GUY, Ark. — There's no doubt that the city of Guy, Arkansas loves its basketball.
At a population of just 741 people, it feels like the whole town shows up when it's gameday at Guy-Perkins High School.
Last Friday night was no different at the school's annual black and gold scrimmage. Only this year, there was a special guest— three-time state champion Ashley Hutchcraft.
To many, even outside the city of Guy, the name "Hutchcraft" should ring a bell.
John Hutchcraft is a longtime head coach at Guy-Perkins who led the Thunderbirds to 16 state championships and amassed over 2,000 wins during his 42-year coaching career. Three of his state titles, though, were helped by his daughter, Ashley, who played from 2000-2003.
"The Hutchcraft family name is synonymous with Guy-Perkins basketball," said athletic director and Thunderbirds girl's basketball coach Jeremy Carson.
In 2022, Guy-Perkins honored John by naming the court after him. Two years later, his daughter's jersey will now hang above that very court.
Hutchcraft admitted she was a bit flabbergasted when she learned her jersey would be retired— the first in Thunderbird school history.
"I was a little bit surprised. You know, it's been a while since I've been in high school," Hutchcraft laughed. "It's an honor. For my family, you know they spent so much time and energy in this community."
According to the school's superintendent, Joe Fisher, she is the only player in Arkansas history to have three straight titles and three straight MVPs at the high school level.
Carson, who coached Hutchcraft at UCA in the early 2000s, explained how her skill set on the court was unmatched.
"Her jump shot was just as pure as it could be," Carson described. "That was the best thing -- watching her play. We knew that when she took a shot, it was going in. We didn't even have to think about it."
Carson, Fisher, and Hutchcraft all mentioned how instrumental her father was in her growth and development as a player and how special it is that her jersey will now hang above his court.
"To have both of them their namesakes, one on the floor, one in the rafters, it's just really special," Carson said. "It's a reminder for us all to be excellent in everything that we do."
"When teams step into this gymnasium we want them to not only remember John Hutchcraft, the coach, but we want them to remember Ashely Hutchcraft, the player. And that dynamic duo is what put Guy-Perkins on the map in basketball," added Fisher.
For the celebrity of the night in that packed Thunderbird gymnasium, Hutchcraft said her No. 54 jersey is something bigger than herself.
"This is definitely home. It's just a special place. I think that 54 doesn't really represent just me, it represents our family," Hutchcraft said.