WKU Freshman Mimi Hill has arrived!

Other side of the Hill

Despite tough presence on the floor, WKU freshman has soft side away from the gym

With a sister who played in the WNBA and a mother who played college ball and now coaches in high school, basketball is undeniably in the DNA of Western Kentucky freshman forward Mimi Hill.And while Hill embraces her basketball identity, the 6-foot-3 freshman from Winder, Ga., still finds time to stay in touch with her self-described “girly” side - with off-the-court activities ranging from modeling to baking.The unique blend has Hill determined to not simply follow in the footsteps of sister Tasha Humphrey and mother Brenda Gilmore. Instead, she aims to forge her own path, first by making her presence felt in a crowded Lady Topper frontcourt.Hill didn’t start playing basketball until she was in seventh grade, taking up the sport after she was cut from the cheerleading squad for being too tall.“I was like, well let’s give this a try,” Hill said. “At first I didn’t like all the hitting, pushing and touching of the other players. Then I realized that’s the game and I was good at it. I started wanting to work out, do more stuff and get more into the game of basketball.”And it didn’t take long for the comparisons to Humphrey - a former Georgia standout who played in the WNBA - to surface. Hill said she embraced the mentions but eventually felt the need to break away and be her own person.“I realized that I’m not Tasha,” Hill said. “We are two different people. We have different body structures. We have two different games. We see the floor differently. That’s when I decided I’m my own person and I have to be me.”Hill developed into a force while playing for her mom at Winder-Barrow High School in Georgia. She led the team in scoring and earned a reputation as one of the area’s more versatile players, immediately drawing interest from WKU coach Mary Taylor Cowles.“Her athletic background - family background - is very rich, but Mimi is her own individual,” Cowles said. “She’s worked very hard to give herself this opportunity. I think the thing that makes her so exciting is that she will end up being a combination of a 4/3 player. Her ability to shoot the basketball from the outside and her ability to be with her back to the basket down in the block makes her very versatile for us.”Hill’s versatility extends beyond the arena. While in high school, Hill spent time during the offseason modeling on weekends.“I like shopping,” Hill said. “I like ... getting dressed up, with makeup and pretty hair, and I like taking photos.”Hill added that she also likes to get in the kitchen and bake, an activity that began at an early age with her grandmother.

“My mom and sister always told me that we don’t quit,” Hill said. “Everyone wants to quit when things get tough. They taught me that you can’t quit because it gets you nowhere. I think that is why my sister was so successful and why my mom was so successful. That pushes me to keep going.”Hill’s determination might be tested in joining a roster that returns Arnika Brown, Keisha Mosley, LaTierra Owens and Jasmine Johnson - post players who all saw significant action last year - along with the addition of Janae Howard, who will make her WKU debut after transferring from Louisville.Hill said it will be a huge challenge, but she is eager to find her place in the frontcourt rotation.“My expectations are to see what God puts in front of me,” Hill said. “If it’s not in his will for me to start or to play that many minutes, then that’s his will. If it is, I will gladly step up and take that opportunity.”