The storied high school career of Bella Hines is reaching its conclusion, but only in the most fitting fashion. Over 3,000 career points at the high school level, helping bring elite prep school basketball to the girls’ side in New Mexico at ABC Prep, and an EYBL Championship with Cy-Fair Elite are just a few of the accolades that the senior has on her illustrious resume’. The pride of Albuquerque put the bow on things with a final high school game Friday in Washington, D.C., playing in, of course, the Jordan Brand Classic.
Hines had eight points and three assists in Team Flight’s 126-108 victory over Team Air.Â
The first high school basketball player signed to an NIL deal by Jordan Brand, Hines turned heads throughout the basketball world when the announcement was made public. Phenoms such as A.J. Dybantsa, Bronny James, and D.J. Wagner all inked Nike deals before their high school graduation, but none are close to the rarefired air of Mike himself. While she’s the first to sign with His Airness, she certainly doesn’t think she’s going to be the last and feels that the wave is trending upwards.
“I feel like these brands like to see these girls grow up and become the player that they can become in college, so I think that it’s going to continue that way with the shoe deals”, Hines told Ballislife in regards to high school girls signing sneaker deals. “The college girls have a bit more of a platform [to attain lucrative NIL deals]. I feel like some high school girls have a platform, but just being able to play on national television a lot for the girls helps them boost their opportunities a ton.”
Plenty of other NIL opportunities have presented themselves for Hines, too. Having signed with Young Money APAA Sports, she also secured sponsorship with GLD Jewelry and Albuquerque based meal prep company Pack Your Maxx. Fully utilizing today’s NIL opportunities has proved beneficial for the LSU recruit off the court, but also put a target on her back every time she steps foot on it.
“I like to have a little bit of a chip on my shoulder,” the 5-foot-10 senior explained of playing with that bullseye. “Being from a small city, a lot of people doubt me and don’t think I’m worth all the hype. I am and I just want to keep progressing as a player.”
While many are focused on the NIL side with Hines, it’s often easy to forget that it’s her game on the court that enabled her to attain all of these opportunities. She had a storied three-year career at Eldorado (N.M.) High School before making the jump to the national level at Albuquerque based ABC Prep. There she played a national schedule against D1 talent on a nightly basis on both the Grind Session and EIBC platforms, which is where we were able to evaluate her game.
During Albuquerque Prep’s undefeated week in Phoenix, the natural scorer also played the role of catalyst to initiate her squad’s offense. Despite being constantly face-guarded, Bella found a way to get buckets consistently from all three levels, dropping 27 points per game. Equally as impressive was her ability to rebound the ball from the backcourt (averaged 14.5 rebounds per game) and operate as a vocal leader for her squad, two skills that transcend at any level.Â
As an integral piece in LSU coach Kim Mulkey’s No. 2 ranked recruiting class for the class of 2025, according to 247Sports.com, Hines is looking to polish her mid-range game before she sets foot on campus. She is prepared to make an impact from day one, both with her on court play and the intangibles that she offers that don’t necessarily show up in the box score, telling Ballislife she’s going to “bring that fiery attitude from day one. I’m just ready to go out there, hoop, and show everyone what I can do.”
Having already participated in the Nike Hoop Summit, Hines will wrap up her high school career this weekend in D.C. While she wasn’t selected to another game that was played in Brooklyn a few weeks ago (the McDonald’s All American Game), that is something she uses to fuel her fire. This weekend is all about everything Jordan Brand though, and the high school senior is incredibly grateful for everything the brand has done for her, both on and off the court.
“Jordan Brand has taken care of me. They always make sure that I’m fitted on the court,” she humbly admitted. “I’m just excited to go on my tour of the Jordan headquarters soon.”
