Though characterized by GHS girls basketball head coach Tim
Jones, among others, as an unselfish individual, Chelsea Hill made
sure everyone knew it was her moment.
Though characterized by GHS girls basketball head coach Tim Jones, among others, as an unselfish individual, Chelsea Hill made sure everyone knew it was her moment.
“This is about me,” Hill said through a laugh, directing the out-of-character comment toward one of her brothers.
The day was indeed hers, and with new head coach Ken Crawford acting as the master of ceremonies, the Gilroy senior signed her letter of intent last Friday to play basketball for Biola University.
“It starts with her character,” said Crawford, who is entering his seventh season with the Eagles’ program. “We don’t take recruiting lightly. We spend a lot of time thinking about who we bring in. She is a solid individual and has a willingness to work hard. We are excited to have her.”
Hill made the decision to attend the NAIA school located in La Mirada – 18 miles south of Los Angeles – back in November.
“On the drive home, I was like ‘mom, this is where I want to go.’ I found the college before the basketball, which was nice for me,” Hill said.
“I’m just really excited to leave and go. Now that I’ve signed and committed it’s like, ‘let’s skip summer.’ I just want to go there. It’s going to be fun.”
Fun is what Hill said remained the key ingredient in her development in the sport. She knew that if she was to pursue collegiate athletics, a true passion for the game must occur naturally.
And it did.
“I definitely made sure that I was having fun when I was playing. I didn’t want to be just going through the motions,” Hill said.
“Because I realized that if I’m going through the motions in college, it’s going to be a long four years. So I had to make sure I was having fun in what I was doing and working hard to make sure of that.”
Jones, who coached Hill on the varsity level for two seasons pointed to that work ethic and free-spirited demeanor for much of the Mustangs’ success in 2010-11, a season that ended one-game shy of the Central Coast Section finals.
“The number one thing … she was dependable,” Jones said. “Every game, consistently, she gave us everything she had for us to win. But it’s more than points and rebounds. It’s about her leadership and those intangibles that are hard to define.”
Hill, a two-time Tri-County Athletic League first-team selection, averaged 10 points per game and helped the Mustangs (22-2 overall, 12-0 TCAL) to their first league crown in five seasons.
Hill’s inside presence and aggressiveness garnered attention from the opposition on both ends of the floor.
More often than not, a Hill block on the defensive end would be more of a momentum swing for the Mustangs than a made basket on the offensive end.
“We really do like her versatility,” Crawford said. “I see her playing (either forward spot), which fits the hi-low offense we run. Her physical toughness is ideal in our prototype player at those positions.”
Playing out of the Golden State Athletic Conference, the Eagles have advanced to the NAIA Women’s National Championship tournament each of the last three seasons, wrapping up 2010-11 with a 25-7 record.
“I’m definitely a little nervous just because it’s a kind of far away and I’m very family oriented,” Hill said, fighting back a few tears as she spoke about missing her mom.
“But I have some friends there so it won’t be too difficult of a transition.”
Hill said she is going to major in kinesiology with an emphasis in sports therapy.
