THE FRONT ROW WITH BRUCE BOURQUIN: Friday, May 1, 2015

When he was a freshman attending Post Falls High, Lincoln Hill had to choose between playing tennis or golf.

He chose tennis and it has been a wise choice that has allowed the left-handed player to excel with a work ethic and a knack for helping his talented teammates become even better.

LINCOLN'S FAMILY moved to Post Falls from Spokane when he was in the second grade and a few years later, he discovered a way into causing a racket with his racquet.

"When I was in the fifth grade, we moved to a new house," Hill said. "My neighbor's (son) there belonged to the tennis club in Spokane. When I was in seventh grade, I figured what the heck, I'd give it a try. Even thought at first I didn't really know what I was doing. I learned how to play it for a few years, then in my freshman year there was tough competition to make the team."

Since making the team, Hill has played every match of his high school career as the Trojans' No. 1 singles player.

"There were a lot of good doubles players, so I played at No. 1 singles," Hill said. "It sparked me to get better."

HILL HAS been pretty consistent while playing for Post Falls. Two seasons ago, at the 5A Region 1 tournament he finished second, losing to Lewiston's Vince Hewett.

The next season as a junior, Hill beat Hewett at regionals, beat him again at state 7-6, 2-6, 7-6 en route to finishing 1-2 overall.

"He ended up facing Vince in the consolation round at state," Post Falls coach Kirk Hartzell said. "They had a three-set slugfest (Hewett won), it was one of the most emotionally and physically exhausting matches I've ever seen as a coach. I never saw a kid turn around and play another match after being so spent."

Hartzell said the physical maturation took a bit of time, but once Lincoln grew he was fine.

"It took him a while to get comfortable with his body," Hartzell said. "He was 6-foot-2, 150 pounds and rail thin. Once he was comfortable with his frame, he was fine. Being a lefty gives him a nice spin on the ball, it gives him a natural advantage."

Hartzell noticed Hill's leadership abilities right away, especially during the past two seasons.

"Our JV kids were playing Lake City (earlier this season)," Hartzell said. "He was coaching our JV kids; he truly wanted to look out for those kids. He naturally wants to make sure everyone is taken care of. He has to be patient in practice, he's wound pretty tight. Right now, he's a serve-and-volley player. This wasn't his favorite thing, being at the net. But he learned how to do that and he has a dominant, 110 mile-an-hour serve. He's the type of kid who will be the last person to leave a test (in class). He took an important test recently and was the last to leave, because he wanted to make sure he did everything right. He'll be in there in tennis, where he'll be the same thing, he'll spend at least four hours at the club in Spokane, working on his game. Having that kind of work ethic on our team is great."

Hill enjoys showing the younger Trojans the way.

"I like that I've been four years in this program," Hill said. "I saw our growth, I saw our kids grow. I saw JV players working hard, we're undefeated in league and it's exciting to be there. It's fun to see."

BRADY TOMMERUP is an assistant coach at Post Falls High and also happens to be Hill's doubles partner during occasional tournaments played the past few years during the summer.

In August, at the Spokane Clay Court Championships at the Spokane Racquet Club, Hill and Tommerup reached the final, before losing.

"Lincoln has fallen in love with the sport," Tommerup said. "During his freshman year, he caught the bug. He took it seriously and he put the work and the time in. He's played in USTA tournaments against players from Seattle, Portland, Medford (Ore.), around the Northwest. He's reached the second or third round in some of those tournaments."

Tommerup, who is also the vice president of the Coeur d'Alene Tennis Association, played at the University of Montana.

"It's nice to have a coach who played in Division I," Hill said. "It's nice to have that in your back pocket."

LINCOLN IS the youngest of three siblings. His older brother is none other than Connor Hill, the University of Idaho guard and the Vandals' all-time leader in 3-pointers made with 340. They have a sister, Savannah Hill, who played as an outside hitter in volleyball for 2012 state-runnerup Post Falls and is now attending Northern Arizona University. His father, Kirk Hill, played football and basketball for Moscow High, near where Kirk was born and raised. Sallie Hill is the mother of the three young athletes.

"He showed me the will to win," Lincoln said of Connor. "I learned you have to put in time, practice and countless hours. I saw through him what it takes to really work hard to be the best. We went to every home game; we're basketball junkies."

Lincoln has already decided he wants to focus on his studies in college. He wishes to attend Mesa Community College near Phoenix, Ariz., then after two years transfer to nearby Arizona State University in Tempe. His major is similar to Connor's in that he wants to major in business marketing, while Connor is a business major at Idaho.

"I like to golf, go hiking and go swimming," Lincoln said. "I had to make a decision and chose tennis. I like that you can move around and show athleticism. I don't want to waste my athletic ability. I think golf is more like a hobby. I respect it."

Hill's opponents have certainly come to respect him as well.

Bruce Bourquin is a sports writer at The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2013 or via e-mail at [email protected]