Reaching New Heights with Jayla Stokes
3.5 Minute read
By: Andrea Aruino
Three-time NCS D1 Champion, League Champion, Norcal AAU Champion, 2025 Co-Player of the year, and Cal-hi NCS Scholar of the year are just a couple of Jayla Stokes’ achievements as an up and coming athlete. She first picked up a basketball at the age of four and began playing competitively at the age of eight. Due to the lack of girls teams in Dublin, CA where she grew up, she was forced to play on various boys teams which helped prepare her to become a starter at the renowned Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland.
“Being the only girl on a boy’s team forced me to learn a different style of play. Grabbing rebounds and focusing on being a defensive threat was a challenge that made me resilient and gave me a winning mindset,” Stokes said.
Earning a spot at one of the winningest prep basketball programs in California was not an easy route considering the women’s team has won a state title in 2012, 2013, and 2015. Stokes made it a goal to improve as much as possible every year, and that she did.
During the 2023-2024 season the team finished with a 24-7 record. They were first in their league with a 7-1 record. After a stunning season, they found themselves a ticket to the CIF Championships against Bishop Montgomery where Stokes dropped 11 points. Although they fell short of the Championship finishing 40-52, Stokes learned a lot about consistency and control during this season.
Going into her senior year at Bishop O’Dowd, she is focused on winning as well as making sure she is proactive when promoting herself to collegiate programs. The recruitment process has been a huge learning opportunity and has pushed her to become more introspective in terms of what she hopes to get out of basketball. Her priority is to find a program that aligns with her values of community, academics, and the ability to grow.
“It’s been exciting! I continue to work hard, remaining consistent and ensuring all coaches who are recruiting me see my progress. I am grateful for the flexibility that many programs have extended as I evaluate my options to align my academic and athletic goals and choose the best fit,” Stokes said.
On top of playing at a renowned high school women’s program, Stokes was a part of three 17U AAU teams since ninth grade where she competed alongside talent from the class of 2024, 2025, and 2026. Stokes credits the California Ballaz as the first AAU team to put their trust in her ability to grow with them which has since shaped her into the player she is today. Coach Leroy Hurts, who is the founder and director of Ballaz AAU, played a huge role in Stokes’ growth as an athlete and a person.
Just this year, Stokes was awarded to be on the All-Tournament team at three different tournaments. The past two years, Stokes has been playing for the Adidas 3SSB circuit with Bay City and Team NorCal where she has competed against the top ranked girls in the nation. In one game, her team went up against Southwest Select who runs a highly successful program. She contributed in every way possible from energy to defense which set the tone for her teammates. Stokes finished this game with 16 PTS, 6 REBS, 5 STL and 3 AST.
Throughout this journey, Stokes found herself training at UPBasketball. She has learned to value coaches who push her and instill confidence, something that she finds easily within her work with Coach Hannah Johnson. She loves the intensity that Coach Hannah brings into her workouts that includes game-like situations, attacking downhill with different finishes and contact. On top of this she has been honing in on coming off of a screen into a mid-range shot or beyond the college three point range.
“Jayla is a relentless worker. She comes in every session ready to work, ready to learn, and ready to be challenged. She's a competitor and holds herself to a really high standard which is a testament to her work ethics. I’m excited to see all her hard work pay off and just for her to embrace her role on her team this year,” Coach Hannah said.
Stokes is more than prepared to enter a new chapter into her basketball career as she has taken the time to reflect on how she has grown and the goals she has for the future. Since becoming a senior, she has fully stepped into a role as a leader for the younger girls on her team. By setting the tone on defense and tapping into her IQ, she is prepared to relay that knowledge to her younger teammates.
During her final season at Bishop O’Dowd, Stokes has many goals she hopes to check off, the top one being to lead her team to a State Championship win. While this is the ultimate goal, she hopes to enjoy the last year she gets to be on a team with her teammates as well as finding a college program that aligns with her goals.
“Ultimately, I want to finish this season off knowing I gave it everything I have,” Stokes said.
With her work ethic and determination, there is nothing she cannot achieve. The UPB community wishes Jayla good luck on her recruitment process and her senior season!
