Mother McAuley's Grace Hynes is the 2018-19 Daily Southtown Girls Basketball Player of the Year
By Tony Baranek
| Daily Southtown |
With her red hair flying in the air, Grace Hynes (15) celebrates Mother McAuley's win in the state semifinals against Benet on Friday, March 1, 2019. (Brian O'Mahoney / Daily Southtown)
Mother McAuley's Grace Hynes will always be remembered for her toughness, her clutch ability and her leadership during her four years on the varsity.
But that's not the only way the University of Chicago recruit will be remembered. It will always remain in the pictures.
The flying red hair.
"Ha-ha, there have been some good action shots of me over the years that made me laugh," Hynes said. "My hair has definitely been my signature style since I've been at McAuley. It's something that's been fun.
"I'm superstitious, too. I can't put it up. Once I started wearing it down, there was no going back. And honestly, with my hair whipping around, maybe it distracted (opponents) and gave me a little edge."
The 2018-19 Daily Southtown Girls Basketball Player of the Year stayed full-speed ahead in every other sense during the best season for McAuley's program in two decades.
A 5-foot-9 senior guard/forward, Hynes averaged 13.7 points and 7.1 rebounds as the Mighty Macs (34-3) finished second in Class 4A.
She was the spiritual leader on a team that made up for a lack of height with a ton of heart and tenacity.
Grace Hynes hugs Mother McAuley coach Ashley Luke Clanton following the Class 4A state championship game against Maine West on March 2, 2019. (Brian O'Mahoney / Daily Southtown)
"I received a lot of feedback regarding the effect our kids had on people because of the way they played," McAuley coach Ashley Luke Clanton said. "People commented on how hard they played and how they carried themselves.
"Grace was the head of that for us. She has been our everything for the past four years. She's a neat kid — a kid we're going to miss."
Hynes and junior guard Jenna Badali were a 1-2 scoring punch for the Mighty Macs. Both were relentless in attacking the basket and also shooting from beyond the 3-point arc.
In a stunning 66-48 supersectional win over Rock Island, they combined for 54 points, including nine 3-pointers. Hynes' work under the basket on defense also stood out. She had eight rebounds, despite giving away four inches in height to Rock Island star Brea Beal.
Hynes truly showed her mettle in the state semifinal game against Benet, ripping down a whopping 15 rebounds in a 48-38 victory.
"Grace is one of the toughest kids I've ever played with," Badali said earlier in the season. "She always goes 110 percent and is always pushing her teammates to be their best. It really shows."
It really has, right from the start.
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"When I came in as a freshman I looked up to a lot of the players who were older than me like Tara O'Malley," Hynes said. "We played against people who were so talented, going to big schools. Just looking up to them I was felt like, 'I want to be there one day.'"
She had company in that regard.
"When I started out, we were pretty young," Hynes said. "We had eight underclassmen my freshman year. So being so young, we were thrust into the leadership role early. It's something I've been able to develop at McAuley.
"Achieving high goals is something I'm really proud of, but I couldn't have done it without coach Clanton and my teammates."
During Hynes' four seasons on the varsity, McAuley posted a 99-33 record.
"It's been a really amazing and fast four years," Hynes said. "I was lucky to play with such special people. It was pretty special this year to go to state for the first time in over 20 years.
"To be able to accomplish that … I feel so lucky to have been a part of it."