COLUMBUS, Ohio — Rayanna Howell, 16, always wanted to play basketball like her older brothers. The sophomore plays for her school’s team at Africentric Early College in Columbus.
She has her sights set on a scholarship -- hoping to play for Ohio State. She's dreaming big, despite setbacks. She tore her ACL, twice.
"God's telling me don't give up,” she said. “Because it's going to be something at the end. I literally just had a morning workout this morning, I woke up at 4:30. I'm not giving up. I've been through too much to give up now."
She has extra motivation watching the Ohio State women’s team.
"This team moving forward is really big for me,” she said.
It's a significant moment for her school's athletic director, too.
"That's just a huge accomplishment,” said Liana Coutts.
Coutts played for Ohio State.
"You can go to a game and you can see someone who went to your high school and again you see them doing that and you're like 'oh they can do it, I can do it,’” Coutts explained.
And that's exactly why a local YMCA takes little athletes to games.
"We just went to visit and watch the game against Wisconsin and the girls that we brought from our program just loved it and enjoyed themselves,” said Aja Mays, youth experience director at Eldon and Elsie Ward YMCA in Columbus. "Just a way to bring it all back to reality of you can do whatever you put your mind to."
“March Madness in general, for women this year is making a bigger impact,” said Leslie Masterpaul, Assistant Athletic Director of Marketing & Engagement at Cleveland State. “I believe they've had like the highest viewership that they've ever had. And I think it's just finally sort of breaking the barrier of the inequality between men's and women's sports and that they're all it's almost that it's not even men's and women's basketball, it's just basketball.”
“These basketball players who have been successful and getting to this level, they started somewhere, right? So we need to make sure there's equitable access for youth athletes in all sports,” said Barb Anthony, co-founder of the Northeast Ohio Women’s Sports Alliance.
"I feel like it's bigger than just the game,” said Rayanna Howell.
More than a game -- a moment to prove anything is possible.
The Buckeyes tip-off against the Texas Longhorns Friday at 7 p.m.