Miss Basketball Candidate: Laya Hartman (Okemos)

Some athletes are just destined to be great. It was in the cards for <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="2392" first="Laya" last="Hartman"] </strong>to be a star basketball player. Even at a young age, as she dominated the AAU circuit, everyone knew she would be great. The 5’11" shooting guard from Okemos High School certainly didn’t disappoint. As her senior season takes off, <strong>Hartman </strong>has developed into one of the top players in Michigan and is recognized nationally for her skills. ESPN  has her ranked #28 in the country at her position. <strong>Hartman </strong>is accustomed to success. She has scored over 1000 points in her high school career at Okemos. <strong>Hartman </strong>is a McDonald’s All-American nominee and in April was selected to attend the 2018 U17 USA Basketball National Team Trials. She is a 3 time Class A All-State selection as well. Last season, <strong>Hartman </strong>averaged 16.8 ppg and 7.2 rpg. She led Okemos to a 17 win season and a District Championship. As amazing as <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="2392" first="Laya" last="Hartman"]’s </strong>high school career has been, she has a lot more basketball in her future. She came into high school with Division 1 programs already eyeing her. <strong>Hartman </strong>racked up a total of 17 Division 1 offers. She was offered a scholarship by schools like Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Purdue, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt. In the end, <strong>Hartman </strong>knew that Northwestern was the right choice. The incredible academics at Northwestern were a big part of her choice since she holds a 3.5 GPA. Quietly working in the gym when nobody is watching is what separates <strong>Hartman </strong>from most high school players. She’s an athletic player who seems to effortlessly glide on the court. Good hip movement allows her to play loose and free. <strong>Hartman </strong>can handle the ball and lead a fastbreak, delivering the ball to a teammate with a precision pass. She is a multilevel scorer who can hit the 3 with efficiency. <strong>Hartman’s </strong>mid range jumper is fundamentally sound and an incredibly dangerous weapon. She can create her own shot using her ball handling skills and agility. <strong>Hartman </strong>is a 2 way player who is known as a top notch defender. She can apply pressure at the perimeter, half court, or full court. <strong>Hartman </strong>aggressively jumps the passing lanes, creating chaos for the offense and forcing turnovers. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="2392" first="Laya" last="Hartman"] </strong>has earned everything she gets out of the game of basketball. She has certainly earned the right to be considered a strong candidate for this seasons Miss Basketball in the state of Michigan.