Haylen Ayers, ranked the top shooting guard in the Class of 2027, reportedly has narrowed her school choices to UConn and Vanderbilt.

That’s according to Dushawn London of 247Sports, who posted the news Thursday afternoon. Ayers shared it on her Instagram account.

Ayers still has time before she must make her decision. She is scheduled to visit UConn on Nov. 6, after an Oct. 24 visit to Vanderbilt, London reported. The Commodores are coached by Shea Ralph, who played for Geno Auriemma and UConn.

Ayers initially had laid out five finalists: UConn, Vanderbilt and fellow Southeastern Conference schools Texas and Kentucky, and Duke of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

According to London, those other three are are out of the mix.

Ayers is a 6-foot-1 guard who plays at the University School of Jackson in Tennessee.

She was a member of the 2026 FIBA U18 Women's AmeriCup team that beat Canada to win the AmeriCup tournament in Irapuato, Mexico, in June. She averaged 8.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game over five games.

The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association named Ayers the state’s “Miss Basketball” in Division II-A for each of the past three seasons, and as a sophomore, she earned Gatorade Girls Basketball Player of the Year for Tennessee.

The Gatorade honors came after Ayers led the University School to a 26-4 record and a berth in the Division II-A state tournament semifinals in the 2024-25 season. She averaged 21.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.8 steals.

Here’s an interesting tidbit about Ayers. Her mother, then known as Ashley McElhiney, also was a Gatorade Girls Basketball Player of the Year from Tennessee following the 1998-99 season.

Could Haylen follow in her mother’s footsteps again?

After graduating from Gleason High School, Ashley went to Vanderbilt and played in 132 games over four seasons (1999-2003). The point guard averaged 8.3 points and 5.1 assists in 132 games.

Ashley was selected by the Indiana Fever in the third round of the 2003 WNBA Draft but never played in the league.

If there were an equal career path to professional softball, Ayers might have decided to pursue this road. She is a dynamite outfielder, according to Rivals, which lists her as the No. 3 player at the position and the No. 22 overall player in the Class of 2027.

Ranked above her in the outfield are Finlee Williams from Melissa (Texas) High School and No. 1 and Ivy Burnham of St. Anthony High School in Long Beach, Calif. Williams is committed to Oklahoma and Burnham to Stanford.