Twin sisters Naha and Imani Hill helped lead the lacrosse team to the playoffs this year. (Photo by Suzette J. Lucas.)
By Jashvina Shah
For their entire lives, twin sisters Imani and Naja Hill had played different sports—tennis, softball and soccer. As freshmen in high school, they wanted to pick a varsity sport for the spring, narrowing the debate between lacrosse and softball.
They settled on lacrosse, and the decision has been beneficial for the girls and Ewing’s girls’ lacrosse program, though it was tough to adjust to at first.
“The hardest [part] of playing a new sport was playing up to the level of the seniors,” Imani said. “When we were freshmen we played with eight or nine seniors, and their level of skill was a lot higher than us, especially with [this] being our first year ever playing [lacrosse]. It was definitely a challenge trying to learn all of these things as well as keep up with the pace.”
One of the biggest skill adjustments was catching and throwing with a stick, a trait that is vital and unique to lacrosse.
“You can’t really play lacrosse without knowing how to catch and knowing how to throw,” Naja said. “It’s not playing basketball and soccer, it’s not like we were used to using sticks. Then having to transition over to using a stick to catch and a stick to throw was a difficult challenge.”
Ewing lacrosse coach Leslie Conant said another challenge was learning to play with their non-dominant, left hands. But, the Hill twins adjusted quickly.
“They’re both super athletic, and with the game of lacrosse, as long as you’re athletic and have some [kind of] coordination, you could be taught the game,” Conant said.
While lacrosse wasn’t in their lives earlier, it quickly became important.
“It was something that I was willing to do every day and I enjoyed going out on the field every day,” Imani said. “I still do.”
Now, the Hill twins will join Delaware State University’s Division I lacrosse program next season. Ewing finished its season in mid-May, falling in the first round of the NJSIAA tournament.
Conant thinks the school is a good fit.
“When you go to college as a freshman, you just played in high school, I see them rising to the occasion,” she said. “They’re going to play as good as the girls they’re surrounded by. I feel they’re going to definitely improve more and more as time goes by.”
This season, the Hill twins helped Ewing girls’ lacrosse to a 7-7 overall record and a 4-4 record in the CVC Patriot Division, good for third.
Since the Hill twins play on opposite positions, they meet mostly at midfield.
“The chemistry on and off the field is very strong,” Naja said. “We kind of unknowingly know a lot about each other and know the kind of things that we like and things that we don’t like. On the field it plays into that, we know a little bit about what each other’s next move is going to be. It helps a lot with the transitioning in the midfield.”
The chemistry the twins have now is different from when the pair first joined the team, characterized by sisterly arguments.
“I jut remember looking at them, and I’ve never had two girls or teammates that would fight and bicker like that, it kind of took me by surprise,” Conant said. “But as they’ve grown up and matured, it doesn’t happen anymore and it’s kind of funny. Sometimes they work really together and they have [chemistry] and sometimes they don’t.”
Imani, the more defensive of the two, was second on Ewing with 21 goals and 21 assists. Through her career at Ewing, Imani has 38 goals. Imani’s 21 goals are a career high, and 20 more than her freshman total of one.
“She has moved to our center position so she’s equally offensive and defensive,” Conant said. “She’s had a number of games where she’s had multiple goals so she’s come on strong this last season offensively.”
Naja finished this season with eight goals and nine points, bumping her career total to 25 goals. It was Naja’s return from a torn ACL tear that kept her out of her junior season. Naja rehabbed twice a week for six months before lowering her physical therapy sessions to once a week. She then began lacrosse drills in preparation for this season.
“She enjoys shooting and cutting and catching, but again Naja’s game has developed a little bit on the defensive end,” Conant said. “When the other team gets the ball she quickly goes for the double team or looks for the check.”
The twins also bring versatility, and Conant hasn’t hesitated listing Naja on defense, or Imani on the attack.
“Their confidence level definitely improved over the years [and] their skill level,” Conant said. “They not only play during the season, but they sought out different camps and clinics and teams to play on.”
Their leadership has also evolved, although Naja is more vocal than Imani, who leads through her play.
“I’ve enjoyed them immensely for the past four years,” Conant said. “They’re great girls, I really look forward to seeing them continue to do well at the collegiate level. It’s always nice to see somebody that you’ve coached for four years take it to the next level.”
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