Ariton basketball player Hayes Floyd signs with Enterprise State

Floyd, who at 6-3 played point guard for the Purple Cats, will continue his academic and basketball career at Enterprise State Community College.

“First of all, I’d like to thank my parents, my teammates and coaches, because none of this would be possible without them,” Floyd said after the signing ceremony.

“I’m a homebody, really, at heart and I’ll only be 20 minutes away. I went up there for a visit and they were all friendly and I really liked the campus.”

Ariton basketball coach Brett Goodson raves about not only the physical ability of Floyd, but also about the leadership.

“I mean, from when he walked in this gym, I didn’t even have to be in the locker room because he was going to make sure everybody was locked in, ready to go and when you step on that floor, it was about to be Ariton Purple Cat basketball,” Goodson said. “That meant something to him.

“He’s been a part of the program for five years. In the eighth grade he started on the varsity for some games, and he’s carried that with him and grown mentally, physically and all. He’s gotten better each year.”

As a senior, Floyd averaged 13.5 points per game, 11 rebounds and 8.1 assists and was a Dothan Eagle Super 12 selection. For his career, Floyd scored 1,524 points, pulled down 934 rebounds and dished out 475 assists

“He’s a physical guy who can get to the hole, but he can also shoot pretty well and pass the ball real good,” Goodson said. “He was a guy that at practice, any guy that had to guard him was going to have to bring their all.

“He’s definitely a hard worker who loves basketball. The main thing I really love about him is he’s a team-first guy. He doesn’t care about individual accolades.

“He’s one those guys who wants to win and he wants his teammates to feel like they’re a part of it. He gets everybody involved.”

Enterprise State coach Jermaine Williams saw those same type qualities from Floyd.

“I’ve been watching him since like he was in the 10th grade and one of the main things I’ve seen about Hayes is his hustle and how hard he plays,” Williams said. “Hayes also shows that he’s very coachable. He never complains and I’ve never seen him get out of character once.

“Hayes is going to play point guard, but also Hayes is one of the players that I believe if I put him in the game and tell Hayes to defend a certain player a certain way, he’ll do it – no questions.

“Anytime you have a kid come on your team who is very coachable and is willing to do whatever to impact that program, that’s what you want.”

Having a large number of students and teammates in attendance for the signing made it a memorable time for Floyd.

“Very sad and happy – a lot of emotions,” Hayes said. “I’m going to miss my classmates and being able to play here at Ariton, but I’m excited about what the future holds.

“I think I will be a good asset for the team over there, and especially being able to play under a coach like coach Williams. I think that will be a great experience.”