The Grind, presented by Bank of Clarendon: Lee Central's Reames looks to guide Lady Stallions to championship success

Lee Central's Hannah Reames hungers for greatness.

The senior's motor doesn't really ever shut off. On Super Bowl Sunday, while most people were relaxing and preparing their menus for the big game, Hannah was hooping, bouncing from a practice at Lee Central to a tryout for AAU. She has a long list of goals to check off, starting with a state title, as she grinds to become the best version of herself.

"She doesn't stop," said Angie Taylor Reames, Hannah's mom. "I think it's because there's a lot of great people she's connected to. With Hannah's mindset, she wants to be better than them. It's not an arrogant thing; they've just passed her the baton, and she keeps running with it."

BORN TO COMPETE

Hannah grew up as the youngest of six children. Naturally, that breeds a certain level of drive.

"We used to play basketball outside almost every day after school, just go outside and he'd bully me," Hannah said of playing with her brother Kalen Pollard. "It made me better, though."

Hannah wanted to compete with everything she did. From an early age, she did beauty pageants and was a cheerleader, but eventually sports completely consumed her life. She was playing basketball with Kalen in the yard and playing volleyball and softball with her older sister, Shakaila Pollard. She would even throw down challenges against her dad, Antowine Reames.

"Hannah has always been competitive. I remember her being little and saying she can beat her dad, who is retired Army, in pushups," Angie said. "She just had to be tough because she had to prove to them in some kind of way that, even if she was the smallest, she was going to go out there and be competitive and she was going to win. Of course, there was a lot of trash talking."

She grew up playing Parks and Rec ball on a team full of boys. By the time she got to high school, she developed a level of toughness that helped her compete right away.

"It's the mental toughness," Hannah said of what she learned by playing so much with her older brother.

Lee Central head coach Patrice Holmes learned quickly that Hannah is the type of player a coach can build around.

"Her determination and her desire to learn stood out. And, of course, she could shoot the three," Patrice said. "With her athleticism, I hadn't had a player that could jump as high, get the rebounds, get the blocked shots.

"She is a three-level scorer. When we want to go small, she plays the four for us. She's like a utility knife. She has a nice mid-range; she can shoot the three. She does a lot of things for us, so that makes it hard to guard us."

Patrice wasn't surprised at the way Hannah quickly adjusted to varsity basketball. It's in their blood. Patrice was a legendary player during her time at Lee Central, leading the Lady Stallions to championship success while being named Miss Basketball in South Carolina twice. She went on to star at Middle Tennessee, where she eventually joined the school's athletic hall of fame in 2016. Antowine is Patrice's cousin, so she knew that Hannah could thrive, but she also didn't want her to feel like she had to follow in her footsteps.

"She comes in with high expectations (of herself). She wants to do great things, and sometimes we have to pull her aside because sometimes she'll force her shots and not let the game come to her," Patrice said. "I know she has expectations, but I just let her know that she doesn't have to be the next Patrice Holmes or Michael Holmes or My'Keriyah Holmes or anyone else in our family. She can be the best Hannah Reames and be an inspiration for the next ones to look up to her."

Hannah doesn't focus on the fact that her head coach is her cousin. She loves that fact that her head coach is an experienced hooper who is willing to share her knowledge.

"She goes hard on everybody. If she knows she can get more out of you, she's going to stay on top of you. It's really pushed me to be better," Hannah said. "(Knowing her experience) makes the trust stronger. It's really fun when you can trust your coach, that she knows what she's talking about."

RIDING THE ROLLER COASTER OF SUCCESS AND FAILURE

The Lee Central volleyball and basketball teams have been incredibly successful during the last two seasons. The volleyball team, which is anchored by Hannah's incredible leaping ability as a hitter and blocker, won their first region title in program history last season. The basketball team has been ranked highly in each of the last two seasons. They currently hold a 16-4 record and are undefeated in Region II-2A as they enter their final two regular season games. They won 19 games last season and 17 the year before that.

But all of those teams ran into a brick wall in the postseason. After winning their playoff opener comfortably last spring, they were smacked by Woodland in the second round of the SCHSL 2A playoffs. In her sophomore season, the Lady Stallions were region champions but were upset by Bishop England in the second round of the postseason.

Those losses were difficult to swallow, but Hannah learned some important lessons.

"Around the end of the game, it got hectic," Hannah said of the loss to Bishop England. "There are always a lot of emotions in a playoff game, but around the end, in the fourth quarter, it got hectic with a lot of emotions, and not everyone can take pressure the same as everybody else. We've really been focusing on mental toughness this year; that's our main focus with communication. Last year, it was a lot of communication. We got stuck and we all fell down, but this year is going to be better."

Patrice can see Hannah put those lessons to action this season, where she's averaging 8.8 points per game in a balanced Lee Central scoring lineup. Hannah's also averaging five rebounds, three steals and 1.9 assists per game on the season.

"She's learned about coming out to play every single minute, not letting up because it's one (loss) and you're done," Patrice said. "She's more determined, more focused to leave as a state champion."

LEADERSHIP

Hannah was always built to lead, but she didn't necessarily know how to put those abilities into action. As she's matured during the past four years, she's become an important voice for the Lady Stallions, especially as a positive motivator.

"Hannah's freshman year, we could barely get two words out of her," Patrice joked. "Just watching her mature and grow as a leader, being able to voice her opinion more. She speaks up more, makes sure the team stays encouraged. She's very good at that. When things are going wrong, she's always one of the leaders that's there to pick us up and have encouraging words."

