Girls basketball: Lincoln-Way East’s Hayven Smith named Herald-News Player of the Year

FRANKFORT – It was a banner year for Lincoln-Way East, as the Griffins won their first regional title since 2017 and set a school record for wins in a season with 28.

No one stood taller – both literally and figuratively – for East than 6-foot-6 senior center Hayven Smith. Smith led the Griffins in scoring (13 points) and rebounds (seven) per game while shooting 67% from the field despite being the focal point of every opposing defense. For her efforts, Smith has been named the 2024 Herald-News Player of the Year.

Smith has always been tall, and she started playing basketball and volleyball in fifth grade with the park district.

“I was still growing into a tall body,” she said. “It was good to play both basketball and volleyball because they both helped me figure out how to maneuver in this body.

“Then, in middle school, I started playing basketball with the boys team at Midwest Elite. My trainer thought I could compete with the boys and put the idea to my parents, and they agreed to it. Playing with the boys definitely made me competitive because they went extra hard against me and didn’t want to let a girl beat them. Plus, the boys were bigger and stronger than the girls, and they weren’t going to take it easy on me.”

As her journey through school continued, Smith began to notice something.

“I have always been tall, but I didn’t really realize how tall I was until middle school started,” she said. “I was something like 6-2 already in middle school, and I was obviously not the same as everyone else.

“Playing with the boys helped me. It was either expose someone or get exposed. Playing with the boys at a young age really helped me learn the sport. They pushed me and wanted me to be out there with them. We became close friends, and they accepted me as part of their team.”

Once she got into high school, Smith knew she was going to have to make a decision between volleyball and basketball when it came to offseason work. She decided to stick with basketball during the offseason but remained part of the volleyball program in the fall.

“The fall is pretty much offseason for the AAU basketball anyway,” she said. “Plus, I loved playing volleyball. It helped work different muscle groups and got me ready for basketball.

“It was nice to put the basketball down for a while and be a part of a different group of girls. It was really good for me both mentally and physically. I genuinely enjoy playing volleyball, and it helps me with footwork and hand-eye coordination for basketball.”

At the end of last season, Smith watched from the bench with a broken foot as her teammates lost a regional championship game to district rival Lincoln-Way Central. They did not want to suffer the same fate this season. This season, they beat the Knights during the regular season and won a regional championship by beating Joliet West after trailing at halftime.

“One of the most memorable games for me was beating Lincoln-Way Central,” Smith said. “I didn’t play against them last year in the regional championship because of a broken foot, and we ended up losing. This year, when we played them at their place, I had the flu and didn’t personally play my best game, but we were able to come through with a win.

“We always want to beat another Lincoln-Way school, and they always want to beat us. It was nice in my senior year to not lose to another Lincoln-Way school.”

Smith will take her talents to the University of Illinois once she graduates.

“I am very excited to get down to Champaign and start the next phase,” she said. “It’s going to be tough leaving this team and all the friends I have on it, but I am excited for the future.

“I am not sure what I will study yet, but once I am done with college, I can’t imagine myself not being involved with sports. Maybe I will study sports management or sports media so I can still be around it. Or education and be a coach. I do know that sports have been such a big part of my life so far that I want to still be around them.”