MONROE, La. – Former Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year Destiny “Dee” Haymer, a 5-foot-8 guard who started 22 games at South Alabama in 2021-22, has signed a grant-in-aid to attend ULM and compete in women’s basketball in 2023-24.
Haymer, a graduate transfer from South Alabama with one year of eligibility remaining, becomes first-year ULM head coach Missy Bilderback’s fourth signee in the 2023 recruiting class, joining 5-9 guard Chardai Watkins (transfer from Southern Miss), 5-9 guard Jakayla Johnson (Auburn) and 5-8 guard Daisha “Nunu” Bradford (Clemson). Like Johnson and Bradford, Haymer previously played for Bilderback at Jones College in Ellisville, Mississippi.
“We’re excited to welcome Dee to the Warhawk family,” Bilderback said. “She has a tremendous experience level, great leadership ability and a winning mentality. Dee lives in the gym and doesn’t mind paying the price necessary to be successful. Her basketball IQ and decision-making skills make her an elite point guard. We have great belief in Dee and we’re thankful we get the opportunity to coach her again.”
In 2021-22, Haymer started 22 of 25 games for South Alabama and averaged 9.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. She ranked second on the team in minutes played (708; 28.3 per game) and finished third in both assists (47) and steals (32). Her .785 free-throw percentage (51-of-65) also ranked second on the Jaguars. Haymer scored in double figures in 10 games, including a career-high 18 points at App State on 7-of-14 field-goal shooting, including 2-of-5 3-pointers. She collected a season-high six assists against Faulkner. Haymer posted 15 points and a career-high nine rebounds against Mercer. She recorded four steals each against Charleston Southern and Georgia Southern.
Haymer graduated from South Alabama in May 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies, with a concentration in community services.
She started nine games at Cincinnati in 2020-21, averaging 7.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game, before suffering a season-ending injury. Haymer reached double figures in scoring four times, including a season-high 13 points against Marquette (6-of-10 FG shooting). She contributed 11 points, seven rebounds and a career-best eight assists at Temple. Haymer netted 10 points each at Wichita State and at UCF.
Haymer was rated the nation’s No. 12 junior college prospect in 2020 by All Star Girls Report (ASGR) Basketball.
A native of Tchula, Miss., Haymer was a two-year starter for Bilderback at Jones College, helping the Bobcats to a combined record of 52-7 (.881) from 2018-20, including back-to-back Region 23 Championships, the 2019 MACCC Championship and consecutive NJCAA Tournament invitations. The Bobcats also went 25-1 in conference games during that two-year span. She was a two-time All-MACJC and two-time All-Region 23 selection.
As a sophomore in 2019-20, Haymer was named honorable mention All-American by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association after averaging 11.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.8 rebounds per game whiling helping Jones College to a 24-4 record. Her 6.8 assists per game ranked fifth in the NJCAA Division I. She scored in double figures in 18 of 25 games, including the last 11 in a row. Haymer, who shot 34 percent (33-of-97) from 3-point range, was credited with 170 assists and 33 steals. She recorded 10 or more assists five times and posted three double-doubles (points and assists). Haymer produced a triple-double in the Bobcats’ 84-72 victory over LSU Eunice in the Region 23 semifinals, finishing with a 21 points (8-of-16 FG shooting including 2-of-5 3s), 10 rebounds and 10 assists. She netted 20 points against East Center, hitting 3-of-8 3-pointers and 7-of-9 free-throw attempts.
In July 2019, Haymer was selected to participate in the WBCA NJCAA All-Star Weekend in Atlanta.
As a freshman in 2018-19, Haymer started 30 of 31 games and averaged 12.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.0 steals per game as Jones College finished 28-3 overall, including a perfect 12-0 in league games. She reached double figures in scoring 22 times while recording 116 assists and 61 steals. Haymer made 34 percent (33-of-98) of her 3-point attempts and 77 percent (69-of-90) from the free-throw line. She had three 20-point games, including a career-high 21 (8-of-17 FG shooting) in the NJCAA Sweet 16 against No. 8-seed New Mexico Junior College. Haymer delivered a triple-double against Three Rivers, posting 13 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists. She scored 20 points each against Shelton State and Mississippi Gulf Coast.
A four-year starter at Holmes County Central High School in Lexington, Miss., Haymer closed out her prep career by being selected the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year after averaging 15.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 4.8 steals per game as a senior in 2017-18. She also was named to the Clarion-Ledger’s “Dandy Dozen” as senior after scoring 20 or more points in seven games, including five in a row during one stretch.
Haymer’s prep career totals included 1,406 points, 503 rebounds, 345 steals and 290 assists. In 107 career games, she recorded 10 triple-doubles as well as a quadruple-double (12 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists and 10 steals vs. Greenwood as a sophomore in 2016-17). Haymer helped lead the Lady Jaguars to the 2016 5A state championship as a sophomore (30-1 record).
