At first, it wasn’t the intense competition or the thrill of shutting down a big scorer that got Laycee Hill hooked on basketball.
It was the delicious post-game snacks.
Hill started playing hoops at the Alderwood Boys & Girls Club when she was in elementary school. Back then, it was all about Rice Krispies bars and Capri Sun juice pouches that she and her teammates got after games.
These days Hill, a four-year varsity team contributor at Lynnwood, still works up an appetite, inspiring teammates with all-out hustle and intensity. The 5-foot-6 forward is known for defending the opponent’s best scorer and for diving on the floor for loose balls.
Coach’s corner
A three-sport athlete, Hill is “extremely quick and she’s very strong. Because of her speed and strength she’s kind of able to play an inside-outside role for me,” Lynnwood coach Everett Edwards said. Willing to sacrifice her body for the team, Hill has a tendency to do Superman-like dives across the floor, said Edwards.
Tenacious D
“I think my defensive intensity pumps them up,” Hill said of how she is able to motivate her team. “Defense is my favorite part. I’m aggressive and it’s a strength I have.” The toughest opponent to guard, said Hill, is Jackson senior Chanel Sam: “She’s a wing but she’s really quick and it’s hard (to stop) her first step.”
Lucky No. 15
Ever since fourth grade Hill has worn a No. 15 uniform. It’s a tribute to Hill’s favorite player, WNBA star Lauren Jackson of the Seattle Storm. Hill admires the 6-5 Jackson’s “aggressive attitude and how she’s an all-around player. At first I was like, ‘Oh, she’s just a tall post.’ Then I went and watched her and she was just like everywhere.”
Three-sport standout
Besides basketball, Hill competes in volleyball and track and field. She was a setter and three-year varsity team member in volleyball. In track, her events are relays, shot put and javelin.
Getting involved
Hill is a member of several student groups at Lynnwood, including Teens Against Tobacco Use, Link Crew (upper classmen assist incoming freshmen) and peer mediation. In her fourth year as a peer mediator, Hill helps resolve conflicts between other students. The experiences have made her interested in becoming a lawyer or a psychologist.
Happy to help
Darrell McNeal, Lynnwood’s boys basketball coach, is one of Hill’s most valued mentors. “I look up to him a lot,” Hill said of McNeal, a longtime family friend. “He just always helps me when I have a problem.”
A memorable Winter
Hill’s favorite book is “The Coldest Winter Ever” by Sister Souljah. It is about the struggles of a girl whose father is a drug dealer in New York.
Feeding the needy
The last three years Hill and her girls basketball teammates worked together during canned food drives outside a local Safeway store. They collected more than 2,600 cans of food, including about 1,000 cans in their freshman year, said Hill.
Mike Cane, Herald Writer
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