Every month, remarkable young people are recognized – not just for scoring the most points, but for demonstrating:
They do the right thing.
They inspire others.
They strive to be their best.
They give back.
They compete with respect.
They push forward.
Jadyn Watts exemplifies the hard work and dedication required to excel in the classroom, on the court, and in her community. A senior captain at Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School, she maintains a 4.4 GPA and National Honor Society membership while competing as one of Florida’s top basketball players. Behind her accomplishments are countless hours of studying, training, travel, and personal sacrifice.
When Taylor Englebert stepped onto the basketball court in Times Square, she brought a willingness to do something that has become a defining part of her young career: compete against older players.
The sixth-grade guard from Sayreville, New Jersey, competed with St. Stan’s in the girls’ seventh-grade division of the Times Square Takeover 3-on-3 tournament. For the 5-foot member of the class of
Ethan balances academics, music, and volunteering at the local food bank every month.
The work behind Jadyn Watts’ accomplishments rarely draws a crowd. It happens during early mornings in the gym, hours devoted to schoolwork and time spent gaining experience at a veterinary clinic. Together, those commitments reveal a student-athlete whose ambitions extend well beyond basketball.
A senior at Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School, Watts maintains a 4.4 GPA, is a member of the National Honor Society and volunteers with animals while competing among Florida’s leading basketball prospects. For her, achievement requires sustained effort across the classroom, the court and the community.
“Basketball has taught me that you have to be willing to work for what you want, even when no one is watching. There are always going to be challenges, but I’ve learned to stay focused on my goals and keep working to get better as a player, a student and a person.”
That philosophy has helped the 5-foot-10 guard build an impressive résumé. A member of the Class of 2027, Watts is ranked Florida’s No. 2 shooting guard by Prep Girls Hoops and No. 7 overall by Jr. All-Star. She has committed to Lehigh University, where she plans to compete in Division I basketball while preparing for a future in veterinary medicine.
Her college decision reflected the importance she places on education. After receiving scholarship opportunities from UNC Greensboro, Coastal Carolina, North Carolina A&T, Samford, North Florida, Northern Kentucky and Lehigh, Watts chose a university where she could pursue demanding academic and athletic goals together.
“I knew I wanted to go somewhere that would prepare me for my future, not just for basketball,” Watts says. “Lehigh gives me the opportunity to compete at a high level while getting an outstanding education. When I looked at everything I wanted in a college, it felt like the right fit for me.”
Her commitment to academic achievement has developed alongside a basketball career marked by steady production and growing responsibility.
As a sophomore at Sickles High School, Watts averaged 22.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.7 steals per game, helping the Gryphons reach the regional finals. She recorded four 30-point performances, including a career-high 36 points, and earned First Team Western Conference American Division honors.
After transferring to Cardinal Mooney for her junior year, she joined a program accustomed to competing at a high level and quickly became an important contributor in the Cougars’ backcourt. As team captain, she provided scoring, rebounding and defense, earning a place on the Sarasota Herald-Tribune’s 2026 All-Area first team.
During that season, Watts surpassed 1,500 career points and 500 career rebounds—milestones that reflect her versatility and consistent effort throughout high school.
Maintaining that level of performance while earning a 4.4 GPA requires careful choices about time and priorities. Practices, training, games and travel must fit alongside assignments, studying and community involvement. The schedule leaves little room for shortcuts, demanding discipline and sacrifices that seldom appear in a box score.
Watts applies that same long-term commitment to her career aspirations. Her interest in veterinary medicine grows from a lifelong love of animals and years of animal-focused volunteering. She is now gaining hands-on experience at a Sarasota veterinary clinic, taking early steps toward understanding the profession she hopes to enter.
“I’ve always loved animals, but working with them has made me even more certain that veterinary medicine is what I want to pursue,” she says. “I want a career where I can help animals and make a difference, so getting that experience now is really important to me.”
That experience connects her education to a larger purpose. Her classroom work is preparation for a demanding professional path, while her community involvement gives her opportunities to contribute today.
As Watts enters her final high school season, she still has goals to pursue with her Cardinal Mooney teammates. Beyond graduation, Lehigh will bring new expectations in both academics and athletics.
She is preparing for those challenges through habits already evident in her daily life: studying consistently, training deliberately, accepting responsibility and making time to serve. Basketball has opened doors, and Watts is working to ensure those opportunities lead to a future in which she can contribute as a teammate, a student and, eventually, a veterinarian.
2033, the setting was extraordinary. The challenge was familiar. Taylor has played up since fourth grade, embracing opportunities to learn against more experienced competition.
Her basketball journey began at St. Stan’s in Parlin, where she has remained involved since intramurals. That connection has given her a steady foundation as she explores new teams, coaches, and levels of competition.
As a fifth grader, she helped St. Stan’s win a sixth-grade championship, an early milestone in a journey built around taking the next step before it feels easy.
Playing against older athletes offers lessons that extend beyond shooting and ball handling. It requires adjusting to different opponents, finding ways to contribute, and continuing to compete when experience favors the other side.
Taylor’s willingness to enter those situations gives her something valuable at this stage: more opportunities to discover what she can improve.
Her accomplishments reflect progress in several parts of the game. Her basketball résumé includes Central Jersey All-Star selections, a Central Jersey three-point competition victory, and a win in the Elbow-to-Elbow Shooting Competition at Jersey Shore Elite’s summer camp. She has also received a Toughness Award at Sayreville War Memorial High School’s coed basketball camp.
Together, those honors recognize both skill and the determination needed to keep developing it.
Taylor is playing for Jersey Shore Elite this fall, adding another opportunity to learn from coaches and teammates. Her experiences across school, travel, and camp basketball have exposed her to different approaches to the game while keeping her connected to the community where she started.
Behind those opportunities stands a family invested in her development. Her father, John Englebert, believes she could someday become a college basketball star. He also recognizes how much work lies between a sixth-grade season and that possibility.
“I know she has years of work ahead, and I would love to share the everyday dedication behind that ambition with your readers,” John said.
That perspective keeps the focus on the work Taylor can do now: learning the game, accepting challenges, and building on each experience. Her family helps create opportunities; Taylor’s responsibility is to make the effort those opportunities require.
Her journey has already attracted coverage from MSN, The Source, and BreakingAC. Yet the most compelling part of her story remains its early stage. There are years of learning ahead, with new teammates, tougher opponents, and lessons that no headline or award can replace.
For the Premier Players Sports Foundation, Taylor’s story highlights the value of youth sports as a place to develop perseverance, confidence, and a willingness to grow. Those qualities matter throughout an athletic career and in becoming a Premier Player for Life.
