Pioneer Press girls basketball player of the year: Minneapolis South's Tayler Hill
By Tim Leighton
[email protected]
Updated: 03/24/2009 05:27:38 PM CDT
Minneapolis South High School senior Tayler Hill, the Pioneer Press' girls basketball player of the year, was photographed at the high school in Minneapolis on Monday, March 16, 2009. (Pioneer Press: Richard Marshall) (Richard Marshall)On a gorgeous sunny day last week, Minneapolis South basketball sensation Tayler Hill basked in the warmth and the positive vibes that radiated from her school and its surroundings. She tried to reflect on a stellar five-year varsity career, but kept getting interrupted.
Fellow students, teachers and other school staff cruised past her with waves, hellos and high-fives. With her engaging smile and energetic personality, she continually returned replies.
"She has meant the world to our school,'' South activities director Mark Sanders said. "She has put us on the map. You are talking about one of the best basketball players in state history. We feel really blessed to have her as part of our school community. She has raised the bar of expectations in our school and community.''
Hill, who leaves the high school basketball court as Minnesota's all-time leading scorer, is the Pioneer Press girls basketball player of the year for the second consecutive season.
AN INCREDIBLE FAREWELL
Just when you think you've seen Hill at her finest, she wows you again. She bid adieu to her prep career with a dazzling 47-point performance Saturday night that powered the Tigers to the Class AAAA state championship over Centennial. Her will to win was present two nights earlier when she basically single-handedly rallied South from a 14-point halftime deficit to beat Eastview in the semifinals.
HIGHS AND LOWS
Every road to success is filled with peaks and valleys. Hill's
was no exception:
Highs
Being selected a McDonald's All-American last month
Setting the all-time Minnesota basketball (boys or girls) scoring record last month
Qualifying for the state tournament in four of her five seasons as a starter
Scoring 47 points to lead South to the Class AAAA championship Saturday night
Lows
Losing in the 2007 and '08 Class AAAA championship games
Controversy over her career scoring record to lay
SCORING QUESTIONS
No one disputes that Hill is Minnesota's all-time leading scorer or that she might be the best girls player in state history. What the Minnesota State High School League is reviewing is just how many points she did score. When South celebrated her breaking the scoring record last month, two Minnesota basketball historians who track the sport say South was about 100 points off on Hill's total and that the celebration was premature. "What I was thinking in my mind, people around me were saying it for me," Hill said. "It was frustrating to hear stuff being said about the record. I think it got blown out of proportion, and it didn't need to reach that level."
MOVING ON
Hill hears the question all the time: "Where are you going to play in college?" She is deciding between Duke, Texas, Marquette,
Ohio State and Minnesota
more