By Alex Dodd

For 605 Sports

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Today’s college athletics landscape is all about the quick fix. 

Top recruits earn thousands or even millions of dollars off their name, image and likeness. And if things don’t work out, there’s a line of schools eager to lure top talent into and out of the transfer portal.

But it’s not like that everywhere, especially at the service academies.

Despite multiple offers to play Division I women's basketball, Rapid City Stevens alum Jayda McNabb decided to take a different path. 

After a sensational high school career for the Raiders, she opted to attend the Air Force Prep School in the fall of 2019 to try and earn a spot at the Air Force Academy.

Rapid City Stevens Jayda McNabb during the Raiders game against Rapid City Central in the Class AA state tournament on March 10, 2022 at the Ice Rink. (Josh Jurgens/SDPB)

“When I got recruited by the (Air Force) Academy, everybody said, ‘You can’t give up on an opportunity like this,’” McNabb recalled after a home win over University of Colorado Colorado Springs on Nov. 19. “And that’s what really drove me.”

The Air Force Prep School readies cadet candidates for the physical, mental and emotional challenges of the Air Force Academy while evaluating prospects before officially joining the school.

Candidates aren’t guaranteed an appointment either. They earn consideration and a recommendation from their commander if they complete the rigorous 10-month program.

“My test scores weren’t high enough (for the Academy). But if I had the option to go back again, I would do the prep school before coming straight to the Academy,” McNabb said.

Rapid City Stevens Jayda McNabb during the Raiders game against Sioux Falls O'Gorman in the Class AA state tournament on March 12, 2022 at the Ice Rink.

McNabb excelled in the program athletically and academically.

On the court, she averaged a double-double and met the requirements to receive an appointment to the USAFA.

“When you’re watching games, kids either blend in or they stand out,” Air Force head coach Stacy McIntyre said. “Every time, whether it was practice or games at the Prep School, Jayda was always standing out. 

“She’s always going to do the little things for her time. After seeing her there and how hard she worked, we knew we had to have her as a significant part of our program.”

The Air Force Academy's Jayda McNabb goes up for a basket during the Falcons game against University of Colorado, Colorado Springs on Nov. 19 in Clune Arena at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. (Aaron A. Ferguson/Air Force Academy)

McNabb transitioned to Air Force for the 2023-24 season and made an immediate impact against stiff competition in the Mountain West.

She finished her freshman campaign with 201 rebounds, the most hauled in by a freshman and the eighth most in Air Force’s Division I era. McNabb started in all 32 games and averaged 6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.

“I really needed that year (at the prep school) before I came to the Academy to grow my confidence and play harder on offense,” McNabb said. “In high school, they weren’t relying on me to score as much as now. I thought it was great for me to develop before coming here to play.”

McNabb has shown a knack for playing above her size at the D1 level. She’s relatively undersized for a rebounding force at 5-foot-10 but wrapped up her freshman year as one of three players in the country under 6 feet to average 3.84 or more offensive rebounds per game.

“She’s a great athlete and she competes. That’s something that she really takes pride in,” McIntyre said. “We’re thankful she’s on our team because she’s relentless on those offensive boards, and we’re gifted that she has the athleticism and work ethic to do it.”

The Falcons (5-1) are off to an impressive start to the 2024-25 campaign, partly due to McNabb’s uptick in production. 

The Air Force Academy's Jayda McNabb dishes out a pass during the Falcons game against University of Colorado, Colorado Springs on Nov. 19 in Clune Arena at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. (Aaron A. Ferguson/Air Force Academy)

“It’s been fun so far,” McNabb said. “We’ve made some great improvements already from the start. And it’s been fun to play on the team.”

McNabb is averaging 10 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 2 assists per game.

“She just leads by example,” McIntyre said. “She does the right thing. She’s learning and getting better every day. She has a tall order defending post kids, and she does a great job of staying active and getting to the ball quickly. She’s going to get better and better.”

McNabb stays in touch with her former coaches and teammates at Stevens and the basketball community in Rapid City.

Raiders assistant coach Tanner Waage traveled to Klune Gym in Colorado Springs to watch McNabb earlier this season. 

McNabb also reconnected with former Rapid City Christian standout and current South Dakota starter Olivia Kieffer and her family when Air Force defeated the Coyotes on Nov. 8.

“People like to make fun of me for coming from South Dakota and saying, ‘No one’s from South Dakota,’” McNabb joked. “I think it’s kind of cool being one of the few and representing Rapid City.”