Two years ago, student athlete Anayla Anderson had a difficult choice to make – to stay comfortable or take a leap of faith with her coach and her team. She chose the latter and hasn’t looked back since. 

The decision wasn’t easy. Anayla had just finished her freshman season playing basketball at a local college. She enjoyed her teammates, was finding her rhythm on the court, and saw herself fitting into the culture that Coach Westly Perryman was building. But that’s when the curveball came. Coach Wes was only the interim head coach at the time and when he got recruited to take on a full-time, permanent head coaching role at MiraCosta College, he couldn’t say no. This meant that Anayla, along with a handful of her other teammates who still had eligibility, had a decision to make. 

“Sure, it wasn’t easy but the more I thought about it, the more I trusted God and what my heart was telling me,” shared Anayla. “It was really a no-brainer to go with my team and with my coach. We knew we were building something special and we wanted to keep that going.” 

So Anayla and her teammates made the move from La Mesa to Oceanside, betting on themselves and the culture they'd built together. Looking back now, it's clear they made the right call.

Even before basketball became the priority at MiraCosta College, the team focused on something more fundamental – making everyone feel wanted.

Six players transferred from the previous team with established bonds. Then there were a set of new recruits, plus the returning players at MiraCosta College who were coming off a rocky season. Integrating all the new personalities and styles wouldn’t be easy. But as a captain, Anayla knew that in order for it to work they needed to first focus on each other off the court. 

Sharing meals, playing games, and just sharing moments of conversation became the priority. Before they ever stepped foot on the practice court, they focused on friendship and chemistry. 

“We wanted everybody to feel wanted,” Anayla noted. “When you feel wanted on a team, you play with a different type of energy and pride. You're playing for more than just yourself.”

That intentionality came from Anayla's leadership style. She had been on teams where culture took a backseat to talent and teams where chemistry was paramount. At MiraCosta College, under Coach Wes' leadership, the latter was the expectation.

Continued Anayla, “I don't believe in a team making it far if there's no culture. If you don't want to be there and you're just playing the sport just to play it, there's no love in it. You'll be miserable.”

The approach worked. The family atmosphere they cultivated became the foundation for everything that followed. This past year was a season that captivated the entire campus. With every win, more and more students, professors, and staff started taking notice of what the basketball team was doing.

Professors who rarely watched sports started saving the date for the upcoming games. The players faces were put up all over campus. Students would stop the team in the halls to talk about the next game. 

MiraCosta College was all in.

Shared Anayla, “The support was amazing. We couldn’t have done it by ourselves.”

What started as a basketball team's journey to build a culture became a shared source of pride for the entire MiraCosta College community. For Anayla, that support meant everything. It validated the risk she'd taken in transferring and reinforced what she'd always believed – culture matters as much as talent.

“Anayla went from almost walking away from basketball to becoming a two-time All-State player, Player of the Year, and the state's leader in assists,” shared Coach Wes. “She was the engine, the heart and soul, the floor general. I couldn't be prouder of her as she begins her next journey.”

Beyond the wins and the campus excitement, MiraCosta College gave Anayla something deeper. It provided her the environment to become the player, and leader, she was meant to be.

As point guard, she carried significant responsibility. Facilitating, scoring, defending. So much of the work fell on her shoulders. The weight could have been crushing, but her teammates and coaches believed in her ability to deliver.

“This school and this team helped me unlock a different confidence when I came out here,” Anayla said. “I recognized the player I was and the impact I had. My teammates believed in me, and Coach Wes put me in a situation where I could be me and play to my full potential.”

That freedom showed in her performance. Anayla had a history-breaking season, leading her team to the championship game while solidifying her reputation as one of the top point guards in California community college basketball.

Today, that success has led her to the next chapter in her journey. In the fall, Anayla will be headed to Cal Poly Pomona on a full-ride scholarship. And while it’s bittersweet to be leaving MiraCosta College, she’s excited for what comes next. 

“This has been the best two years of basketball of my life," Anayla said without hesitation. The decision to transfer to MiraCosta College with her teammates required faith. Faith in Coach Wes, faith in the culture they'd built, faith in herself. And now, that faith has paid off. She's the player she was always meant to be.