Ruth Hamblin is used to attracting attention wherever she goes.
"People say, 'Oh, there's Ruth,' and it's like, 'I have no idea who you are,'" says the six-foot-six basketball and volleyball player from Houston Christian in Houston, B.C. "I used to be insecure with it, but now looking down on people and talking to people who look up to me and talk to me is [normal]. They respect me and love me for who I am. It's just the way God made me."
The 17-year-old will try to lead the Wildcats to a single-A provincial high school basketball title in March in Prince George, but she already has her future sewn up.
In November, Hamblin signed a letter of intent with the NCAA Division I Oregon State University Beavers to play basketball while getting an education in engineering.
"It's a developing team and the coaching staff is excellent," says Hamblin about the 10-3 Beavers. "I really think they'll building a [team] that's going to be great. It's very much a place where you can get better personally and have a great team chemistry."
Hamblin success comes as no surprise to Wendall Ewald, her basketball coach in Houston, who knew he needed her on his team when he began coaching the Wildcats four years ago.
"When she was that tall in Grade 9 we just knew that she needed to play basketball," says Ewald. "We brought her along and tried to get her on the court as much as possible, get her practice time and she's so dedicated herself that she did a lot of personal improvement on her own."
One thing Hamblin does to improve is pull herself out of bed every morning so she can get a couple of hours in at the gym before school. Her parents, Lance and Shirley, take turns accompanying their youngest daughter to the gym.
"She's such a coachable girl, that if you say these are the things to work on, she goes out and does those things for hours to get herself better," says Ewald. "It was nice to see her coordination grow into her size. Now you see what she's become and it's a beautiful thing."
FARM GIRL
Basketball has opened up a a new world for the Hamblins, who run a farm in Houston.
"I was not a part of the basketball world and it's not really [my parents'] world, but it's been about adjusting and finding things out," says Hamblin. "We do lots of research and watch videos on the Internet and you get help from coaches."
It was Loralyn Murdoch, head coach of the University of Northern British Columbia Timberwolves women's team, that started the Hamblins on the path, which led to their daughter to Oregon State.
Murdoch helped the Hamblins get involved with the provincial basketball in British Columbia.
"We didn't know about that program," says Hamblin. "She got us hooked up and everything flowed from there."
Last summer, Hamblin helped the Team B.C. under-17 team win silver at the Canadian nationals in Winnipeg.
Her immediate future may lay on the hard court, but Hamblin's first love was born from growing up on the farm and through years of involvement with 4H.
"I love horses," she says. "I'm into natural horsemanship, which is doing things with the horse first in mind. I just love being with horses and nature. I love playing with my horses and riding. I just want to be the best that I can be with my horses."
For Hamblin, working with her horse Griffin has helped her basketball career because it's forced the left-handed teen to use her right hand more, helping with balance and diversifying her hoops game.
"When I go to shoot with my right hand there's that finesse there because I'm used to it," says Hamblin. "I brush my teeth with my right hand sometimes to just balance myself out."
MANY HONOURS
In addition to morning workouts and basketball games, Hamblin manages to balance her studies, maintaining a 4.0 average and volleyball where she helped the Wildcats to a fifth-place finish at the single-A provincial championship held in Prince George in November.
"It's definitely a juggle," says Hamblin. "I've been trying to do a lot more weight lifting this year just so I can be stronger to compete with university level [athletes]."
When she joins the Beavers Hamblin will no longer tower over her all of her teammates, or coach Ewald who stands at six-foot-three, since Oregon State has a six-foot-seven centre from Brazil, Thais Pinto, who will be in her senior year.
"It'll be good to practice with her," says Hamblin. "She'll force me to become better and that's what it's about."
Ewald, who coached the Wildcats to gold at the Cedars Christian Eagles' tournament in mid-December, says it's nice to see his shy, yet personable, player succeed.
"Her personality is such a blessing," says Ewald. "She's a sweet girl and easy to work with."
Hamblin put up 22 points and 13 rebounds in the final of the Cedars tournament, despite missing a considerable about of team icing her ankle in the Wildcats 73-39 win over Nechako Valley.
The coach, and most 3,000-plus residents of Houston, are rooting for Hamblin to fulfill her dreams.
"It's great to see where she can go," says Ewald. "That somebody from our little town and our little school can go on to those kind of heights."
