CINCINNATI, Oh. (WLWT) — Lauren Hill weekend was held in Cincinnati to honor the legacy of the late basketball player.
The Cincinnati holiday celebrated the young woman's life and the impact she had after becoming a spokesperson for diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas brain cancer.
Hill had a dream to play college basketball. She accomplished her goal while raising awareness and millions of dollars along the way.
In late 2014, Mt. St. Joseph freshman Hill was being treated for brain cancer.
More than 10,000 fans packed the Cintas Center. The 19-year-old from Greendale, Indiana, made the shot seen all around the world.
In her home gym Friday at the Mount, all is quiet. But Hill's legacy is still loud and clear, especially for her mom, Lisa Hill, who talked with us in the locker room, where her daughter's spot is still set aside forever.
"There's a lot of memories in this room, and this is where she wanted to be," said Lisa Hill.
As Mt. St. Joeseph head coach Dan Benjamin mentors a new roster of young women, like junior Aliya Huff, he makes sure the future of the program never forgets the past.
"I teach all of my players the ones I had with her the never give up, the never quit attitude. Every time I have a recruit on campus, it's the first thing I talk about. What are you going to do because basketball is gonna end," said Benjamin.
"Every day before I go to practice, I look at her locker, and it just gets me emotional. It gives me inspiration to keep going," said Huff.
Hill raised millions of dollars for The Cure Starts Now while she was still with us. Her powerful mission marches on with a fundraiser at the Xavier game Friday night and a doubleheader for the men and women tomorrow at Mt. St. Joeseph.
Hill's mom couldn't be prouder of the young woman, who will always be her little girl.
"When one day she was crying and asking why God picked her and why she couldn't have breast cancer or something curable, I said: 'I don't know, Lauren. God picks strong people for the hardest tasks. And for whatever reason, he picked you, and he picked us,'" said Lisa Hill.
On Saturday at Mt. St. Joseph, the men's game is at 2 p.m. and the women's game is at 4 p.m. Booths will be set up for The Cure Starts Now, and they'll raise money for Hill's scholarship, Forever 22, which was Hill's number.
