BLACKSBURG, VA(WFXR) — There is another local angle to Friday’s NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament between Virginia Tech and Chattanooga. Former Radford Highlanders star basketball player and assistant coach Jayda Worthy is on the bench as an assistant for the Mocs.
Worthy is in her first season as an assistant with UTC. Before UTC, she spent two seasons at Radford as an assistant with head coach Mike McGuire. Prior to that, she was a graduate assistant at Valdosta State for two seasons. Her duties have included opponent scouting, recruiting, team travel and led all player development for post players.
“It is cool really coming back home I guess to down the street where it was just was one or two years ago then as a coach and as a player for four years. I am starting to think we are about to play Virginia Tech. My four times playing them I haven’t been able to do it as a player. I definately believe in this team as a coach anything can happen. So I am excited to see the fight and how we will compete against the Virginia Tech team,” said Worthy.
She was a student-athlete under the direction of Coach McGuire from 2014 through 2018. She was the 2018 Big South Defensive Player of the Year, earned All-Conference honors and was named to the league’s All-Freshman Team. She was recently named to the Big South Women’s Basketball All-Decade Team and was a VaSID All-State selection.
While she was a member of the team at Radford, she helped the Highlanders to the 2016-17 Big South Regular Season championship as well as several WNIT appearances.
Worthy graduated from Radford in May 2018 with a degree in Criminal Justice and a minor in sociology. She obtained her Master of Education in High Education Leadership in May 2020.
Virginia Tech hosts Chattanooga Friday at 5:30pm.
