Ayla Brown

Ayla Marie Brown (born July 28, 1988) is an American recording artist from Wrentham, Massachusetts, and former NCAA basketball player.

Brown auditioned for American Idol at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, in the summer of 2005 before advancing to the judges’ round in Boston.

She was a contestant on American Idol on season 5 in 2006 and placed inside the Top 16.

She was eliminated from the show on March 9, 2006.

For her audition song, Brown sang "Ain't No Mountain High Enough."

Randy Jackson said she had a good, though undistinguished voice.

Paula Abdul also thought Brown was a good singer, but that she favored vocal power over dynamics.

Simon Cowell accused Brown of being "robotic and somewhat empty."

In the end, Jackson and Abdul (who made the final judgment) sent Brown through to the Hollywood rounds.

During the Hollywood rounds, Brown sang "Reflection" by Christina Aguilera, and was selected as one of 24 semi-finalists.

Brown's career with the Boston College Lady Eagles began in the 2006–07 season, her freshman year.

During the season the 6' 0" forward averaged 8.2 points per game, the second-highest average on the team. The Eagles finished one game below .500 for their overall record and failed to make post-season play (NCAA or WNIT) for the first time in several years.

In her sophomore season with the Lady Eagles, Brown finished the season averaging 7.4 points and 5.6 rebounds, having started 31 of 33 games.

She averaged 28.5 minutes a game.

Following her departure from Idol, Brown made hundreds of personal appearances in 2006, most covered by local or national media and drawing as many as 500 to 2,000 or more fans.

She appeared at the Kiss 108 Concert in Mansfield, Massachusetts in front of 20,000 people on May 20, performing four songs in addition to introducing Natasha Bedingfield.

Brown sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" on July 4 with the Boston Pops in front of hundreds of thousands of people.

Brown's performance featured an F-16 flyover and was televised live by WBZ-TV, Boston's CBS affiliate.

Brown sang the anthem at Fenway Park on July 12 and also performed six shows over three days at the Eastern States Exposition (“The Big E”) in West Springfield, Massachusetts from September 15–17.

The team wrapped up the 2007–08 season with a second-round elimination in the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) in Queens, N.Y.

In her junior year, Brown finished the season as the team's fourth-leading scorer having played in 35 games, 30 of which she started.

She averaged 24.5 minutes, 6.5 points and 4.5 rebounds a game.

After finishing the regular season with a 21–12 overall record, BC advanced to the second round of the ACC Tournament in March 2008 but was eliminated by Maryland in the next game by a 93–81 margin.

Brown has been recognized for her basketball talents by Sports Illustrated Magazine, as she was featured as the magazine's "Intern of the Week" in June 2008 for her wide array of activities in addition to her hoop skills.

She was also featured as WCVB-TV's "High 5" high school athlete of the week and has been profiled by New England Sports Network (NESN) on its staple program SportsDesk.

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The Lady Eagles ended the season at 23–12 overall after losing to Florida State in the second round of the ACC Tournament on March 6, 2009.

BC went on to make the final round of the WNIT, where the Lady Eagles lost to South Florida 82–65.

Shortly after the season's conclusion, Brown attended Boston College on a full basketball scholarship, and graduated in 2010 with a communications degree.

Brown is the elder daughter of former United States Senator of Massachusetts and United States Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa, Scott Brown, and NH1 News reporter Gail Huff.

She is the sixth leading scorer in Massachusetts basketball history, male or female, a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year, and was named the top female basketball player in Massachusetts.

Brown has released two full-length studio albums, is a spokesperson for the Songs of Love Foundation, and currently serves as the official anthem singer of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Brown finished her high school career as one of the top female basketball players in Massachusetts history, scoring 2,358 career points.

This made her the sixth place all-time leading scorer in Massachusetts basketball history, male or female.

In addition, she is a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year and was named the top female basketball player in Massachusetts.

Brown finished her senior season as the captain of the Noble and Greenough School girls' basketball team, missing her last few games to compete on the fifth season of American Idol.

Brown was scouted by the staff at Boston College beginning at the age of 15.

She made a commitment to the school, and went on to attend the college on a full athletic scholarship, majoring in Communication.

She played the forward position for the Boston College Lady Eagles, wearing jersey number 1.

Brown's nickname given to her by her teammates was "Downtown Ayla Brown" due to her ability to sink 3-pointers and lengthy shots.