Hamilton Heights junior Jazmine Massengill recalled the day last summer that the University of Tennessee presented her an offer to play basketball for the Lady Volunteers.
"I was excited," Massengill said. "It was nice getting every other college offer, but that was the one I was waiting on."
A lifelong fan who grew up in a Big Orange household, Massengill recently made the commitment to become a Lady Vol.
"Ever since I was 3 and Candace Parker played for Tennessee, I've been a fan," said Massengill, who lives in Harrison and came to Hamilton Heights after attending middle school at Berean Academy. "That's where it all started from. She's the reason I wear her number 3."
The Lady Hawks are 18-1 and currently rated No. 13 in the nation in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 rankings. On a team with multiple NCAA Division I college prospects, Massengill is averaging 13.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 3.2 steals per game.
"She handles the ball really well," Hamilton Heights coach Keisha Hunt said. "She shoots the ball really well. Her basketball IQ is really high. She hardly ever makes a bad decision on the court. She's just like the extension of having a coach on the court."
Massengill is a guard who's close to 6-foot in height. She's rated the No. 13 recruit nationally by ProspectsNation.com and ranked the No. 26 player in the country by ESPN.
"She's really a great kid," Hunt said. "She's a natural leader. She's very loyal, to her parents and to her friends. It's been fun to have her on the team. And she's a great player. If she's not the best, she's one of the best two or three to come out of this city in years."
Contact Kelley Smiddie at ksmiddie@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6653.