St. John's University Athletics
Women’s Basketball Inks Beautiful Waheed and Kyla Hayes on National Signing Day
11/13/2024 12:23:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Waheed is one of the top junior college prospects in the country; Hayes is a two-time All-State selection
QUEENS, N.Y– St. John's women's basketball Head Coach Joe Tartamella announced the signing of two highly-touted prospects in Kyla Hayes and Beautiful Waheed on National Signing Day.
Both players made their commitment official on Wednesday and will join the Red Storm for the 2025-26 campaign.
"We're thrilled to welcome Kyla and Beautiful to our program," Tartamella said. "Both student-athletes possess a diverse skillset and an ability to play to multiple positions on the floor, as well as a strong character and work-ethic that we look for in our program."
Waheed, a 2023-24 NJCAA All-American Honorable Mention selection out of Wabash Valley College in Illinois is one of the top-rated junior college prospects in the country.
"Beautiful is one of the top junior college prospects in the country and has had a lot success at Wabash Valley," Tartamella said. "Her ability to score in bunches and rebound will be an asset to our team."
The Milwaukee, Wis., native burst onto the scene last year for the Lady Warriors averaging 17.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game leading them to a Great Rivers Athletic Conference (GRAC) Championship, a Region 24 title and NJCAA Division I Championships Semifinal appearance.
Waheed started 29 of 30 contests in her freshman season at Wabash Valley and tallied 11 20-plus point scoring appearances. The 5-foot-10 guard shot 51.4 percent from the floor and 40.1 percent from beyond-the-arc, the latter of which ranked top-25 in the NJCAA.
In addition to her All-American Honorable Mention nod, Waheed earned GRAC Freshman of the Year honors and tabbed to the league's first team.
Prior to attending junior college, Waheed was a high school standout at Milwaukee Academy of Science. The 5-foot-10 guard tallied over 1,000 career points and led the Novas to the Wisconsin Division 3 State Championship game during her career.
Hayes, a dynamic forward from Tonawanda, N.Y., just outside of Buffalo is a two-time All-New York State honoree and three-time All-Western New York First Team selection at Cardinal O'Hara High School.
"Kyla brings great versatility, athleticism and IQ to both ends of the floor.," Tartamella said. "Her approach to the game and competitiveness are everything we look for in a player and we are looking forward to her bringing those attributes to our program."
As a junior at Cardinal O' Hara, Hayes averaged a double-double totaling 20.0 points and 10.9 boards per game. She recorded 15 20-point performances, two 30-point outings and finished in double-figures in all 27 of the Lady Hawks' contests. She led her team to a Monsignor Martin High School Athletic Association (MMHSAA) Championship for the second time in her varsity career, as the program has won 10 of the last 11 district titles.
As a sophomore, Hayes was named a New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYPHSAA) Class A First Team selection after averaging 17.7 points and 11.3 boards per contests. She earned her first all-state nod as a freshman putting up a monstrous stat line and 20.5 points and 10.3 rebounds per contest to land on the second team.
Both players made their commitment official on Wednesday and will join the Red Storm for the 2025-26 campaign.
"We're thrilled to welcome Kyla and Beautiful to our program," Tartamella said. "Both student-athletes possess a diverse skillset and an ability to play to multiple positions on the floor, as well as a strong character and work-ethic that we look for in our program."
Waheed, a 2023-24 NJCAA All-American Honorable Mention selection out of Wabash Valley College in Illinois is one of the top-rated junior college prospects in the country.
"Beautiful is one of the top junior college prospects in the country and has had a lot success at Wabash Valley," Tartamella said. "Her ability to score in bunches and rebound will be an asset to our team."
The Milwaukee, Wis., native burst onto the scene last year for the Lady Warriors averaging 17.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game leading them to a Great Rivers Athletic Conference (GRAC) Championship, a Region 24 title and NJCAA Division I Championships Semifinal appearance.
Waheed started 29 of 30 contests in her freshman season at Wabash Valley and tallied 11 20-plus point scoring appearances. The 5-foot-10 guard shot 51.4 percent from the floor and 40.1 percent from beyond-the-arc, the latter of which ranked top-25 in the NJCAA.
In addition to her All-American Honorable Mention nod, Waheed earned GRAC Freshman of the Year honors and tabbed to the league's first team.
Prior to attending junior college, Waheed was a high school standout at Milwaukee Academy of Science. The 5-foot-10 guard tallied over 1,000 career points and led the Novas to the Wisconsin Division 3 State Championship game during her career.
Hayes, a dynamic forward from Tonawanda, N.Y., just outside of Buffalo is a two-time All-New York State honoree and three-time All-Western New York First Team selection at Cardinal O'Hara High School.
"Kyla brings great versatility, athleticism and IQ to both ends of the floor.," Tartamella said. "Her approach to the game and competitiveness are everything we look for in a player and we are looking forward to her bringing those attributes to our program."
As a junior at Cardinal O' Hara, Hayes averaged a double-double totaling 20.0 points and 10.9 boards per game. She recorded 15 20-point performances, two 30-point outings and finished in double-figures in all 27 of the Lady Hawks' contests. She led her team to a Monsignor Martin High School Athletic Association (MMHSAA) Championship for the second time in her varsity career, as the program has won 10 of the last 11 district titles.
As a sophomore, Hayes was named a New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYPHSAA) Class A First Team selection after averaging 17.7 points and 11.3 boards per contests. She earned her first all-state nod as a freshman putting up a monstrous stat line and 20.5 points and 10.3 rebounds per contest to land on the second team.
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