Chabot College freshman Tiffany Haywood is juggling basketball, school, work and motherhood. The 6-foot-1 power-forward's day begin with the annoying sound of an alarm clock at 2 a.m., five days a week. She works from 3-7 a.m. and begins school at 8 a.m. While most people are eating lunch, Haywood, 18, is at basketball practice. But she devotes most of her to her 14-month-old daughter.

Jen Hall, the Gladiators' second-year guard and San Leandro High School alum, knows just how tough Haywood has it. Hall used to work the 5 a.m. shift at Starbucks, while going to school and playing basketball.

"I though that was hard and the only reason I kept going was because of Tiffany Haywood,'' said Hall. "I idolize her. I wish to come up to her standards. She is going to college, working and caring for (Ariana).'' 

Even with such a busy schedule, Haywood has a 4.0 grade-point average at the end of one quarter at Chabot, where she is a full-time student working to become a doctor.

Since she was a child growing up in Louisville, Ky., Haywood always dreamed of becoming a doctor. But being a mother was something she didn't fathom.

"I never though I'd be a mom," said Haywood. "I was going to be the aunt who could go home at the end of the day."

That changed completely after a chance encounter. Haywood was walking her 5-foot iguana when she met someone special. Their relationship became intimate and resulted in her pregnancy at 17 years old. 

In her junior year at Washington High School in Fremont, Haywood took the high school proficiency exam and passed it in April of 1999. However, she stayed in school until the seventh month of pregnancy. 

"We think very highly of her," said Cindy Audiat, an office clerk at Washington. "She is a great student. She was going to Ohlone College when she was here. Everybody thinks highly of her."   Haywood helped lead the Huskies to Mission Valley Athletic League championships in her sophomore and junior years, and made second team All-League as a junior. But had to leave school before entering her senior season due to complications with her pregnancy. Ariana was born with a life-threatening hernia in her diaphragm and spent two months at Stanford Hospital recovering from surgeries.

"Ariana is not supposed to be here,'' Haywood said. "We're real lucky.'' 

Now that Ariana is 14 months old, Haywood is back on the hardwood floor and working on fulfilling her dream. 

She plans to earn an associate of arts degree at Chabot and transfer to Holy Names or Stanford. Those are her top choice for obvious reasons—the strength of their pre-med programs, small class sizes and basketball programs.

Haywood admits it would be hard to get into Stanford, but will not completely rule out that possibility.

"I can’t see myself playing (for Stanford) this year,’’ said Haywood, "but with a lot of improvement, I think I could play there. I think a lot of players could. We’re really talented this year.’’

Putting in the work to get is not a problem for Haywood. Her younger brother Chris Haywood, 16, said she is a "hard worker.’’

By the time most people are drinking their morning coffee, she has finished her four hours shift at United Parcel Service. Some days she doesn't get home before 9 p.m.

Tiffany has five classes: health, computer science, history, trigonometry and English. She also attends tutoring sessions in English and math.

"She doesn't have too much time to relax,'' said Chabot coach Don Queyrel. "Yet, she hardly ever misses practice. She lets me know when she's bringing Ariana. She's pretty responsible. She's doing all of theses things and doing them well.''

Haywood scored 29 points in three games to lead the Gladiators to the championship in the Consumnes River Tournament. The Gladiators (4-8 on Dec. 13) are struggling with 6-foot-2 center Tiffany Fuller and leading scorer Tashiba Long out of the lineup.

Haywood is averaging 7.3 points per game. On two occasions, Haywood scored her season high 12 points. Recently, she eclipsed that mark by draining six from the floor and going 3-for-6 at the line for 15 points. But her strength is underneath the boards. She averages 7.5 rebounds per game, which puts her among the Top 10 in the Coast Conference. Her game-high is 15. In the summer league, Haywood struggled to run three times up and down the hardwood floor, but is now averaging 30 minutes per 40-minute game.

Haywood presently lives with her mother Gwenetta Haywood, who raised four children as a single mom. 

``I really respect my mom,'' said Haywood. ``I'm kind of following in her foot steps raising my daughter (with good manners).''

Haywood still address her mom with ``Yes ma'am.'' Though she has never apologized, Tiffany felt so bad the first time she use profanity in front of her mom, that she vowed to never do it again. She intends to give Ariana a similar Midwestern-style upbringing.  

"We pray before every meal and game,'' said Haywood. "I read the Bible and I want Ariana to be more religious than I am. Maybe I'll send her to a catholic school.''

Haywood moved to San Jose when she was 12 years old and remembers people asking ``If we wore shoes in Kentucky.'' 

"That was a shocker,'' said Haywood. 

The family later moved to Fremont, where she began playing basketball at Centerville Junior High School. 

While living on a farm her brothers claimed she played basketball like a girl and refused to let her in the game. But it was farm life that helped foster her passion for medicine and appreciation for animals. 

Watching her mother treat farm animals and the television series ``Life in the Trauma Center'' made her decided to be a trauma doctor.

``Now that I have (Ariana), I know I'm going to make it,'' said Haywood. ``Now everything is set in stone.''

Being the only girl, Haywood felt her mom always expected more from her. The news of Haywood's pregnancy was a major disappointment for her mother, but the two have grown closer since the birth of Ariana.

Gwenetta often babysits and has always been their to lend her support, said Haywood. If grandma is busy, Haywood takes Ariana with her to class, practice and even games.

These days Ariana wanders around the Chabot gym wearing a yellow sweat suit with the same No. 42 that is on her mother's jersey and a small ball in hand. Hall said the players consider her their little niece and enjoy having her at practice. And for good reason. 

"Ariana keeps from me yelling,'' said Queyrel. ``I don't get as mad. She effects me more (than the players).

In his 11 years of coaching girls and women, Queyrel said he has never faced this type of situation, but is enjoying it. 

Queyrel does not have any grand kids, well biological grand kids that is. But Queyrel shows excellent grandfatherly instincts as he showers Ariana with attention.

"I admire coach,'' said Haywood. "I admire any man who sticks with their babies, or any women for that matter.''

Ariana also receives plenty of affection from the players and has bonded with some of them. She is even starting to trust them as much as she trusts her mother.

"They're snatching her away from me,'' said Haywood. "She's no longer mine. She's getting world influences. Things will never be the same, before she was just dependent on me.''