Macon, Georgia will soon be the home of another one of Sequoyah Schools’ best basketball players. Lindsey Hammer recently verbally committed to play college basketball for the Mercer Lady Bears. Hammer’s older sister, Lorin, a 2008 Sequoyah graduate and Gates Millennium Scholarship winner, already dawns a Mercer uniform as a guard for the Mercer women’s basketball team.   Next year, her younger sister will follow in her footsteps. 

            “They (Mercer) have a really good medical program, I can play basketball and my sister goes there,” Lindsey Hammer said. 

            Hammer would like to become a surgeon after graduation and basketball may help her make that dream a reality. Officials at Mercer University have assured her that they will be providing her with a basketball scholarship, if she needs it. Hammer is hoping to earn enough academic scholarship dollars to be able to pay for her college, but is glad to have the basketball scholarship to fall back on. She is currently ranked in number one spot in her graduating class with a 4.16 grade point average and is actively seeking academic scholarships. With all of the book knowledge that Hammer has gained at Sequoyah, she will also take with her a few life lessons that may help her along the way.

            “I’ve learned a lot, not just about basketball, but other things,” Hammer said. “You just have to give it your all and hope for the best.” 

            Hammer was a freshman member of the school’s third consecutive state championship team and went on to lead the team in three-point shots her sophomore year. For her junior year, she averaged 16.3 points per game, 8.1 rebounds, 4.7 steals and 2.6 assists. At the current pace, she is expected to score more than 1500 points in her high school career.

            “Lindsay is the most coachable player I have ever had,” said Bill Nobles, Sequoyah girls’ basketball coach. “Her work ethic is matched only by one other player I have coached, her sister Lorin.” 

            Hammer will sign her official letter of intent to play basketball at Mercer University at a special signing event and reception on Wednesday, November 11 at 10 a.m. in the lower level of The Place Where They Play. Hammer is the fourth athlete from Sequoyah to receive an athletic scholarship to a NCAA Division 1 college. She is the daughter of Shelia Nelson and Dewayne Hammer from Peavine and is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. 

            The Sequoyah Schools’ varsity basketball teams will open their season on December 5 at Riverside Indian School in Anadarko. The first home game will be on December 15 against Keys at The Place Where They Play. Tipoff time is 6:30 p.m. For more information on the Sequoyah Schools’ girls’ basketball team contact Nobles at (918) 453-5400 or by email at bill-nobles@cherokee.org.