What Lemyah Hylton’s commitment means for the University of Arizona
LONDON, Ontario — Southwest Academy is one of the fastest-growing prep basketball programs in the nation, with the Academy rapidly expanding by the day. Despite the sheer number of NCAA prospects flowing out of the boy’s side, such as Ethan Butler, Kobe Elvis and Malachi Ndur, it appears that the girls team now has bragging rights with a new face of the program set to take over at the next level: Lemyah Hylton.
Hylton is undoubtedly one of the most gifted players to come out of Southwest Academy and southern Ontario as a whole. The Class of 2022 standout was born and raised in nearby Mississauga before relocating from her hometown to train at the London-based Academy where she has been able to evolve her game progressively. As a junior, she was considered to be the top recruit in all of Canada.
In fact, even Southwest Academy’s president and co-founder, Rob Angione, has spoken in great detail about Hylton’s bright future, and his time helping to develop her at the Academy.
“She is the most gifted player I’ve had the privilege of coaching,” Angione said, who now coaches Southwest Academy’s girls team. “I’ve never seen anyone like her in my life. She will be a pro and she’s not the only one here with that level of talent.”
Even though the boy’s side has garnered much praise for the incredible number of Division I athletes they’ve generated in the last few years, it’s no secret that the girl’s side has seen its fair share of success as well, including London-native Haley Stinebrickner, who committed to Duquesne University a year ago. As well as Strathroy, Ontario’s Miranda Vanderwal, who recently decided to take her talents stateside to lock up a spot at the University of North Dakota.
Regardless of the astounding level of talent emanating out of London, it feels like there’s perhaps nobody more prepared for Division I action than Hylton.
“For the first time, I had the opportunity to watch Lamyah Hylton play, and she is a sure fire High Major prospect!” wrote an LBI insider following an event in Michigan in 2019. “A strong hybrid guard with athleticism! The way she rises up over the rim while she attacks the basket is a delight. She is such a strong slasher and can hit the deep ball… not to mention she’s only a sophomore which made her performance on Sunday even scarier! She rebounds with a purpose and has a body type that will translate on each level she plays at.”
As a sophomore in the 2019-20 regular season for Southwest Academy, Lemyah averaged 17.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Doing so much as to be named a second team All-Star by the Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association (OSBA) for that year.
Following her impressive outing in 2019 and the team’s appearance at the University of Michigan Team Shootout that June, the Arizona Wildcats officially reached out and made an offer for Hylton to acquire her talents. It wasn’t until October of 2021 when the Canadian combo guard officially committed to the Wildcats, picking Arizona over other high-level NCAA programs such as Alabama, Maryland, Michigan and North Carolina.
Offensively, Hylton is one of the most talented young players to come out of Canada in recent years. She has undeniable speed with the ball and an attack-driven mindset that helps to set her apart from other players in her class. Not to mention her ability to fit the ball into tight spaces and deliver passes in the half court or transition to help set her teammates up for easy scoring positions.
Even though she shines in the open court, creating havoc for opposing defenses, her ability to shoot the three-point shot is one area she has vastly improved on. As well as her on-ball defense, which has helped turn her into one of the best all-around talents in the nation.
Overall, she carries more potential than the majority of her counterparts, and landing in Tucson, Arizona, may be the best way for her to take her game to the next level. Regardless of where she ends up down the line, she has done more than enough to represent the London-based program and seems well on her way to dominating college hoops when the time comes.
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