Angie has seen that side of her daughter more and more with each passing day.

"Her dad and I are both leaders at our jobs, so we saw it," Angie said of Hannah's growth as a leader. "When she could come in and talk about something on the team and try to figure out the best way to navigate it, whether it was somebody needing feedback or encouraging them before a game, her just taking the initiative, I've seen a big difference. She's not afraid to have those hard conversations and still be able to be amongst the sisterhood."

For Hannah, that comforting side is second nature. She was happy to let last year's senior group, which had some excellent anchors like Annastasia Bradley and Mylasia Dennis, take center stage while she learned from her teammates. Now, she's happy to lead the charge.

"It wasn't tough because I always looked up to them, so I always saw what they were doing, the little stuff, and it makes you better as a leader when you pay attention to the small stuff," Hannah said. "I love being a leader. You get to take care of everybody; it's not all about control. I like knowing how everybody feels. Even if you're not a leader, you should check on your teammates, but I like that."

STALLION SISTERHOOD

That transition of leadership is made easier when everyone on the team moves in unison. The Lady Stallions spend a lot of time together. Most of the basketball team plays volleyball together in the fall. In the spring, many of them hit the diamond together in softball, though Hannah is making the move to track this year instead. Hannah has played with her six senior teammates since their middle school days, so they've been able to form a rare bond as multi-sport teammates through several years.

"The team bonding is strong," she said. "Everyone is just tight, so there's a lot of chemistry on the court, the field, the track. Everyone is connected, so it's just easy."

Angie feels like she has an entire team of daughters whenever she watches Hannah play. She is able to appreciate just how unique it is for a group to stay together for this long.

"I call all of them my babies; those are like Hannah's siblings," Angie said "What I love about it is they have this tremendous sisterhood on and off the court. It is a special bond. Some of them have been playing since middle school, so as a parent in the stands, when they come out of that locker room after a game, they always come up to speak to me as a parent. That says a lot because Hannah gets along with everybody.

"With her personality, you can put her in the room with anybody, and she can hold a conversation. She pretends to be shy; she's really not. I love the fact that these girls have grown together for so many years. I hope they'll have that closeness after high school."

That closeness carries over to the coaching staff. Patrice is the head coach for basketball but serves as an assistant for volleyball. The volleyball head coach, Jalissa Williams, is an assistant for basketball. Emily Nevels, the softball head coach, is an assistant for both teams on the court.

"I think it helps us on the communication part," Patrice said of working with the same group year-round. "I think this is probably one of the closest teams I've ever coached because they grew up together. It has been an easier transition this year because we don't have to coach as much. We're doing more teaching this year, making sure we're doing those little things, staying disciplined and executing.

"We're a big family, and we all have a common goal, and we want to work toward those goals."

Hannah is thankful to have those familiar faces year-round, too.

"A good player-coach relationship is always good in sports. It makes it easier," she said. "The connection is better, the energy is higher, it keeps everybody grounded. If you don't have a good relationship with your coach, you can't be on the team. That's how I feel."

LIFE AFTER LEE CENTRAL

Hannah's final basketball season is starting to wind down, which comes with a complex set of emotions.

"I wouldn't say it's sad," Hannah said. "When you think about it in the moment, it's going to be sad; it's your last year, you're going to miss your underclassmen, but I feel like the energy is high. There's a lot of happy emotions getting to play with each other one last time. We're going to make it the best that we can."

She wants to end her time with the Lady Stallions with a title, but she doesn't plan on their final game serving as her last time on the court. Hannah is deep in the recruiting process with a pair of offers from Denmark Tech and Columbia International. She has two main priorities. The first is finding a school where she can thrive in her major of choice, sports management.

"I really want to be a coach after playing college sports," Hannah said of her eventual career path. "I want to stay in the sport. I just love the atmosphere."

The other key is finding the right coach.

"The coaching style and the energy," Hannah said of her priorities. "I really need a good coach to keep me going. I like aggressiveness. I don't really like soft coaching. I don't think it really works."

Angie has been by Hannah's side throughout the process. She just wants to help her daughter find the perfect fit, a task that's easier said than done.

"If you could take one thing from each of the coaches we've talked to, I think that would be it," Angie said. "Every time we go visit, me and her dad have agreed she likes it. Those would be her words. We're trying to figure out what she loves. Every coach has something to offer and, of course, it's hard to find the perfect fit. We have been so grateful to go with her and be a part of it."

Hannah gets a lot of help from her two head coaches, Patrice at Lee Central and her AAU coach Shaquanda Miller-McCray, who also coaches at Crestwood. Both coaches have seen what it takes to thrive in college and have been more than willing to aid Hannah in the process.

"It's fun to see because I know she really wants to play at the next level," Patrice said. "I just give her any type of advice that I can from my playing days. I know it was a while ago and a lot has changed, but I make sure I stay up to date with all of the requirements that she may need to make sure things go smoothly."

No matter where she ends up, Hannah wants to continue to thrive in a sport that continues to get more attention on a national stage. Women's basketball has only grown in popularity throughout her time in high school. She drew inspiration from the Nike commercial that played during the Super Bowl, which featured stars like Caitlin Clark and former South Carolina standout and WNBA champion A'ja Wilson to name a few. The focus of the ad was about breaking through glass ceilings, ending with the line, "Whatever you do, you can't win. So win."

"I feel like it's a bigger opportunity because a lot more people are looking at women's basketball right now," Hannah said, "so it's a great opportunity to do what you want to do."