Vanderbilt cager played while secretly pregnant; was 2nd-leading scorer

Jet, August 7, 1995

Na'Sheema Hillmon, a star women's basketball player at Vanderbilt University, recently played the 1994-95 season while she was pregnant and didn't tell her coach.

Hillmon, a talented freshman last season, said she didn't let anyone at school know she was pregnant because of fear she would have to stop playing.

She did receive a doctor's permission to keep playing but kept her condition under wraps at Vanderbilt.

"A couple of times, I wanted to tell (coach Jim Foster), but I was afraid they would make me stop playing," she told the Nashville Banner.

Despite her delicate condition, the standout forward went on to become the team's second-leading scorer and rebounder, helping the Lady Commodores to a 28-7 record.

This summer, however, Hillmon had to turn down an invitation to play at the U.S. Olympic Festival in late July because she was eight months pregnant.

Hillmon, 19, is at home in Cleveland, awaiting the birth of a son. She plans to return to school for her sophomore season. Her mother, Gail Hillmon, and other family members will care for the child while she concentrates on school and basketball.