Her long wait is over.

Two-time Vicksburg Post Player of the Year Donyeah Mayfield signed with Tennessee State on Wednesday, just a few months after her initial college destination fell through.

Mayfield appeared to be in good shape in November.

She signed her letter of intent with the University of Montevallo (Ala.) and her recruiting journey seemed to be over.

But trouble loomed on the horizon.

The coach who signed Mayfield, former Mississippi College and Delta State assistant coach Mechan Vanderpool, was terminated on Dec. 1, just six games into the season.

Mayfield was left with a choice. Take the scholarship at Montevallo and hope the new coach, Cindy Hilbrich, renewed it for a second year or ask for a release from her scholarship.

Since she was put on the protected list by Hinds Community College, it was either head to Hinds or find another four-year school.

There was even the possibility that she might have to walk on and pay her way for the first year at another school.

Mayfield took a calculated risk.

“She was really going out on a limb to ask for a release,” Vicksburg coach Barbara Hartzog said. “A coach will have to honor the scholarship for a year, but they often want to bring in their own players and she might have been looking for somewhere to go again. But with that kind of talent, someone else was bound to come along. We just sent out some more tapes and made some more phone calls.”

Mayfield got the release from Montevallo and didn’t lose faith that better days were on the horizon.

“I knew, out of this bad situation, something good was going to come out of it,” Mayfield said.

She visited Tennesee State’s Nashville campus on June 17 and fell in love with the school. She also liked the role that Tennessee State coach Tracee Wells wants her to fulfill.

“I just really liked the campus,” Mayfield said. “She (Wells) wants me to be an all-around player, just like I was in high school. She wants me to hit the boards and rebound like I’ve done here.”

Mayfield averaged a double-double this season, with 15.8 points and 12 rebounds per game.