WEST POINT — Qiayon Bailey knew at a young age she wanted to play basketball.
She began to play the game at 9-years old and that is when she made the decision to try and play college basketball.
The West Point High School girls basketball point guard made that dream come true Friday. She signed a national letter of intent with Meridian Community College at the West Point High School auditorium.
“It’s a great feeling,” Lady Green Wave coach Dashmond Daniel said. “I’m not only sending a great player, but a great person. That really makes me feel good that I’m sending a quality athlete and quality person to Meridian Community College.”
Bailey also plays softball and Daniel, who just finished his third year with the Lady Wave, sat down with Bailey a couple of years ago and wanted to find out where her heart was. Bailey has been successful at softball and could have played that at the next level in that sport.
But Bailey told Daniel that she wanted to play basketball. From that point on, Daniel challenged her and wanted to help her achieve her dream.
“We’ve been in the gym every Sunday since that day,” Daniel said. “She’s only missed maybe two open gyms in three years. She puts in the work.”
Daniel said Bailey had interest from Division II and Division III schools, but Meridian was the best option because of the possibility to play at a Division I school in two years.
During the recruiting process Bailey got to know Meridian coach Jocelyn McGillberry closely and what she heard from the coach was enough to get her to sign with the Eagles.
“She told me that she can get me a full scholarship to another college, to play on the next level,” Bailey said. “I want to be able to play on the next level.”
Daniel decided to move Bailey to point guard this season because she really improved her ball handling skills and because he was preparing her for the future. Although Daniel referred to her as a scorer, Daniel said Bailey will have to play point guard at the next level because she doesn’t have the size to play forward.
Daniel is positive that Bailey will fit in with McGillberry and the team she is bringing in and already has.
But there will be some obstacles she to overcome.
“Her main thing is the tempo of the game and the change of the speed, she has to get used to that because she has the ball handling, she has the shooting which all the college coaches complimented her on that,” Daniel said. “The tempo we play at high school, she just needs a little time to transition to.”
Daniel said Bailey improved 10 times this summer and saw that in her basketball IQ. He began to see that basketball IQ when she would find her teammates in situations that other players weren’t seeing or weren’t looking for.
But that IQ didn’t come from putting up shots in the gym. It came by being on the court in game situations, something she saw a lot of last summer.
“She played a lot of AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) ball this summer and she played with us this summer in team league,” Daniel said. “You have to be on the court to build your basketball IQ, just like in the classroom. You can’t get smart if you’re sitting at home every day.”
Bailey is also hoping to win a championship at Meridian, something her and the West Point team came just short of this past season. She feels like the Eagles will have a good chance with her on the roster.
But in the end, it’s all about basketball for Bailey, something she dreamed of since a young age.
“I love the game and I just like playing basketball,” Bailey said.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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