By Lindsey Boyd (@lindsboyd3):
The cast of “Hamilton” sings “why do you write like you’re running out of time?” If the song was written for freshman guard Heleyna Hill, it would go something like, “why do you play like you’re running out of time?”
Time. Heleyna only has so much of it with her father, former World Series champion Glenallen Hill. During the baseball season, her dad is in Albuquerque, N.M. coaching the Colorado Rockies’ AAA team, the Isotopes.
Meanwhile, Heleyna devoted her time to becoming one of the best basketball players for San Jose’s Archbishop Mitty, the second best high school program in the state. Now, her dream of being a division one basketball player has come true as she gears up for her first season with San Jose State.
“She definitely put in the work,” said her mother Lori Hill. “ If anything, we’d have to tell her to ring it in.”
It’s natural to think that Heleyna’s determination to play Division I basketball stems from pressure to live up to her successful dad — but that is simply not the case.
Her dad may be known as the Cubs player who hit one of the longest home runs in Wrigley Field and MLB history, according to Bleacher Report — but, expectations to do well was never pushed onto Hill.
“He never made me play,” Heleyna said. “He taught me how to shoot and stuff like that but … it was more ‘if you need me, I’m here.’”
In fact, Heleyna didn’t even start dribbling a basketball because of her family. She was dragged into the sport by her friends at recess. She was self-motivated to learn the game.
“I started playing when I was nine because my friends at school, they played,” Heleyna said.
However, Heleyna’s father knew she was destined for hoops by the time she was two or three years old.
“We had a little portable basketball hoop just out in the yard and she seemed pretty fascinated in being able to throw the ball inside the hoop,” Glenallen said.
By the time Heleyna started playing organized basketball, the sport became a family affair. She would play with her younger brother, Glenallen Jr., and was even coached by her uncles in junior high.
Always supportive when on the sidelines, her parents and three siblings were along for the ride — even if it meant driving from Santa Cruz to Mitty for 7:30 a.m. practice. Sometimes, they wouldn’t even get home until 10:30 p.m. if there was a game the night before.
The two hours spent in the car every day wasn’t looked at as an inconvenience or a chore, but as cherished time that Lori and Glenallen could spend with their daughter.
“It was a joy,” Glenallen said. “My wife, man, she put a lot of miles driving Heleyna over the hill to San Jose, but it was an opportunity for us to connect with our kids.”
Glenallen’s MLB status never impacted his daughter’s on-court performance. Lori continues to be in awe of Hill’s dedication and athletic ability, while Glenallen enjoys the time spent in the baseball offseason watching his daughter play.
“I can’t get that time, so when I am present, I am present so I try to take in everything,” Glenallen said of being away from home. “I try to stay away from watching my kids with the expectations of paying attention to the results of their sport. I happen to find joy in just seeing them on the court.”
Heleyna may have memories of watching her dad play baseball on TV or being coached by her uncles and high basketball coach, but her competitive athleticism wasn’t influenced by the feats of those around her.
Instead, Heleyna continues to be motivated by four words dug into her like etchings on a stone. Hard work pays off.