Naz Hillmon has a long list of awards and accolades to her name.
She can now add “Two-time News-Herald player of the year” to the list.
For the second straight year, the 6-foot-2 forward from Gilmour is the News-Herald’s girls basketball player of the year. The announcement was made March 27 in a special edition of the Varsity Chalk Talk Show at Hooley House in Mentor.
“It’s a blessing, honestly,” Hillmon said. “I’d like to thank my teammates and my coaches. I really do appreciate this award.”
Hillmon, who has signed to play basketball at the University of Michigan, emerged as the winner from a list of three finalists that also included North sophomore Destiny Leo and Kirtland senior Sydney Snyder.
Hillmon averaged 21 points, 14.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.0 steals per game this season while leading Gilmour to the Division II state championship game against Toledo Rogers.
Hillmon, daughter of former Ohio Ms. Basketball NaSheema (Hillmon) Anderson, also shot better than 70 percent from the floor this season.
As a junior, Hillmon claimed N-H girls basketball player of the year when she averaged 15.8 points and 13.1 rebounds per game, while shooting 65 percent from the field.
She bettered each of her stats as a senior.
In addition to being The News-Herald’s girls basketball player of the year, Hillmon was also the co-Division II player of the year in Ohio this year. Additionally, she was a finalist for Ohio’s Ms. Basketball award.
While Hillmon won the girls basketball player of the year, the boys player of the year — named the Clark Kellogg Award — went to Cornerstone Christian’s Michael Bothwell.
“Me and Naz are pretty close friends,” Bothwell said. “We’re always talking about each other’s game. I respect what she’s done on the girls side. To be up on the stage with a high Division I commit is a blessing.”
The other finalists had spectacular seasons, as well.
Leo, the 5-foot-10 sophomore guard/forward finished the season averaging 19.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.6 steals and 1.0 block per game for North, which won the Western Reserve Conference championship and advanced to the Division I district final in Perry.
Leo was a second team Division I all-Ohioan.
Snyder, the 5-foot-7 senior guard/forward ended the season averaging 22 points, 8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 4.3 steals per game for Kirtland, which set a school record for wins in a season (23) and led the Hornets to the Division III district semifinals.
Sndyer was a first team Division III all-Ohioan.
The complete listing of the 2017-2018 News-Herald girls basketball all-stars will be announced March 28.