2017 NEB Media's Tennessee State Player of the Year: Anastasia Hayes

NEB Media is happy to announce the first NEB Media Tennessee State Player of the Year. The recipient of the 2017 award is class of 2017 point guard, Anastasia Hayes.

Hayes, a University of Tennessee signee, just completed a stellar high school career for one of the most heralded girls’ basketball programs in the country, Riverdale High School from Murfreesboro, TN. As the point guard for the Lady Warriors, Hayes guided her team to back-to-back TSSAA Class AAA state championship victories in her junior and senior seasons. This year Hayes led her team to a 34-0 perfect season followed by a 66-59 win over formidable opponent Memphis Central, scoring half of Riverdale’s total for the game herself. Naturally after such a performance, Hayes added 2017 State Tournament MVP to her impressive list of personal accolades.

Hayes is one of the top elite players in the country, and has the awards and nominations to prove it. In addition to being State Tournament MVP, Hayes was recently named the TN Class AAA Miss Basketball award recipient. Her national honors include TN Gatorade Player of the Year, Naismith Trophy First Team All-American, Jordan Brand Classic All-American, and McDonald’s All-American. She has been included in every major publication’s nominations for Player of the Year, including those awarded by USA Today and Naismith. She is also the 9th ranked player in the country by ESPN.

Hayes played travel basketball for the widely-renowned Tennessee Flight organization, member of the Nike Girls’ EYBL. Hayes was key in Flight Silver’s quest for a fourth Nike National title, and achieved their second runners-up title. Hayes also participated in the USA Basketball U18 National Team Trials.

In addition to repeating their state championship performance, Riverdale was named the 2017 National Public High School Champions, ended the season ranked #1 by USA Today and MaxPreps, and head coach Randy Coffman has been deemed 2017 Naismith High School Coach of the Year.