Santa Cruz’s Heleyna Hill returns to Penguins
‘Burnt out’ guard took last season off; her internal fire has been stoked
Santa Cruz’s Heleyna Hill said it was the hardest phone call she ever had to make.
The former Cabrillo College women’s basketball star accepted a scholarship offer to NCAA Division II Dominican University of California, located in San Rafael, but, admittedly, she was burnt out. She called Penguins coach Tim LaKose to inform him that she no longer wanted to play.
He left the door open in case she changed her mind.
“I was tired and had been playing my whole life,” Hill said. “I think I needed a break. By the time December came around, I was like, ‘ What am I doing?’ “
Hill was working the shot clock for Cabrillo men’s basketball games last year when the desire to play returned. Another phone call was placed and LaKose gladly accepted her back.
She transferred to Dominican in the spring and began taking classes, but didn’t suit up for the team, which had already begun its season. They finished 10-18 overall, 7-15 in the PacWest Conference. A year earlier, the program went 21-7 and reached the NCAA D-II West Regionals.
LaKose, who has known of Hill since she played for powerhouse Archbishop Mitty High in San Jose, believes Hill can help the Penguins find success again. She was named Coast Conference South Division MVP and California Community College Athletic Association second team all-state
after leading the Cabrillo to a share of the conference title as a sophomore in 201819.
“She brings a love for the game,” LaKose said. “She’s always smiling up and down the court. She has speed, a high basketball IQ and competitiveness. That’s contagious.”
Hill has an athletic bloodline. Her father, Glenallen, played MLB for 13 seasons, winning a World Series title in 2000, and her brother, GJ, is a minor leaguer in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ farm system.
LaKose’s 2020-21 squad, which has no idea if and when it will compete in its first game, features six returners and eight newcomers, three of which are transfers.
Hill, a guard who transferred to Cabrillo from San Jose State, has two years of eligibility remaining. She’s living in San Rafael and participating in individual conditioning drills with the Penguins.
Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention safety guidelines that are being followed, the Penguins have yet to have much interaction. The program started conditioning last week, meeting four times for one hour. There hasn’t been any passing or team drills.
“There’s some rust for all of us, coaches included,” LaKose said. “It takes the body a while to get back. … I think we’re just thrilled to be back out there. There’s a greater appreciation than ever. Hopefully, we’ll play someone sooner rather than later.”
Hill, a psychology major, would like that. She has envisioned racing for a loose ball, making a steal or clutch 3-pointer and helping the Penguins find success.
“Everyone likes to win,” she said of team expectations. “At the end of the day, basketball is basketball. I’m just happy to be playing basketball again. I just want to be a good, solid point guard for them. I want my teammates to feel I can help them win. It would be fun to help them win conference.”