Winter Athlete - Jaylen Kyle

Jaylen Kyle a Senior at Union Pines High School, was nominated for the Moore Daily Sports Winter Athlete Award for his athletic ability on the court.

He scored his 1,000 career points this season, which was the school's first player to do so since the early 2000s. He also helped his team defeat county and conference rivals, Pinecrest, for the first time since 2006 when he scored with just 2.2 seconds remaining in the game.

This season, Jaylen averaged 16.7 points per game and scored 418 points. He averaged almost 1 block per game and 22 for the season. He was second on the team for assists with a total of 42 and second for rebounds with 138. He received the player of the year award and 10 player of the game awards.

He made all-conference and second team all-district, which he described as a huge accomplishment, but his highlight of the season was the game against Pinecrest. "We were down, and I took the shot from the elbow to give us the lead with just over two seconds remaining," said Jaylen. "It was my last home game, too, so it was probably my favorite moment."

He describes his greatest accomplishment on the court as scoring more than a thousand points in three years as a Viking. "I’ve been wanting to get that since I came to the school, so I just put my mind to it," he said.

He focused his high school career on playing just the one sport and plans to play at the college level but has not made a decision where he will play. During his time as a Viking, he played 71 varsity games over three seasons and scored 1,156 points.

While in college, he wants to study business and finance.

During his free time, and likes going to the gym, weightlifting, and practicing with his dad.

"My teammates, coaches, and my family helped with my success. They pushed me to keep going," said Jaylen.

Jaylen started playing when he was four, he said, "It stuck with me, and I love it." Jaylen is looking forward to graduating in the next few weeks, and he is most excited about playing at the next level.

B&B Motors sponsored the Winter Athlete Awards.

If you would like to read the article for the Female Winter Athlete, you can do that here: www.mooredailysports.com/north-moore-mustangs/winter-athlete-calissa-clendenin