WS Chronicle

It’s a dream for many high school ball players to make it to the college level. This dream came true on Monday for three East Forsyth basketball players.

Tyren Hairston, Shemar Watkins and Josh Mahaffey signed their letters of intent Monday afternoon to play college basketball. Hairston will head to Randolph College in Lynchburg, Virginia while Watkins and Mahaffey will move on together at Ferrum College in Ferrum, Virginia.

Family and friends gathered in the schools media room to witness the occasion. All three players were on Cloud 9 knowing they will continue with their basketball careers on the next level.

“Out of all the schools that were recruiting me, Randolph was the only one that offered mechanical engineering and that is what I want to pursue in college, so it was a clear choice for me,” said Tyren Hairston.

“I took a recruiting trip up there and played with the team and walked around the campus and it seemed like I could fit really well there,” he continued.

Watkins stated he was not going to attend Ferrum College at first but once he took a visit to the campus and met with the coaching staff, he changed his mind.

“It’s quiet and not a lot of people there and I played with some of the guys on the team and I feel like I can get some quality playing time early so I decided to go there,” Watkins stated. “All the players were nice and welcomed me in.”

Ferrum was high on the list for Mahaffey early on in his senior season. He says the coach came to a workout on campus, while there they “really hit it off from there.”

“I went on a few visits and I kind of knew early on that Ferrum was probably going to be the choice for me because the coach has really been there from the beginning,” he said. “Greensboro College approached me a little bit but Ferrum has been in all the way and I am going to be all the way for them as well.”

The transition from high school to college will be a little easier for Watkins and Mahaffey due to both players going to the same school. They stated they hopefully will room together which will make being away from home that much easier.

Mike Muse, East Forsyth varsity head basketball coach, had nothing but great words to say about the three young men for their work inside the classroom as well as on the court.

“All three are great young men and they are great on the court and great in the classroom which is why we had the season we had this year,” he said. “That’s why we had the season we had this year going 19-7 and winning the CPC [Central Piedmont Conference] conference because we had eight young men that were seniors and these were three of them that have helped build the program.”

“These guys have bought into that and I am excited and thrilled for them,” he continued.

There were smiles from ear to ear for the parents of the three young men. Terry and Teresa Hairston, Tyren’s parents, said they were very happy for their son to have the opportunity to not only continue his career but more importantly to further his education.

“We were just excited because his mom played ball in college so we were happy that he was going to have that same opportunity,” said Mr. Hairston. “First, the most important thing is for him to get his degree and the sky is the limit for him in basketball.”

“We want him to maintain his good grades and just stay focused and just make us proud parents,” Mrs. Hairston added.

Jameca Adams, Shemar’s mother, said, “I was excited and I knew it was going to be intense because we all were wondering what college he was going to pick. So when he picked Ferrum, we were very happy for him. I just want him to get his degree and go as far as he can go.”

The three players said they will all miss their time playing for East Forsyth. They stated the time spent with teammates over the years is what they will miss most. They all credit the Eagles coaching staff for developing their games over the years.

All three stated they know what they are good at but acknowledge there is room for improvement. They said they are all ready for the next step.