6-foot-5 seventh grader from Kentucky already has 6 Division I offers, including UK women

Ryle girls basketball coach Katie Haitz had heard about a particularly tall young player coming up in the team’s school system. And now, a few years later, 6-foot-5 seventh grader Jayden McClain is a little bit taller, more skilled and suiting up for the Raiders.

The class of 2029 standout has six Division I offers, most recently adding Kentucky and Xavier to go with Cincinnati, Ohio State, Mississippi State and Pittsburgh.

“We were aware of her a little early,” Haitz said. “… She is very skilled. I mean, for someone to be that tall at that age, she’s very skilled and can control the ball, control her body very well.”

The KHSAA doesn’t allow students younger than seventh grade to play on high school teams, so McClain previously had to experience Ryle — and a higher level of play — in different ways. For the rising star, that meant watching the Raiders compete during the season and playing alongside Ryle’s freshmen the past two summers.

McClain, a lover of dance and tumbling who was first drawn to gymnastics as a child, has spent the bulk of her 13 years around basketball. The daughter of former college basketball players, 7-2 Anthony McClain (Cincinnati, 2007-11) and 6-4 Samantha McClain (Cincinnati State), accompanied her father (carried in his arms) on his senior night when she was about 2 months old. She was around 1 year old when he first played with the Harlem Globetrotters, and about 2 years old when her mother went back for a second season at Cincinnati State.

“She was 2 feet long when she was born,” Samantha McClain said. “And so I knew, obviously, between me and him, I knew she was gonna be super tall. And I didn’t want to force her to play, or not like love to play. So I just kind of waited until she came to me.”

That moment came after a few years of gymnastics when Jayden was about 6 years old, and her parents signed her up for basketball with the local Fairfield Township (Ohio) team. As she continued to fall in love with the sport, her parents introduced the then-8-year-old to the world of AAU with Cincinnati-based Lady Future. According to Samantha McClain, the major step up in intensity of play was overwhelming at first, and it pushed the family to try to find the right fit for Jayden.

“That’s when she kind of realized she was like, ‘Yeah, this is like a little bit too much,’” Samantha McClain said. “You know, I kind of realized it, too. It was just too intense for her at the time because it was her first year.”

For Jayden and her parents, the right fit would have a family feel, focus on Jayden’s health and development, and prepare her for a strong college career. They found all of that ahead of Jayden’s fifth grade year, when she started playing with Alfred Motton’s Finest Basketball Club (FBC), a regular championship-contending AAU program originating in Atlanta that has produced many Division I talents, including Louisville senior leader Olivia Cochran and UK legend and 2022 No. 1 overall WNBA draft pick and Rookie of the Year Rhyne Howard.

“That’s what we were looking for, is something like a family,” Samantha McClain said. “They take care of my daughter. They care about her. And, you know, all the different opportunities they have. They’re always putting their name out there.”

The most important thing? The talented seventh grader is enjoying herself as she continues to learn the game. So far, Ryle varsity basketball has been another great fit. McClain has averaged 2.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in the 10 games she has played in this season.

Ryle is 10-7 overall, 3-1 in 9th Region games, and 1-1 in 33rd District play.

“It’s fun,” Jayden McClain said. “It’s really hype. Even at practice, we’re listening to music constantly.”

Jayden’s mother said her growth plates are still open, meaning 6-5 might not be the stopping point. While Jayden, her family, coaches and strength trainer Jordan Nevels are taking great strides to ensure that she’s progressing and building muscle at a healthy rate for her age and height, others are beginning to take notice.

McClain received her first college offer in October from Cincinnati, a big moment for the daughter of a Bearcats alum. Offers from Mississippi State, Ohio State and Pittsburgh followed. Following an unofficial visit to UK, McClain announced via social media that she’d received an offer from Kyra Elzy and the Wildcats. McClain told the Herald-Leader in December that she “really liked their campus,” and she liked how Elzy and the team watched film ahead of practice and worked on what they picked out in the game tape.

Elzy made a trip to Lexington Catholic High School the following week to watch McClain and the Raiders take on Male in the White, Greer & Maggard Holiday Classic. McClain is the first prospect in the class of 2029 to be offered by Elzy and her staff.

McClain’s list continues to grow. On Jan. 8, she posted that Xavier was the latest program to offer her a scholarship. McClain has also taken visits to Georgia, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Tennessee and Miami (Fla.).

Samantha McClain said Jayden wants to be more than a traditional big and is always looking to improve all aspects of her game. According to Haitz, McClain is a strong passer who sees the floor well offensively.

“She does a great job of passing to other players, seeing the player that’s open,” Haitz said. “Definitely wanting to share the ball and wanting to be a part of the offense and getting it moving.”

Defensively, Haitz said McClain is “very much a big deterrent for people” in the paint and is working hard to adjust to the more intense play that comes with the varsity level.

“She’s done a good job defensively and started communicating, too,” Haitz said. “Letting people know when screens are coming and things like that. The pace of the game from middle school, and even elementary, the pace when you come to varsity is completely different. And so you’re reading things at a much quicker pace. And she’s picking up on being able to talk like, ‘Hey, this is coming. Hey, she’s coming to set the screen,’ that kind of stuff. So, she’s doing a good job.”

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