Theryn Hallock is a Forest Hills Central soccer and basketball legend. She won Gatorade Player of the Year in Michigan in her first year of playing varsity soccer for Forest Hills Central. She also committed to playing basketball for the Spartans at Michigan State University in 2022.
Coaches and other influential figures are a big part of an athlete’s career, and they can lead to great success. They can help you grow and learn as a player and find success at the next level.
“My new staff here at Michigan State has really changed my perspective,” Hallock said. “Just within a year of basketball, I have continued to grow with my two years left. But also, two others who have really influenced me are my dad and my AAU coach, Noelle Brown.”
There is a big jump between high school basketball and collegiate basketball. Around 400,000 girls play high school basketball, and around 28,300 girls play college basketball. It is very difficult to reach the next level, but Theryn succeeded. She set the Forest Hills Central girls’ basketball records for most points scored in a game with 50 and most points in a career with 1,589.
“The competition in college is far more difficult than in high school,” Hallock said. “I would say the speed of the game is quicker in college, as you are going against people just as good or better than you.”
Hallock was also very good at soccer. In just her first and only year of playing soccer at the high school level, she scored 35 goals and had 14 assists. She also won Michigan’s Gatorade Player of the Year. She led the Rangers to a 20-2-1 season and the Division 2 state championship. She was also a member of the 2022 Michigan High School Soccer Coaches Association Dream Team.
“Playing soccer my senior year was one of the best experiences of my athletic career,” Hallock said. “To be able to play with my best friends, and the sport I used to play all the time one more time before college, really made my experience better. I think it helped shape me to be a team player and to continue to use my speed in all ways.”
Basketball in college is a big jump from high school and is much more challenging. Hallock plays in the Big Ten for MSU. The Spartans faced Iowa, and the 2024 WNBA first-overall pick Caitlin Clark and second-round pick Kate Martin. It is hard to play against other Big Ten schools. It’s a college sport, and if you are a player, you have to dedicate a lot of your time to practicing and getting better.
“Basketball at the college level is honestly just work,” Hallock said. “It is a 10 out of 12-month sport with all the offseason, preseason, and in-season work. It is a fast-paced game that includes a lot of competition, and at the end of the day, championships mean a lot in college. That’s what we strive for.”
The Forest Hills Central basketball program is great. It has a great coaching staff and is just great all around. They shape and change players into better versions of themselves. Open gym, lifting, and strength and conditioning in the summer and before the season, all make you a better basketball player and athlete in general.
“I think Forest Hills Central basketball prepared me for college by showing me its overall team atmosphere and culture,” Hallock said. “I learned a lot from that. Along with that, having patience and confidence in high school coaches Kristina Prins and Kate Mason, and their husbands Jon Prins and Ty Mason played a huge role in getting me better and preparing me for college basketball. It’s cool too, because they also played in college themselves.”
Basketball is a great sport, and some people realize that they have what it takes to reach the college level, Theryn was one of those people.
“I think I realized when I started AAU in middle school or a little before that. I noticed my athletic ability and then I started training more and loved it.”
Memories are a great part of life. Thinking about great times or funny moments is the best. Athletic memories are great stories to tell and hold onto as well.
“My favorite athletic memory was winning the state championship and getting the accolades for soccer.”
Forest Hills Central is a great school, and it has many things to offer and enjoy. For example, you can participate in clubs, and sports, play in the band, and embrace many great traditions.
“The tradition and confidence FHC holds,” Hallock said. “Everything we did was a tradition, and the culture of FHC always kept the traditions alive, and I loved it.”
