Zionsville’s Laila Hull
Staff report
Laila Hull has earned the top individual award in Indiana high school girls basketball.
Hull, a 6-1 guard-forward from Zionsville High School, has been named IndyStar Indiana Miss Basketball for 2023 in online voting of media and girls’ varsity coaches conducted by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association and All-Star game director Mike Broughton, it was announced Monday (March 13).
The Miss Basketball result means Hull will wear the No. 1 jersey for the Indiana All-Stars in their annual series with Kentucky. The Miss Basketball award goes to the top girls’ basketball senior in the state. The Miss Basketball and Mr. Basketball awards are part of the IndyStar Indiana All-Star program that dates to 1939. The Miss Basketball award, along with the girls All-Stars, was added to the All-Star program in 1976.
The remainder of the 2023 Girls’ All-Star team will be announced later. The 2023 Mr. Basketball and the 2023 Boys’ All-Star team also will be announced later. The 2023 girls’ Junior All-Stars, which includes Mt. Vernon’s Ellery Minch, were announced on March 8. The boys’ Junior All-Stars will be announced later.
Hull earned the girls’ top honor after being named on 70 ballots submitted to Broughton in balloting that ran from Feb. 18 through March 1. RaShunda Jones of South Bend Washington was runner-up with 46 votes. Amiyah Reynolds of South Bend Washington placed third with 30 votes followed by Karsyn Norman of Bedford North Lawrence with 12 votes and Amber Tretter of Forest Park with 10 votes. In total, 19 players received at least one Miss Basketball vote.
A University of North Carolina recruit, Hull averaged 22.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.4 steals and 1.3 blocks while leading Zionsville to a 20-3 season that included the championship of the Franklin Community/Walt Raines Classic. She converted 52.3 percent on field goals (182 of 348), including 42.2 percent on 3-point attempts (27 of 64) for the Eagles. She also sank 82.2 percent on free throws (125 of 152).
