Lauren Hill is battling an opponent doctors say she can’t defeat: an inoperable brain tumor that has left the freshman at Division III Mount St. Joseph University with just a few months to live.
But on Sunday, Hill was focused on a different opponent entirely when she took the court in a basketball game against Hiram College and hit a layup to score the first points of the 2014-2015 college basketball season.
Most collegiate squads are limited to practice at this point; exhibition games and early-season tilts don’t begin until next week. But the NCAA agreed to let Mount St. Joseph’s move its season opener against Hiram up two weeks in hopes that Hill would be able to participate.
Hill’s layup came just 17 seconds into the game, and she received a standing ovation from both teams and an arena packed with fans as she was presented with a game ball and a hug from head coach Dan Benjamin.
Hill spent most of the remainder of the game cheering on her teammates from the sidelines, as the tumor and the medication she takes give her headaches and nausea.
“I love basketball, and it was sad when I couldn’t play,” Hill told ESPN.com. “But it was great to be here to support the team because they’re supporting me every day.”
Though Mount St. Joseph’s typically draws only a few dozen fans to its games, interest in this season-opener was so great that nearby Xavier University offered the use of its arena so that a crowd of 10,000 could be on hand to cheer Hill on.
A number of celebrities were also in attendance on Sunday, including WNBA stars Elena Delle Donne, Skylar Diggins and Tamika Catchings; also on hand was hall of fame coach Pat Summitt, who presented Hill with the U.S. Basketball Writers Association’s Most Courageous Award, which bears Summitt’s name.
NBA superstar LeBron James saluted Hill on his Instagram feed on Monday; James thanked her for inspiring him and congratulated her on Sunday’s game.
With 30 seconds remaining to play in the game, Coach Benjamin called timeout and reinserted Hill into the lineup. She put up an unsuccessful layup, but teammate Tara Dennis got the rebound and passed it back out to Hill, who put the ball in the hoop, this time with a right-handed layup.
Hill’s second basket accounted for the game’s final points, as the Mount prevailed, 66-55.
It was announced at game’s end that more than $40,000 had been raised for The Cure Starts Now, a foundation that raises money to fund research for diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, the rare type of pediatric brain cancer with which Hill is suffering.
“I never thought I would play on a college court, put my feet on the floor and feel the vibration of the crowd,” Hill said following the game. “This game has been amazing, and everything that happened today was amazing. This is a really good day.”
