OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – The Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference announced the 2024-25 Women's Basketball All-Conference performers for Division II and the individual award winners today. These awards and teams were voted on by the league's head coaches.
Five members of the Johnson County Community College women's program earned all-conference recognition. Freshman guard Layla Scott was selected to the first-team and voted the Freshman of the Year. Sophomore guard Taliyah Scott was named as a second-team performer and freshmen guard Tamia Smith and Jamya McPherson and sophomore forward Yar Manyiel were third-team selections.
These five helped lead Johnson County to the fourth undefeated regular season in program history at 30-0, a conference title, No. 2 national ranking all season and earn an at-large berth to the NJCAA Division II National Tournament.
Layla Scott leads the team and ranks second in the conference averaging 16.3 points per game. She leads the conference and ranks third in the NJCAA making 103 baskets beyond the 3-point line. That total ties for third-most in a season in team history. She tied the third best single game in program history when she drained nine 3-point baskets in an 83-38 win over Southwestern on November 9. She also had two games where she made seven treys. Scott has scored in double figures a team-high 25 times and topped 20+ points 10 times highlighted by a 30-point effort in a win over Kansas City Kansas on February 8. Twice during the season Scott was named the KJCCC D-II Women's Basketball Player of the Week earning the honor in weeks 10 and 12.
Taliyah Scott currently averages 8.4 points, 6.4 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals. She leads the conference and ranks fourth in the NJCAA with 198 assists and her 64 steals are fourth in the conference standings. Her 198 assists have her tied for the third-most in a season at JCCC, and her 374 career stats also stand third and needs just four more to take over the second spot all-time. Scott reached double figures scoring 10 times and topped 10+ assists three times. In week 14 of the season, she was selected the KJCCC D-II Women's Basketball Player of the Week. Last season, Scott was also selected All-KJCCC D-II second-team.
Smith is the team's third leading scorer at 9.1 points per game and second leading rebounder averaging 7.4 per game. She has scored in double figures 14 times, topped double digits in rebounds nine times and has five double-doubles. Her 7.4 rebound average ranks seventh in the conference. In a win at St. Thomas JV in Florida on December 1 she grabbed a season-high 19 boards. Smith was selected the KJCCC D-II Women's Basketball Player one time earning the award in week 11 after posting back-to-back double-doubles in wins over Allen and Labette.
McPherson enters the national tournament as the team's second leading scorer at 10.4 points per game. During conference play she upped that total to 11.3. She also averages 3.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists. McPherson has scored in double figures 12 times and topped 20+ points five times, highlighted by a 27-point explosion to power JCCC to an 85-41 win at Kansas City Kansas on January 15. In her collegiate debut against St. Louis on November 1 she poured in a game-high 23 points to lead the Cavaliers to a 122-11 victory.
Manyiel really elevated her game as a sophomore. She is averaging 9.0 points and team-best 8.4 rebounds, which rank third in the conference and her 259 total boards rank second. She has scored in double figures 15 times, topped double digits in rebounds 10 and has seven double-doubles which lead the team. Manyiel enters the national tournament on the heels of being selected the KJCCC D-II Women's Basketball Player of the Week in consecutive weeks. In week 15 she opened with a 17-point, 23-rebound effort in a win over Ottawa JV. Her 23 rebounds rank as the fifth-best single game performance in team history. She followed with 12 points and 18 boards in a win over Fort Scott. In the final week of the regular season, Manyiel earned the honor posting 10 points and 11 rebounds in a win at Hesston.