Gainesville Girls Basketball Ready To Dominate This Season

By Elizabeth Landen and Brooke Bastedo

Gainesville High School’s girls basketball team hopes to turn things around after going 9-13 last season. The girls prepare for a season full of competitive matchups, including two against 5A-District 2 competitor, the Columbia Tigers.

Senior Taylor Mullins, who averaged 9 points per game last season, will be out this season due to an ACL injury. However, she remains committed to leading her team from the sidelines, holding them accountable and is excited to watch them grow.

As she navigates the pressure of her senior year, Mullins looks to her teammate and best friend, Jayden Terry, both on and off the court.

“She’s my ride or die,” Mullins said at North Central Florida High School Basketball Media Day earlier this month. “I look up to her in every way, whether it’s in basketball, academics, life, she really is that rock for me.”

Mullins looks toward the upcoming season with an underdog mentality, confident her team will come out strong and show they are competitors who are prepared to take the team to the next level.

Senior Jamison Cardwell is also confident about the upcoming season. Cardwell, who played on the Buchholz High School varsity for three years before transferring,  is eager to make an impact and build chemistry with her new teammates.

Cardwell said Gainesville coach Jazlynd Rollins “pushes me to be a better individual on and off the court” and she is looking forward to playing for her.

Cardwell has offers from Florida A&M and Chicago State University, but has not yet announced what path she will take.

Mullins and Cardwell agree chemistry and teamwork are crucial this season.

Up Next

Gainesville will host the first game of the regular season at 12:45 p.m. Monday against Lakeview Academy of Gainesville, Ga.