“Her character is unbelievable:” Jamisyn Heaton’s final season as an Aggie

At one point in time, an eight-year-old girl picked up a basketball. Seven years later, a 15-year-old girl decided she had to play Division I basketball. Now, Jamisyn Heaton is finishing her last season with Utah State University’s Women’s Basketball after achieving her childhood goal.  

“Something that you need to know about Jamisyn is if you tell her she can’t do something, she’ll say, ‘Watch,’” Amber Heaton, Jamisyn’s mom, said.  

Jamisyn Heaton started her basketball journey when she was eight years old. According to Heaton, she had been around basketball her whole life and was always competitive.  

While attending Lehi High School, Heaton was awarded the 2022 Utah 5A Player of the Year.  

“Even though I got that award, I felt like if I didn’t have my team, if I didn’t have my coaches, I definitely would not have been where I was at, because I was just enjoying what I was doing,” Heaton said.  

Her father, Rick Heaton, described her senior year as “magical in so many ways.” He expressed his excitement for his daughter and said he remembers exactly where he was when he found out Heaton received the award. 

“Her team was in the state championship semifinals every year of her high school career, and they just couldn’t get past it. Their senior year, they did. Everybody thought they were going to win state, not just us,” Rick said. “Jamisyn and the other best player on the team got really sick. This whole magical season and career at that point came short, and they were actually close to winning. That was really, really tough for her, and then when she won that award. I think it was a bit of a silver lining.” 

Right out of high school, Heaton did not receive a Division I offer. Instead, she played for the Colorado Mesa University Mavericks. After a season there, she transferred to the College of Southern Idaho and was a Golden Eagle.  

“I heard that coach [Wesley Brooks] had just gotten hired here, and I had a few offers from other D1’s around Utah and in this conference as well,” Heaton said. “Coach Wes had gotten on a phone call with me, and something about it just seemed right to me. Being close to my family as well — I knew this is where I wanted to be.”  

Wesley Brooks has been the head women’s basketball coach at USU since the 2024-25 season. According to Brooks, Heaton is a foundational player for their team.  

“Jamisyn has been a blessing to coach,” Brooks said. “I am just so proud of her and her tremendous growth over the last two years. She’s become a stalwart for us — a leader for us.”  

Heaton is a team captain. She is expected to be a leader on and off the court, and according to Brooks, she is “unbelievable” in her capabilities to do so.  

“Her character is unbelievable. Her leadership is unbelievable. She leads vocally, and she leads by example. Vocally, she’ll hold our team accountable. We all have shared goals and dreams and aspirations of where we want to go,” Brooks said. “She’s done everything on and off the court to be a leader, and that’s why everybody respects her and has the utmost, utmost respect for her.”  

Heaton’s teammate, Elise Livingston, said she recognizes her friend’s leadership. 

“Me and Jamisyn are really close on and off the court. I think she brings a lot of intensity, leadership and competitiveness, which is what you need from a leader,” Livingston said. “I would say Jamisyn is feisty and intense in a good way. She’s really competitive and tries her hardest on every single play.”  

Heaton attributes her progress and motivation in sports to her family, crediting them for helping her through every transfer and every game.  

“I cannot give my family enough credit. They have been there for me through tears and happiness and sadness, all the above, anger, everything, and so without their push, and without their motivation, I would definitely not be where I’m at,” Heaton said. “Having my family push me so hard made me never want to quit. I’ve never gone through a game without thinking about them, looking up and seeing them or getting a text from them. Having my family behind me is the coolest thing ever. It’s hard to not play for them.” 

Heaton’s parents have shown their support for her throughout all her college years. 

“We’re pretty lucky. Both of us have jobs that allow us to travel a little bit and be present for our kids,” Amber said. “We know this doesn’t last forever, and we just told ourselves that our kid is in this and we want to make sure we’re a part of it.”  

Amber said through every transfer, she and Rick were supportive of their daughter.  

“She had a dream that she wanted to play at a D1 level, collegiate level,” Amber said.  

Heaton has worn the numbers 32 and 44 throughout her basketball career. She said the number 32 is for her dad and the number 44 is for her mom 

“That’s pretty cool that your kids think that much of you and want to try to be like you,” Rick said. “We haven’t ever really talked about it, so it’s pretty cool that she’s worn both.”  

Basketball has been a constant in Heaton’s life. According to Amber, it has inspired Heaton to grow individually and to also become a role model for others. 

“Jamisyn called me and said, ‘Mom, the coolest thing just happened.’ She was walking out of practice, and she heard the two little boys say, ‘That’s Jamisyn Heaton.’ To her, that is so cool because she still gets starstruck over players out of respect for their ability to play a sport,” Amber said. “For her to have kids do that to her was really cool. That describes her as a D1 athlete — just wanting to be that person for kids that they look up to.”  

Heaton’s character is talked highly about between her coach, teammates and her parents, according to Rick.  

“As an athlete, she’s fierce. As a daughter, she is loving. She’s such a family person as well. As a person, she is determined,” Rick said.  

Heaton is described as tough and competitive, and according to Rick, these qualities are evident on the court, a presence that has been worked for through her years of training. 

“When you watch Jamisyn, you recognize that she works her tail off and she’s tough and she’s gritty. Sometimes those emotions, that toughness and that fight, can be mistaken for ornery, and as people get to know her off the court, they see just how much she’s loved her experience at Utah State,” Rick said. “She couldn’t be more happy, and people have been so good to her. She’d love to give everybody a big hug for all of their support and being there through the years.”  

According to her parents, Heaton has exercised dedication and drive through her many years spent with basketball. She is now saying goodbye to her final season of collegiate basketball and is preparing and training for an entirely different one: her season of life. 

“She has dedicated every little bit of her life to sports. I don’t think she’s had a summer where she got to make her own plans since she was probably in sixth grade. We have loved every minute of this journey and ride,” Amber said. “Watching her is probably one of our greatest joys. I’m also so excited for her next stage of life. She’s going to do some pretty awesome things in her life, and she’s going to accomplish some really amazing things on this next stage.”  

When Heaton graduates, she is going to be a teacher and a wife. When this season is over, she is getting married to one of her teammates’ cousins, Garrett Ward. When the school year is over, she will be saying goodbye to the Aggies, but Heaton said she will still support them from afar. 

“I can’t even believe it’s almost over. I’m very sad, but I’m also very excited. Basketball has set up a great future for me,” Heaton said.