Shelby Hayes motivated by family and supportive community at Cedar Park

Photo Credit: Scott W. Coleman

If you’ve been at any Cedar Park girls’ basketball game over the last few years, the Shelby Hayes cheering section is hard to miss.

With her grandma sitting in the front row and the rest of her family hardly missing a game, Hayes has been a dominant force for the Timberwolves as they capped off an undefeated season and second-straight state title Saturday night.

“It’s amazing to know I have as much support as I do, and I’m very grateful,” Hayes said. “They’re my biggest supporters. When I’m down, they pick me back up.”

Hayes finished with a double-double as the Timberwolves downed College Station in the state semifinals Thursday night at the Alamodome, scoring a team-high 22 points and grabbing 13 rebounds with three assists. She followed with 12 points, seven rebounds and a pair of assists in Cedar Park’s double-overtime win against Frisco Memorial in the state title game on Saturday.

“(She has a) complete understanding of the game and the concepts of what we’re doing,” Cedar Park head coach Donny Ott said. “She’s basically is the coach. She watches so much film, and she’s able to help translate it on the floor.”

That on-court leadership ability was not an overnight revelation.

When Hayes was a sophomore, that responsibility fell to then-senior guard Hanna Wheeler and post player Nicole Leff. Last year it was on the shoulders of guards Sarai Estupinan and Alisa Knight.

“I got to learn from the people ahead of me,” Hayes said. “I want to be a great leader not only for my team but also to show everyone else how good we can be when we all play together.”

Where Hayes has stood out from a leadership standpoint is off the court.

When COVID was at its peak and everyone was asked to stay home, Hayes organized a letter-writing drive to those in nursing homes that couldn’t see their families.

Last year, when snow and ice crippled most of the state, Hayes helped get together warm clothes and delivered them, along with coloring books, word finds and other activities to local nursing homes.

This year, her community service project involved baking and packaging treats before delivering them to local first responders.

“I strive to give back to the community that has given so much to me,” Hayes said.

Earlier this season, Hayes’ older sister Kailey was rushed to the hospital with three brain aneurisms. She was in the hospital for 14 days.

The community showed up for the Hayes family, providing them meals and a seemingly endless string of uplifting texts and phone calls.

Luckily, Kailey is recovering, and she was able to travel to San Antonio to watch her sister lift the state title for the second year in a row and be named to the all-tournament team in her final high school game.

“It was scary,” Hayes said. “It was a really hard time for me, especially since we’re super close. The amount of support was crazy and a blessing.”

Hayes does not like to make a mistake on the court, and when she does, she'll most likely going to change things the first time she’s instructed to do so.

There was a little bit of tough love at halftime of last year’s regional quarterfinal win against New Braunfels Canyon. Ott flatly told Hayes he needed her to be more aggressive in the second half, and Hayes wound up scoring 15 of her team-high 21 points after the break to propel Cedar Park to the victory.

“She’s big about loving on her teammates, and wants to have fun and have everybody enjoy each other,” Ott said. “She’s a perfectionist, and she wants to do well, and that’s what forces her to compete at a high level. Her work ethic is unbelievable.”

Those relationships matter for Hayes, which is part of the reason she decided to go to Rice to continue her basketball career because it mirrored what she had with the Timberwolves.

Obviously, winning back-to-back state titles is a huge accomplishment, but it’s the smaller moments like bus rides and singing country songs at a team dinner karaoke session that stick out to Hayes.

“I think it’s important the impact you leave on other people,” Hayes said. “The biggest thing I’ll remember is the connections I’ve built.”