Meet Haynes-Overton

The ETSU women’s basketball team is preparing to start their upcoming season, and junior Erica Haynes-Overton (Nashville, Tennessee) is beginning her preparation being named preseason all-conference.

Haynes-Overton has been playing basketball since she was little, but really got into it in high school.

“I got serious about basketball during my freshman year of high school,” said Haynes-Overton. “Before that I just played at a rec center or community parks. … I was forced when I was younger to play basketball, because I was taller, surprisingly, than a lot of people when I was younger. One of my mom’s friends wanted me to play basketball. He asked me to come out there, and I ended up liking it, but it took me some time.”   

Playing basketball gives Haynes-Overton a lot of new opportunities.

“My favorite part about basketball would be the opportunity it brings me, meeting new people, going places I’ve never been before and different environments,” she said. 

At ETSU, she plays guard. When asked what she does, she simply stated, “I score the ball.”

A coach plays a big role in an athlete’s life, and that is no different in this case.

“The coaches made me come to ETSU,” she said. “They made it feel like family, like I was really wanted, and I felt like a priority during my recruitment process.”

Haynes-Overton has gotten far in her basketball career. She is expected to become the 24th Buccaneer to score 1,000 career points with just 45 short going into her junior year. She is the third Buc in program history to win three major conference awards, and she is the two-time defending Southern Conference defensive player of the year.

“I never gave up or let the outside predict my next move, and I stayed humble,” said Haynes-Overton.  

She takes her role as a defensive player seriously.

“I hate when people score on me,” said Haynes-Overton. “It’s like I have to stop you; you can’t score on me anymore. Defense is personal.” 

Make sure to catch #20 Haynes-Overton on the court with the rest of the team on Nov. 5 at Freedom Hall as they kick off their season against the University of Tennessee’s Lady Vols.