second quarter as the Bluehawks led 31-22 at intermission. The junior pumped in 15 points during the third quarter to help establish a 44-43 edge entering the fourth quarter and added 12 points to cap off her career-best scoring performance. She knocked down seven 3-pointers.
Victories have been difficult to come by this season as Albany Leadership only has two wins, one coming in Patroon Conference play against Cairo-durham.
Jayla Hughley, center squatting, and her Albany Leadership team only have two wins this season, but Hughley sees better times ahead. Though Hughley is still scoring a big percentage of the team’s points, she said she has seen her teammates’ improvement throughout the season.
The team is set to host Rensselaer on Thursday for Senior Night.
“I want to win, but it hasn’t really been frustrating,” Hughley said. “As long as we are getting better, and I am seeing the progress everybody is making, and are really trying I don’t take the losses too hard.”
Hughley, whose current favorite player is newly minted NBA all-time scoring leader Lebron James, will get another chance to show off her skills Sunday at the Patroon Conference’s Coaches vs. Cancer event at Columbiagreene Community College. She has had to handle scoring the bulk of her team’s points all season and has produced a trio of 40-point performances.
“I think I knew the role I had to play and take on, so it isn’t a problem. I actually enjoy it,” Hughley said. “Since our first game, we are getting better.”