Morning Wrap: Lauren Hill Becomes Honorary College Hoops Coach

((ht: wcpo.com))

The battle has moved from playing to coaching. In many ways, Lauren Hill, the 19-year old freshman  at Mount St. Joseph's college near Cincinnati has already won.

Hill, battling inoperable brain cancer, played in five games this season scoring 10-points. But the game last Tuesday (Dec.11th) is going to be her last.

She will no longer be on the active roster, but the school has allowed her to stay close to her team and her teammates by becoming an honorary coach.

As many know, Hill is battling DIPG, a rare cancer of the brain. And her prognosis is that she would not make it past Christmas. She began hospice care just two weeks ago. But she continues to battle.

Her dream was to play college basketball and she got that wish.

She's also helped spearhead a drive for research into a cure for her disease. The goal is to raise $1 million and she's almost there. Her "Cure Starts Now Foundation" has already reached the $700,000 mark.

Here's some video of Lauren playing in her last game from our friends at WCPO.com:

Lauren Hill Scores Opening Basket in Home Opener

((ht: d3hoops.com))

She keeps inspiring everyone who hears or sees her story.

Mount St. Joseph's University freshman basketball player Lauren Hill scored the first two points of her teams game Saturday afternoon in their home opener.

And it was a big deal.

Why? By now, many have heard Lauren's story. Suffering from inoperable brain cancer, (DIPG) it's been her dream to be able to play college basketball.

And while she's had a lot of ups and downs, she's delivered on that promise.

From scoring in the teams first game of the season against Xavier in front of 10,000+ screaming fans to Saturday night, she's yet to disappoint.

Just recently we reported Lauren had been struggling, the cancer eating away at her and sapping her energy. Her family began Hospice care for her. But it appears she may just have been saving her strength.

She managed to make it up and down the court a couple more times before leaving the game and cheering on her teammates for the rest of the night.

The Lions didn't win the game, but they gained even more fans.

Follow Lauren's cause and her battle by checking out her The Cure Starts Now Foundation Website

WCPO.com gives us highlights from Lauren's night:

Lauren Hill: The Next Day

((HT: WCPO-TV))

The HQ showed you a little bit of the story from Cincinnati on Sunday with Mount St. Joseph's hoops player Lauren Hill as she got to play her first college basketball game over the weekend as she fights DIPG- an unforgiving form of brain cancer.

So, what now...???

That's really a question for all of us as we move forward with windows greater than Lauren's...

Brother Phil's buddy Popo caught up with her to find out what she thought about what happened over the weekend...


The Cure Starts Now Foundation is where people battling pediatric cancer (and those who wish to help in the fight) can go in the future. If this is something that encourages you as we all move to our next days, check them out.

We'll keep you posted on MSJ's season...

Lauren Hill's First Collegiate Game

((HT: Fox Sports))

The story is nothing short of amazing...

Mount St. Joseph's post player Lauren Hill is fighting DIPG- a cancer that attaches itself to the brain stem and spiders out from there. It's an inoperable brain tumor that has given all of us the chance to learn about this monster and how we can possibly attack it from this moment on.

The cancer has given her a more evil diagnosis and a very short timetable- maybe a month or so.

The MSJ season opener with Hiram College was moved up- thanks to the NCAA giving special papal dispensation- and the game was moved to Xavier University's arena. The 10,000-plus seat arena sold out in an hour.

And, as it should have been, Hill made the first and last baskets in the game.

Here's the first basket on the day...


Here's Brad Johansen and Debbie Antonelli with Lauren when the game was secondary to the voice of the day


#LayUp4Lauren is the hashtag for the efforts