TIFTON — Faith Hillmon won’t have to leave her hometown to play college basketball. The Tift County High senior became one of the first signees for the revived Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College basketball program on Tuesday, April 9.
Unlike previous Fillies, Hillmon can play four years, as ABAC leaves the NJCAA this summer to join the NAIA.
Tift Lady Devils head coach Julie Conner-Johnson is especially proud for Hillmon. Conner-Johnson was ABAC’s last head coach before the program was dropped. Chuck Wimberly, also ABAC’s athletic director, will have the reins for at least the first season.
Conner-Johnson described Hillmon as a “total team player, every minute every game, every day.” Defense is Hillmon’s specialty and she led the team in charges. Tift made its first elite eight this year since 2013 and played in region title games in all four of her seasons.
She already had offers, but Hillmon got many more after winning MVP at a postseason All-Star game in Albany. During the regular season, Hillmon averaged 6.4 points per game as Tift went 25-5.
Tift assistant Anthony Dennard said Hillmon is a hard worker. He told her to go be great. Interim principal Dr. Jerry Baker said he enjoyed watching Hillmon play this year.
Hillmon said she loved her teammates and coaches and loved her teachers. She asked everyone to come support her at ABAC games.
“Every time one of our athletes signs, it’s special,” said Conner-Johnson. “But Faith’s signing is really, really special to me, personally, because it brings two awesome educational campuses that I love together.”
Conner-Johnson said both campuses have a rich tradition of academics and athletics. Academics mean much to Hillmon, who not only personally invited all of her teachers to the signing at Tift’s gym, but specially posed for a picture with them.
Hillmon will be a superior honor graduate in May.