Aydan Everett trying for two in Kansas

Clovis already knows what Hesston, Kansas, is about to find out.

Clovis High knows what it's like to have the services of Aydan Everett for both soccer and basketball, knows what a difference she makes.

Two-year Hesston College is soon going to have those services. Everett was recruited to play women's soccer there, received a partial scholarship. She was then asked if she wanted to walk on to the women's basketball team. She did.

So, in August when Everett takes her talents northeast to Kansas, she will be trying to become a two-sport star. Again.

"It's really exciting," Everett said. "I never thought I would get this far, especially playing the two sports, and I never thought I would go to Kansas. That had never been on my mind before."

Everett said she received a 65 percent scholarship, "and then they gave me an incentive on top of that."

Everett has scholastic and athletic ambitions beyond Hesston, maybe Texas Tech. For now, though, Hesston should be a nice fit.

"It's a small school," Everett said, "so I think it's a good start. I'll only go there for two years; they'll help me out. When I talked to the soccer coaches, they said they'd really help me to be better so I can go to a bigger school."

Soccer is what initially drew Hesston's attention, drew interest from head coach Bryan Kehr. But women's basketball head coach Jeff Jacobs took notice as well.

"My Maxpreps (bio) said that I played both soccer and basketball," Everett said. "So when I went to go visit for soccer, the basketball coach wanted to meet with me and he wanted to do a few drills with me. He thought I was fit for the team so he offered me the walk-on.

"It was really exciting because when I was little I always wanted to play two sports in college. And now that it's actually happening, it's just like surreal."

Playing both at the next level, though, could be a tough balancing act.

"That's pretty hard to do in college," Clovis girls basketball head coach Jeff Reed said. "She's gung-ho right now. In college it's a little bit different. Sometimes in college it's a little more like a job; it's very hard to stay focused at that level and be able to do both. One thing that will be interesting to see is if she'll be able to do both."

"I think she's disciplined enough to be able to do that," Clovis girls soccer head coach Traci Sievers said. "As long as the coaches are willing to work together to make that happen, I think it'll be good."

Everett expects to play midfielder for Hesston's soccer team, guard for the basketball team.

And in the classroom?

"I originally planned on studying something in the sports medicine area," she said, "but I'm also wondering if I should be a psychiatrist. As of right now I'm going to do sports medicine."

Whatever Everett studies won't keep her from giving her all at both sports.

"I already took so many extra credit classes here at the (Clovis Community) college," she said, "so I won't be taking as many classes as I would have. But I have to really focus and stay on it."

Not that it'll be easy.

"I feel like college is going to be a lot faster, much faster-paced," Everett said. "And I feel like in college the girls are going to be more dedicated to their sport than high school; it's going to be more challenging. You have to step it up."