Accomplishing all your goals is one thing. Having your dad share every special moment is another.
It’s been a whirlwind year for Paul VI High School senior Hannah Hidalgo, as she recently scored her 2,000th career point and continues to achieve accolades on the basketball court. And she doesn’t have to go very far to receive a congratulatory hug from her father, Orlando, who is in his second year of coaching the varsity girls team at the Haddonfield school.
Together, they are an unstoppable duo.
“He’s been my coach since I was younger,” Hidalgo said. “I know a lot of kids would hate for their parents to be coaching them. But for me, it was definitely a blessing.”
Since Orlando Hidalgo took over prior to the start of his daughter’s junior year, the Eagles have a combined record of 41-6 (through Feb. 6), and three of those losses came in high-level showcases against teams outside of New Jersey. Both Hidalgos describe themselves as ultra-competitive.
“We watch a lot of film on other teams, and Hannah is the type of player who just wants to win,” he said. “She bought in and she knew my previous experience of coaching boys teams.”
Orlando Hidalgo, who coached the boys program at Life Center Academy in Burlington County, also coached his sons’ teams in the past. He admits that coaching his daughter was a little different. “With the boys, I had a hard time because it can be tough as a dad and as a coach,” he said. “In her case, she saw me more as a coach, and she understood that everything we did was to help the team compete and play at a high level.”
After playing for her father in middle school, Hannah Hidalgo jumped onto the high school court in Fall 2019 and made an instant impact, scoring 431 points during her freshman year before tallying 303 during a pandemic-shortened 15-game sophomore campaign. Last year, with her dad calling the plays, she upped her production to 710 points, and she’s already surpassed 500 this year.
On Feb. 2., she eclipsed 2,000 career points — a feat only 32 high school female players in South Jersey have ever accomplished. And she was the first at Paul VI to do it. “I was a little nervous about it at first because I knew it was a lot of points that I had to get,” she said. “It was definitely a weight off my shoulders once I got it.”
Dad was right there with a big smile. He’s also been by her side for other big moments this year, which included committing to play at the University of Notre Dame and earning a spot in the McDonald’s All-American Game, scheduled for March 28 in Houston. Only 24 girls in the entire country receive that honor.
“I had these goals set when I was younger, and I was blessed,” Hidalgo said. “I worked hard to be able to check all these things off my bucket list. Now, the last thing is a state championship.”
It’s the only thing eluding the young superstar. Last year, the Eagles went 24-4 but lost to Saint John Vianney, Holmdel, in the Non-Public A South championship. Saint John Vianney would go on to win the Non-Public A state championship as well as the Tournament of Champions. They are currently undefeated this year and once again stand in the Eagles’ path.
“We’re a year older, and everyone has gotten better,” Hannah Hidalgo said. “We’ve come back and we’ve had that experience in the playoffs. We know what it takes to get there and what it takes to win.”
The Eagles have a deep and talented team with plenty of scoring options besides Hidalgo, including fellow senior Mikayla Young; juniors Eva Andrews, Brooke Barnes and Shariah Baynes; sophomore Azanah Campbell, and freshman Rachel Thatcher.
Win or lose in the playoffs, Hidalgo’s next destination is Indiana. She chose the Fighting Irish over other offers that included Central Florida, Duke, Michigan, Ohio State and Stanford. In addition to excellent coaching, she said she “wanted a family environment. It seemed like a place I could definitely fit in.”
It will also allow her to continue a Catholic education. “We are Christians, and our faith has a big part of it,” her father said. “We wanted to find a good school with good values but also had a great coaching staff. We wanted her to have a great education. Everything played a part in it [the decision].”
Hidalgo is undecided what she will study when she gets to Notre Dame, but if the past predicts the future, she’ll check off every accomplishment she sets out to achieve.
Her dad has seen it first-hand. “It’s like a dream come true,” he said. “Most parents just like to see their kids go to college. But when you see your daughter achieving so many goals and receiving so many accolades and opportunities, it’s truly a blessing.”
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