Jayla was a physical presence throughout the practice by setting some excellent screens, deterring the offense from attacking the paint, and communicating loudly in a big gym. She competes on every rep and clearly wants to win every possession. One of the top post players in the country, Jayla controls the boards and dominates the paint with her size and physicality. She did a great job rebounding and following her own shot while keeping the ball high in traffic. With plenty of familiarity playing in Florida and against many of the teams IMG is set to face, the Texas commit should be well prepared for the national schedule ahead.

After making the move from Montverde Academy to IMG Academy, Jayla brings one of the most imposing frontcourt presences in the country to the Ascenders. The top-20 player nationally and Texas commit has the size, skill, and presence to anchor the paint for IMG. With a versatile group of forwards around her, IMG will have tremendous size and versatility in the frontcourt with Jayla serving as the centerpiece.

You have to love the type of game that Jayla Forbes plays with. At her height of 6’7 she could take the easy way out and just stand next to the hoop on both ends but in reality she does so much more than that and that’s why every P4 school in the Country is interested in her. Frobes had a noteworthy performance in the Semi’s last night. She played the middle of their interior, controlling all the action moving by her on offense and defense. When Phenom moved to a zone, Forbes moved to the middle and played the high-low game with her teammates for easy assists down-low. She also had a few power players under the bucket where she finished through contact with a chance to go to the line for a three point play or two. Forbes is one of the most dominant players I’ve seen at the 17U level over my scouting career. She reminds me a lot of Audi Crooks and how she dominated the state of Iowa before eventually taking her talents to Iowa State and now Oklahoma State.

“There are some players out there that have such elite size that they have to be dealt with by the opposing team right away. If not, they will average 40 and 40 at halftime over every game of their basketball careers. Someone with this type of size is Forbes and not only does Forbes have height (6’7) – she has touch, balance, coordinated footwork, and patience. She has been too much for North Tartan EYBL 17U to deal with today. She even stepped out in the first half to shoot a couple of three pointers from deep, which all looked REALLY good coming off of her hand. If she starts hitting shots like that from distance off of her screening actions, she might end up as a potential college POTY one day at the next level.”

Forbes came out with purpose to start game two swatting a layup out of bounds about five feet from where I was sitting. She followed that up with several scores in the paint and on the block, showing excellent footwork for anyone but especially someone her size. At 6’7 Jayla has the ability to dominate games because of her ability to completely control the boards, finish consistently from the paint, and completely shutdown the threat of penetration with her presence. Forbes shoots the ball very well extending out to the midrange and shot the ball well when she went to the free throw line today. When Forbes has it locked in and rolling, there are not more impactful players in the class of 2027.

Jayla is a well-known name in girls basketball across the country and continues to show why she is considered one of the best. Her combination of height and strength makes her a special presence on the floor. She impacts the game immediately by altering and blocking shots at a high level on the defensive end. Offensively, she sets solid screens and moves well to the glass where she consistently secures rebounds. She can also step out and knock down the mid-range jumper, and she rebounds effectively on both ends of the floor. The impact she has on the game shows up on and off of the stat sheet.

She really showed off her soft shooting touch and inside-out scoring game. At 6’7 she has the size to be a legit big she also was strong in the post up game and had no problem finishing through contact at the rim. Her ability to eat space up on the floor can make her a valuable asset in any lineup at the next level!

Formidable post player. Relentless on the glass, especially pulling down o-boards. Overpowering strength. She set some really tough, impenetrable screens in the high post. Nice footwork to establish position in the low block; put in the work to set herself up for the entry pass. Impressive high-low game. She looked confident shooting from 18 feet and beyond; popped a 3 from the right wing.

Jayla has taken over the #1 spot after an impressive season with Montverde playing against the top competition in the country. She’s also competed at the Team USA minicamp and the Stewie 30 Camp since the season has ended. Her height, size, strength, and skill make her one of the most recruitable players in the country in the 2027 class. Jayla definitely has the opportunity to be an impact player at the P4 level right away.