Janiyah Heyward

June 2024 Issue

by Elizabeth Skenes Millen
Photography (top) by
Cassidy Dunn Photography

She can play guard and forward; she handles the ball with ease and sinks three pointers regularly. This is what happens when you start playing street ball at a young age, being the only girl in a mix of big, burly, boy cousins, all serious about the round ball. None of them knew Janiyah would take her determination to show them up on the courts and work her way up through the ranks to receive a full ride scholarship to play on the USCB Sand Sharks inaugural ladies basketball team. It has been a dream come true for Savannah native Janiyah Heyward.

At five feet, seven inches, Janiyah isn’t the tallest player on the team, but when she enters a room, her stature makes it clear she means business. She is large, strong, serious, an athlete at heart with competitiveness coursing through her like a wide-open jet ski on smooth-as-glass water. She plays the game, but she isn’t here to play. She’s here to improve, grow and be an important part of the team.

“When Coach Sharon Versa, Head Coach USCB Ladies Basketball, first came to Woodville-Thompkins High to watch someone other than me, I knew I wanted to play for her and grow through her,” Janiyah said.

Janiyah just finished her freshman year and was awarded “Freshman of the Year” for the team. “It’s an honor, but I feel like that’s not my bus. I have so much room to improve. I’m not there yet. I look for next year to be good and my junior and senior years to be my best,” she stated. “I’m a leader, but I believe in being a big team player. There’s no I in team. It’s all about respecting and loving each other. That takes spending time off the court, building trust in each other as people, and trust with the ball.”

“One of my best moments came when one of my teammates ran into my eye, scarred me up. I had to go to the hospital but was able to get back to the gym right at the end of the game. Our team won, and it was the best moment, that winning moment, with everyone cheering, and running to see how I was. I felt so loved,” Janiyah shared. “They won for me!” In reliving that moment, strong, straight-shooting Janiyah could no longer hold in the sweetest smile you’ve ever seen—a smile that radiated kindness straight from her heart.

Her highest scoring game in high school was 32 points, so far in the NCAA Division 2 college arena, it’s 31. Not too shabby for a freshman. “My mom is my biggest inspiration. Since I was young, she’s always come to my games. We have this thing, she tells me every time, ‘Go hard or go home.’ I can’t walk onto the court without thinking of her saying that. My mom is my why; she is my reason. I owe her. I want to be able to give her a house and a car one day. She’s my number one supporter.”

Whether it be through basketball or business, there is little doubt Janiyah will fulfill her dreams. She has already achieved things she never thought possible. She is the first in her family to go to college as an athlete. She finished her first year academically sound, and as a business administration/marketing major, she has entrepreneurial aspirations for her future. She had doubts in high school of what kind of person and basketball player she may become, but now, she clearly sees a promising future.

One way she plans to get there is by following advice from Coach V: Just keep playing! Even if we’re losing, keep playing. Don’t give up!”

It’s hard not to eventually give up when you’re a small 8-year-old girl playing street ball with the boys—even if they are related to you. However, Janiyah was brave then, and she’s brave now. She’s joined a brand new team, played her heart out, and as a team, won some and lost some. But she is in it to win it! Janiyah said she’s never scared on the court. “I may be a little nervous before a game, but the bubbles go away. I know what I’m capable of, and I just go out and play the game.”

And, in that simple statement, we may all have just found the key to life.

Up Close:

Down Time: “Listening to music and being by myself.”

Up High: “I haven’t dunked yet, but I will get there!”

Discipline: “I know what not to do and what to do. I have to show them I want to be here.”

Academics: College is different. You have to do it, or it isn’t going to get done.”

Practice: 2 hours a day, 7 days a week, daily workouts, running

Favorite Food: Wood-fired pizza—“You can’t beat pepperoni!”

Favorite Pro B-Ball Role Models: Male: Steph Curry for his 3s; Female: Candace Parker for her abilities—guard, forward, ball handling and 3s.