Everett has been a star for UNM women
She’s having one of the top freshman seasons for Lobos
Jayla Everett says she doesn’t look at the numbers.
The University of New Mexico’s standout freshman plans to take a peek once her first women’s college basketball season concludes, but for now Everett says individual statistics rarely cross her mind.
“Points and stats are not my main focus,” Everett said. “I know how many wins we have, though.”
Whichever lists one prefers, the numbers are adding up nicely for Everett and the Lobos, who visit Fresno State on Saturday.
From a team perspective, UNM (20-3, 10-2 Mountain West) has its best 23-game record in program history, bettering a 19-4 mark set in 2004-05.
Meanwhile, Everett is putting together one of the best individual freshman seasons in program history. The St. Louis native’s 2018-19 numbers already rank among UNM’s top 10 for points, assists, blocks and 20-point games by a freshman and she’s on pace to join the leaders in steals and made 3-pointers by season’s end.
Everett’s freshman scoring totals are particularly impressive. With six regularseason games and potentially multiple postseason contests remaining, Everett ranks sixth on UNM’s single-season freshman scoring list with 324 points. She needs five points to surpass Jordan Adams (328 points in 1999-200) for fifth place and could overtake Yvonne McKinnon’s program record (413 points in 198182) merely by maintaining her current average of 14.1 points per game.
What’s more, the 5-foot-10 combo guard does not have to score to contribute. She’s endured a handful of cold-shooting games, including a 3-for-11 outing in UNM’s 79-60 win at San Jose State on Wednesday. Everett
chipped in four assists and a pair of blocks in that victory.
Lobo coach Mike Bradbury often moves Everett from shooting guard to the point when junior Aisia Robertson needs a rest or gets in foul trouble. Everett ranks second on the team with 77 assists and needs just five more to move into UNM’s top five for assists by a freshman.
“Jayla’s one of those players who can do whatever she sets her mind to,” Bradbury said. “We need her to play some point guard in every game and she gets the job done. I think the sky’s the limit for her.”
Robertson hates spending time on the bench, but said she’s confident when Everett takes over at point guard.
“Jayla’s focus and hunger stand out — especially for a freshman,” Robertson said. “She goes hard every night and when
around and gets rebounds or steals or assists. She learns from her mistakes, too, and asks a lot of questions. Not all freshmen do that.”
Everett acknowledges she still has much to learn, including how to deal with failure. Such was evident early this season after Everett scored 25 points against Auburn but missed a potential go-ahead 3-pointer in the closing seconds. The Tigers held on for a 79-76 win and Everett said the losing outcome was her fault.
“I’m the kind of person that those things stay with me,” Everett said. “I know what I’m capable of and I hate it when I don’t live up to my standards. I need to get better about letting things go.”
Everett has posted four games of 20-plus points this season. Only McKinnon (seven in 1981-82) and Dionne Marsh (five in 2004-05) had more 20-point performances as UNM freshmen.
As for this season, San Diego State’s Sophia Ramos (14.5 points per game) is the only MWC freshman averaging more than Everett’s 14.1 points per contest.
Still, Everett says she wouldn’t trade places with Ramos or any of the league’s freshmen. She calls it “a privilege” to play in front of UNM’s home crowds.
“I was extremely nervous for our first game,” Everett said, “but I talked to my parents and (UNM assistant coach Valerie King) and they kind of settled me down. They said, ‘The fans are on your side. If you’re nervous, you can’t play to your potential.’ Now our fans just help me stay positive. I love playing for them.” Bradbury has called Everett’s number several times in late-game situations. She hit key 3-pointers in wins over Utah State and Fresno State but missed a potential tying jumper in a 61-59 loss at San Diego State.
Get used to it, Bradbury said, because he won’t hesitate to call on Everett at crunch time again.
“All she really needs to work on is being consistent mentally and physically,” Bradbury said, “because when Jayla’s locked in she’s as good as anybody, freshman or otherwise.”