Head Coach Sam Dixon and the Lady Paladin basketball team will welcome Arundel High School standout Ayanna Randolph in the fall of 2008.

Jan. 31, 2008

GREENVILLE, S.C. -
By Avi Creditor, Staff Writer
Maryland Gazette

Arundel High School girls basketball standout Ayanna Randolph was participating in an open gym this past summer when she attempted a crossover move and felt a pop in her left knee. Although she tore her ACL, her bright future remained in tact.

Nothing fortifies that more, now that she has been nominated to become a McDonald's All-American.

Despite not playing a single minute for the Wildcats this season, Randolph is among 2,500 high school seniors around the country to achieve the honor. Out of the nominees that are girls, 24 will be selected in February to participate in the prestigious McDonald's All-American game at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wis., on March 26.

"To be nominated for something that big, I didn't really know if it would happen or not," Randolph said. "I was really excited that all my hard work and all the time that I've spent doing basketball, somebody saw it. I figured that maybe since I wasn't playing it wasn't going to come."

Randolph, in her fourth year on the varsity squad, has been a team leader on and off the court since she stepped into the Arundel gymnasium her freshman year.

"I'm excited for her, because it shows how much people have respected her efforts and the hard work that she put in the offseason," Arundel coach Lee Rogers said. "To get a nomination to be a McDonald's All-American just goes to show you what hard work can do."

Rogers surprised Randolph with the news by reading her nomination letter in front of the whole team following a game last week.

Randolph has been a defensive stalwart and playmaking guard with the Wildcats. She averaged 7.9 points, 5.1 assists and three steals per game last season, and while she thought she would have an on-court and more offensive role for the top-ranked Wildcats this season, she has embraced helping her team from the sidelines.

"I cheer for them all the way," Randolph said. "I'm like another coach on the sidelines. It's really tough not playing, though, especially in big games that I know I can do stuff in." Rogers said that, though her leadership is missed on the court, Randolph has still been instrumental in the success of the team, especially by helping sophomore point guard Talen Watson grow into her starting role.

"She's like an unofficial assistant coach," Rogers said. "She's in practice everyday and on the sidelines."

Randolph will attend Division-I Furman University in the fall on full scholarship, and Lady Paladins coach Sam Dixon said he was thrilled about the All-American nomination.

"I'm excited for her," Dixon said. "It's quite an honor and it's a testament to her basketball abilities during her high school career. We're excited to have a person and player of Ayanna's caliber come into our program."

Randolph said that she is hoping to contribute immediately at Furman, and Dixon sees her being able to have the chance to do that.

"We try to play 10 players every game, and we do lose two senior guards, so there's opporunity to make the most of it," he said.

Randolph she should be medically cleared to play by the beginning of April. Should the Wildcats go far into the state playoffs, there's an outside shot that she could be ready to play.

"There's a 90 percent chance I won't be playing," she said.

Rogers said he would have no problem inserting her back into the lineup if she was cleared.

"I'd be obligated to give her an opportunity on the court," he said. "She symbolizes what our program stands for: the effort, hard work and dedication, which have put her where she is today."

Randolph, who got rid of her knee brace two weeks ago, goes to physical therapy and works out at the gym twice a week, and is doing what she can to get back into playing shape.

Dixon said that he never wavered on signing Randolph after she tore her ACL.

"It was never an issue on whether we would sign her," he said. "She's such a hard worker, and we're confident that she'll be ready to go when she gets here."

In addition to her accomplishments at Arundel, Randolph pointed to success with her nationally-recognized AAU squad, the Maryland Hurricanes, as a resume-builder that helped her achieve the nomination.

One of her teammates on the Hurricanes, McDonogh's Becky Cox, has also torn her ACL, so Randolph had some extra insight on how to cope with the injury.

Even so, the last few months have been difficult for the well-rounded Randolph, who is senior class president and carries a 4.0 GPA, and she is thankful for the support she has received.

"My mom [Monifa was always there for me," Randolph said. "When I couldn't walk she brought everything to me. She was there cheering me on through this whole process and was very supportive with every decision I was able to make."

Randolph, who has never made first-team All-County, sees her nomination as proof that hard work eventually does pay off.

"Being overlooked in the county, it happens," she said. "But being nominated also proves that other people are watching."