ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Bella Hines finished her sophomore season with the Eldorado girls basketball team as New Mexico’s leading scorer at 30 points per game. She is staying active over the summer by playing for Houston based CyFair Elite, which is the reigning champion of the Nike EYBL.
Hines, who is ranked by ESPN as the 23rd highest recruit in the nation for the class of 2025, was invited to play for the team when the coach discovered one of her highlight videos on twitter. She said that the chance to play both with and against the top talent in the country, while also representing New Mexico, was too good to pass up.
“I just want to be able to put New Mexico on the map and let everyone know that New Mexico does have good athletes,” said Hines. “We shouldn’t be a slept on state because we have some of the best athletes. I feel like it was a no brainer to go play for the best team in the country and just playing with them is amazing.”
Colleges began to recognize Hines’ talent during her freshman year, but since she joined CyFair Elite, even more offers from major colleges are rolling in. She currently has 24 hard offers, but isn’t ready to commit with two years of high school left.
“I wouldn’t say I’ll ever get used to it, I just think it’s a blessing to even have that recognition among myself,” she said. “I just like to take everything in and be grateful for what I’m given. It’s a little stressful every now and then, but its a great stress to have. I just like to take everything in that I hear from every college coach because not a lot of kids get to go through the process. So I like to enjoy it as much as I possibly can.”
Hines joined the Sports Desk to talk about her work ethic this summer and plans for her future.
