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DAYTON, Ohio – Javonna Layfield, a 5-foot-10 guard/forward from Louisville, Ky., signed her National Letter of Intent to play for the University of Dayton women's basketball team next season. 

A finalist for 2014 Miss Kentucky Basketball, she finished her career with 1,227 points and more than 500 rebounds despite missing parts of her sophomore and junior seasons with knee injuries. The KABC Region 7 Player of the Year Layfield, averaged 17.3 points (while shooting 55.8 FG%), 9.8 rebounds, 2.7 steals, 1.7 blocks and 1.5 assists as a senior at Ballard High School.  

She is a first-team member of The Courier-Journal's 2014 All-State basketball team. She was named to the All-Star team at the USJN (U.S. Junior National) Battle of the Programs in Chicago. Layfield scored a game-high 17 points in the 2014 Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches' East-West girls' basketball all-star game.

Layfield had 21 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, three blocks and three steals to lead Ballard to the finals of the KHSAA Girls' Seventh Region Tournament, coming within one victory of their first state tournament trip. 
Layfield plays AAU ball for the Louisville FOCUS.

She chose Dayton after also considering North Carolina-Wilmington, Mississippi, Bellarmine and TCU. Layfield has scholarship offers from WKU, Eastern Kentucky and UNC-Wilmington, Ballard coach Frank Wright said. She's also had interest from Louisville, Tennessee, Colorado State and Georgia Tech.

"When I went up there it felt right," she said of an unofficial visit to Dayton during an interview with The Courier-Journal. "I felt like I fit. I was comfortable. It's a nice campus, peaceful. I fit in with their style play, and I built a good relationship with coach (Jim) Jabir.

"They feel like they could really, really use me and that I can become a leader on the team," she added. "I create mismatches. I rebound, I can score the basketball and I score in transition. I'm also a hard worker."