ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy women's basketball program under the direction of fourth-year head coach Tim Taylor is pleased to introduce a talented group of freshmen, who will be joining the team for this upcoming 2023-24 season. The Class of 2027 consists of five recruited student-athletes from across the country. Over the next week, each recruit will be profiled; today we highlight Zanai Barnett-Gay from Glenn Dale, Maryland.

An exciting scorer from nearby Glenn Dale and the Riverdale Baptist School, Barnett-Gay finished her high school career with 2,038 cumulative points. Splitting her time in high school between CMIT North (freshman and sophomore) and Riverside Baptist (junior and senior), Barnett-Gay earned All-Met Honorable Mention and Team MVP accolades after averaging 25 and 28 points per game, respectively her first two years in high school before transferring to Riverside and claiming the school's Team MVP honors, as well as the Defensive Player of the Year awards. During her senior year, she was nominated for the McDonald's All-American Team.
 
Barnett-Gay and her teams have found great success over her career, as a freshman in 2019-20, CMIT were the Prince George's County Private School champions before reaching the Maryland State Final Four the following year. Honing her skills on the club circuit with the Germantown Lady Panthers, she reached the UAA Elite Eight as a junior.
 
A two-sport standout, Barnett-Gay played softball as a pitcher and shortstop at CMIT North and Riverside Baptist and was a three-time Team MVP, while helping her squads to county and regional championships in 2020 and 2021.
 
The daughter of Erica and Alfred DuBose, and Sacha Gay and Antoniette Spriggs, Barnett-Gay comes from a long line of athletes as her mother Erica played basketball and softball at Virginia Union University, while her stepdad Alfred was a three-sport athlete (football, basketball, track) at VUU. Her uncles Simon and Gary Barnett also competed collegiately, Simon in basketball at Post University and Gary in football at West Virginia State. Additionally, Barnett-Gay's uncle Bruce H. Curry graduated from the Naval Academy with the Class of 1981 and reached the rank of Captain in the U.S. Navy.
 
Away from athletic competition, she was active in extracurriculars as she participated in the Peer Forward and National Honor Society programs, as well in the debate, chess and robotics clubs.  
 
"Zanai is a tough, physical guard who plays with a passion for the game," remarked head coach Tim Taylor. "She can score at all three levels and attacks the basket with ferocity. She will elevate everyone on our team's level of play with how hard she plays. She is tenacious defensively and reminds you of Jenn Coleman in her ability to rebound as a guard. She played against great competition in high school at Riverdale Baptist, as well as on the Under Armour Circuit with the Germantown Lady Panthers which has prepared her for college basketball. She is also a great leader and I am excited to watch her grow as a Midshipmen and the impact she will have on our program."