The Inimitable Positivity of Jayla Hearp

How do you identify an enigmatic personality? A smile the vibrancy of a Vegas billboard and an aura the brilliance of an Eastern North Carolina evening help.

It's understated, though. Jayla Hearp is modest, perhaps to a fault. Humble and quiet in a way that can't help but be endearing. Ask any of her coaches or teammates though and she's unrelentingly joyful to be around. It's hard to catch her without a smile on her face.

It's some feat, too. The freshman guard has been through the first-year ringer and then some. After working her way into the starting lineup, she would miss two weeks with a concussion suffered on a play she got whistle for a foul on. In another game she was bloodied up and forced to leave the game for a few minutes.

"I used it as a chance to get a different point of view," Jayla said of her concussion. "Just sitting on the bench and getting to take it all in and be there for my teammates and encourage them."

She's had the usual freshman struggles too – adjusting to the pace of play, figuring out her role, all while endeavoring for the first time to be a full-time college student. But you wouldn't know it.

"It's something that my mom has taught me," Jayla continued. "Stay positive, try see the good in things – and having good intentions when you do things. If you do things with the right intent, then the right outcome eventually comes… It can't rain forever."

That larger view of basketball – of life is a big part of why Jayla has shown flashes of brilliance this season – and why those are an indication of what's to come, not mere vignettes of what might be. Her talent is undeniable, but her positivity is something greater – something harder to explain. Something simply easier to see.

Players Mentioned

Jayla Hearp

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