Audenried senior guard now holds record for Philadelphia’s all-time girls’ scoring leader
Audenried senior guard now holds record for Philadelphia’s all-time girls’ scoring leader
Her name is Shayla Smith and you should get used to hearing her name because she is a high school senior making history.
LOGAN - From one basketball legend to the next. Her name is Shayla Smith and you should get used to hearing her name because she is a high school senior making history.
Smith just became Philadelphia’s all-time scoring leader for girls' basketball.
The backstory:
Shayla Smith holds the record for the Philadelphia's all-time girls' scoring leader. And as huge as that is, those who know her say her greatness isn't limited to the hardwood. Her coach says she is an excellent student. He expects her to make it to the WNBA.
She landed the new record after a game last week where she scored 47 points against Engineering and Science.
What they're saying:
17-year old senior guard Shayla Smith is off to a great start living her dream. It’s all playing out on the basketball court where she recently shattered a record.
"2,502 points. That's the most ever scored by a female in Philadelphia High School, so yeah. It's legendary," she said.
FOX 29’s Shawnette Wilson talked with Shayla Thursday night before her team, the Rockets, of Audenried Charter, took on Freire Charter in the Public League semi-finals.
The game was at La Salle University.
"It was definitely like an honor. I was happy," she said.
"It's a great feeling, like, to have my name mentioned with those great names that held the record in the past, like Dawn Staley, Shawnetta Stewart," said Smith.
Dig deeper:
Head Coach Kevin Slaughter talks about her work ethic.
"She comes to school every morning at 6 a.m. and works out in the gym for an hour and a half. So, if that doesn’t tell you enough about a kid. She gets up in the morning. She's a Muslim so she gets up in the morning prays at 5:15, 5:30 and Coach Marcellus or her dad will put her in Uber and she's at the school before the principal," he said.
Shayla's parents couldn't be more proud.
"Just being able to watch her accomplish every goal that she wanted to accomplish while playing basketball is just amazing," said her mom Crystal Manley.
What's next:
Shayla has plans to go all the way.
"I'm gonna go to Penn State. Hopefully I can go there and produce as a freshman, play my part and help them win. Hopefully, we can win a Big 10 championship and go to the tournament and then hopefully go to the WNBA. That's my goal. That's my dream," she said.
The Source: Information for this article was obtained from Universal Audenried Charter School spokesperson and press release, as well as Shayla Smith and the Universal Audenried Charter Head Basketball Coach Kevin Slaughter.