Nobody wants to individually matchup against Jayla Williams in the open court. Williams closes spacial gaps quickly, her discipline to sit down in her stance helps her beat her matchup’s to their spots going either direction, she has an act for getting her hands on the ball even against some of the Countries best handlers, and as soon as she smells blood – she is going to turn up the pressure and cause some chaos. I’d imagine that Williams is going to see time as a Freshman next season with the Bluejays because of her ability on the defensive side of the ball. She can make things happen out of no where and that’s something you love to have on the floor with you when things get tough.

Coming in at #2 in this final 2026 Update is Creighton WBB commit, Jayla Williams Jayla Williams 5'9" | CG Ankeny | 2026 State #100 Nation IA . Williams has a skill-set that is going to translate to the collegiate floor almost immediately once she gets on campus. She is a top-notch defender with elite athletic ability and a smart head on her shoulders. Those things are going to help her stand out almost right away on any floor when she competes. It’s important to note that even elite high school prospects have an adjustment period to the college level but once Williams gets through that transition the first month, she should be a name we hear for years to come out of the Big East. It’s been exciting to watch Williams on her journey over the past four years. She has proven time and time again that she is the best guard defender in Iowa and she is ready to take that ability to the next level.

Ankeny didn’t have a ton of positives in the first half but the one’s that they did were because of Jayla Williams Jayla Williams 5'9" | CG Ankeny | 2026 State #100 Nation IA or Ali Aguirre Ali Aguirre 6'1" | CG Ankeny | 2029 State IA . To start off Williams racked up multiple steals defensively while jumping in the passing lanes, she got to the rim with crafty spin moves going both directions, and she was flying all over the court for loose balls – giving maximum effort on each possession. When it came to the second, Williams took over even more for Hawkettes. She was determined to get all the way to the basket for tough finishes off the bounce on offensive while staying scrappy and disciplined on D. This might have been the last high school game we see Williams suit up for but her basketball career is long from over. She will be at Creighton next season, competing with the Bluejays for the foreseeable future. This is a collegiate program that Williams should be able to get onto the floor as a Freshman right away because of her defensive prowess but we will just have to wait and see as we follow her journey moving forward.

Williams accomplished a few things last night at Ankeny High School. She scored 23 points to give her the most points scored in a single season ever by a player of Ankeny High School. In these efforts, Ankeny also ended up winning the game to send them to State for the first time since Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial split up as schools. These are two incredible accomplishments but the job is not done. They should be proud but not satisfied. Williams was unguardable against the defenders that SC East threw at her last night. Now it’s time to see how she does when the lights are the brightest next week.

Williams was the heart, soul, and motor for the Hawks once again last night and that started right from the opening tip. Williams showed up big in the first quarter with multiple assists to open shooters from the middle of the lane, multiple rebounds, and multiple buckets from all offensive levels. She followed that up with some great team-play in the 2nd paired with some staggering defense. She made all the right choices, getting into the teeth of the defense, eventually killing the Rams from the inside-out and she absolutely dominated her 1v1 matchup in the 4th, finishing things off with a new career high 34 points. The most impactful thing for Williams with this victory is that she got others involved. That’s crucial as this group moves into the Post season, where everyone else will need to continue to step up a little bit more as we get close to the State Tournament.

Jayla Williams Jayla Williams 5'9" | CG Ankeny | 2026 State #100 Nation IA is one of those players that can turn it on and off whenever she wants. She has that ability because she is so talented but in reality, she is always giving full effort whenever she is hooping. Williams is known for her key defense and hustle as a disrupter but her offense has been coming along at a steady rate this past year. So much so that if you don’t account for it, she might have a career stat line on you before halftime if you aren’t careful. Williams is the type to be able to Will her team’s to victory. Not everyone has that ability but with the one’s that do, it stands out and we have seen that throughout her career up until this point. If you need someone to change the momentum or rhythm of a game in a short amount of time, you can look towards Williams. The best way to put it is that she just makes things happen. Plain and simple.

Jayla Williams Jayla Williams 5'9" | CG Ankeny | 2026 State #100 Nation IA and Ankeny High School is slowly gaining momentum as we move into the New Year. This group has put together some impressive contests to start the Winter and they are putting themselves in a great position as we move into the thick of the season. Williams, the 5’9 CG and Creighton WBB commit, has been leading this crew per usual both literally and metaphorically. Williams is showing out as the top defender in the state per usual and she is paring that along with a whole lotta buckets on the offensive end. She is flying all over the court on both sides, showing up every evening in multiple positive statistical categories. When you have a prospect with this mixture of athletic ability, skill, and smarts – they are going to show up, no matter the circumstances. It’s going to be interesting to see how 5A finished off the year as a whole. The Class is pretty wide open with everyone looking up to Johnston at the moment but who knows what might happen.

Ankeny High School is another group that has been led to an undefeated season to start this Winter and a major reason for that is the #2 rated 2026 throughout Iowa in Creighton WBB commit – Jayla Williams Jayla Williams 5'9" | CG Ankeny | 2026 State #100 Nation IA . William is highly regarded as the best guard defender that the state of Iowa has to offer. She understands that she makes a lasting impact with her consistency, discipline, and tenacity on that side of the floor but something that is really coming along as of late is her offense. Williams has proven over the past six months that she is starting to be an accurate scoring threat from all offensive levels. If Ankeny is going to make a run come Playoff time, it’s going to be on the back of Williams and her overall playmaking ability.

Jayla Williams Jayla Williams 5'9" | CG Ankeny | 2026 State #100 Nation IA and Ankeny High School (1-0) will invite in DSM Christian (2-0) on Monday for a tough matchup between two undefeated teams. The Lions will look to build on their 2-0 start, pushing the pace, making the Hawks feel the pressure with their consistent defensive pressure. In rebuttal, the Hawks will follow the leadership that is their star player in Williams, hoping she can lead the group to the promise land. Williams, the WBB Creighton commit, had a solid showing to kick off her Senior season against Ames but she will need some others to step up around her if their team wants to take things to the State Tournament come 2026. This Lions team will be a great test for the Hawks early on in their season. Williams is going to do her thing and produce in multiple ways, now it just comes down to if the rest of the team can execute.

Now that Jayla Williams Jayla Williams 5'9" | CG Ankeny | 2026 State #100 Nation IA is committed to the Creighton Bluejays, she is ready to lock in for one last Senior season at Ankney High School. Williams is the state’s best 1v1 defender and her offensive game is growing at a high rate as well. She has been working relentlessly in the lab in her off-time and that work is starting to show as she moves into her Senior season. At Creighton, I’m sure she is going to make her presence known early on within that program. She is coming off of an EYBL season where she was named 17U Breakout MVP so as long as she builds on that momentum moving forward, she should be just fine in any situation that might unfold.