College Commitment: 2020 Dayla Ballena (Kentridge HS)

One of the top available senior point guards in the northwest region has made her college choice. Dayla Ballena has found a lot of success over the years at the point guard position and had been on colleges' radars dating back to her freshman season. She won a 4A state championship as a freshman playing with the likes of current UW freshman, JaQuaya Miller and top 50 2020 forward, Jordyn Jenkins. In her final club season, Dayla won an adidas Gauntlet National Championship with the Northwest Blazers as the starting point guard. She now has her sight set on a state championship run, but one important decision was to be made before embarking on that journey. Dayla made her announcement via Instagram stating that she will be committing to Southern Utah University. She said, "The first day on campus I felt very welcomed and wanted." In the end, that is what Dayla was looking for the most at this stage in the recruitment process. Southern Utah is coached by WCC Hall of Fame Inductee, Tracy Sanders. Coach Sanders is entering her second year with the Thunderbirds, working to build the program into a real contender in the Big Sky. Dayla is the second Southern Utah commit from the Northwest Blazers program in 2020, joining 6'1 power forward Kinsley Barrington, who moved out of Washington for her final year of high school. Southern Utah will be getting a pass-first point guard that has really proven her ability to also score the ball in the last 6 months. Dayla is quick and possesses a shifty handle, but her deep three ball has been the biggest improvement I have seen in her game over the course of the last year. Dayla will look to fight for early playing time at the prized point guard position. This is never an easy task for a freshman, but she has the skill set and play-making ability to make an instant impact for Southern Utah's roster.