Athlete of the Week is Our Lady of Mercy’s Lauren Hammersley

Much has changed for Lauren Hammersley in the last 18 months.

Buried on the bench during her freshman and sophomore seasons on the Our Lady of Mercy girls basketball team, Hammersley entered last winter with an opportunity.

She made the most of it, averaging 20.2 points per game and knocking down 60 three-pointers.

Now, fast forward to Jan. 16 of last week. Hammersley’s free throw to complete a three-point play in a 63-55 loss to Sacred Heart was her 1,000th point, showcasing just how far she’d come in so little time.

“The past 18 months have really just been about me working hard to get where I am,” said the 5-7 senior, who is committed to Division II Assumption College. “It shows how much the hard work I’ve been putting in has paid off.”

Hammersley would often finish a team practice and go straight to her private trainer for more time in the gym. She worked relentlessly, completely altering her game between her sophomore and junior seasons.

During her first two years on varsity, a time in which she scored a combined 176 points, Hammersley was mostly a spot-up three-point shooter. Although shooting is still her strength, Hammersley can now capably get to the rim, shoot from midrange and create for herself off the dribble. Not to mention her above-average passing skills.

“My first two years, I just put my head down and hoped my time would come,” she said. “But it just hit me that this is what I love to do most. I went to the gym every day for like eight months.”

Hammersley comes from a basketball family and carries the family nickname: “The Hammer.”

Her aunt, Denise Hammersley-Andersen, a former OLMA star, was the first CHSAA player — including boys — to eclipse 2,000 points. Her father, John, played collegiately at Hobart College. Her grandfather, Bill, won an NIT championship in 1953 with Seton Hall.

“Her passion for the game is unbelievable,” first-year Mustangs coach Randy Todd said. “If she’s not with us in the gym, she’s working with her trainer or her family or watching somebody else play basketball.”

Our Lady of Mercy is 9-6 overall but 2-4 in CHSAA after close losses to St. John the Baptist and St. Mary’s, respectively. Hammersley is averaging 21.6 points per game, second in the league, and has made 44 three-pointers.

Much of her success comes from a passion that has become a lifestyle. Todd said Hammersley and her father will often watch game tape multiple times, hoping to catch even the smallest of details.

“I’ve never been around anyone in all my coaching who has as much passion as she does,” Todd said. “You can’t teach passion. You either have it or you don’t.”