FILE PHOTO
Lila Nieves might be nearing the end of her career at Lynn Tech, but she hopes her passion for the game will be carried on by her teammates.
By JUSTIN BARRASSO
LYNN – Lynn Tech’s eight-point lead over Presentation of Mary last Wednesday had evaporated. The Tigers quickly found themselves trailing by three with six minutes to play, but Tech coach Kaitlyn Wechsler never panicked. Wechsler’s confidence stemmed from the fact that her senior point guard, Lila Nieves, was on the floor.
“Lila is our general,” said Wechsler. “She gives everything she has every time she steps on the court. She’s our best basketball mind, our heart, and our fire.”
Nieves spent the rest of the game diving for loose balls, poking the ball away on defense, and knocking down clutch shots as Tech earned a hard-fought, 45-41 victory on the road.
“Coach wanted more and expected more from me, so I had to lead on the court,” said Nieves. “She’s taught me never to quit. When you quit, your heart isn’t in the game. Quitting is giving up on yourself, so you need to use that motivation you had to quit instead to keep going.”
The 18-year-old Nieves, who earned a spot on the Commonwealth Athletic League All Star team as a junior and won Tech’s Most Valuable Player, also works every other week at Stoneham Ford Motor Collision through Tech’s co-op program.
“I sand trucks and prep them up for paint,” said Nieves. “I really like working with my hands. When I was little, I didn’t play dolls. I played with dirt. I always wanted to explore or fix my bike.”
Nieves is often without a ride after work, so she sometimes is forced to pay for a taxi from Stoneham to return in time for practice.
“I always find a way to get to basketball,” she said. “Basketball is my life.”
Wechsler is grateful that her captain makes so many sacrifices to not only arrive at practice, but also be the hardest working player on the floor.
“She doesn’t have an easy life, and I know that, but she’s always here giving 100 percent,” said Wechsler. “She always comes to basketball and leaves it all on the court.”
Nieves grew up playing sports with her older brother, former Lynn English football player Alex Mendez.
“My brother was the one who got me into sports,” said Nieves. “He’s ten years older than me and I always looked up to him – I always wanted to do what he did. He taught me all the games in our background. I look up to him a lot, still to this day.”
Annmarie Teixeira first connected with Nieves at Thurgood Marshall Middle School five years ago. More than just teammates, the two have been best friends for the past five years.
“We just clicked right away through basketball,” said Teixeira, who is a junior at Tech. “She is the best person I have ever played with. She has such a good heart, and she’s our spark. Her energy is contagious.
“Lila is passionate about everything she does. If she wants to do something, she’ll find a way to do it and she’ll do it the right way. I’m really going to miss always having her here.”
While Nieves does not have any siblings her own age, she found a group of sisters on her basketball team.
“I love Lila,” said Tech junior Malvelis Hernandez. “She’s never tired on the court. Her energy gets to me and makes me want to play even harder. During games, if Lila’s talking to us, we listen. She knows what she’s talking about, so I know she’s probably right.”
Nieves is grateful for her teammates and coach.
“I don’t really have a lot of family,” said Nieves. “This team is my family. I’ll really miss my teammates and my coach. I can talk to Annmarie because she’s my best friend, and I know Coach [Wechsler] is always there for me.”
Nieves’ numbers have improved each year during her four varsity seasons – she is currently averaging seven points and five assists – but her impact goes far beyond the stat sheet.
“You can’t replace her,” said Wechsler. “She’s our point guard, our leader, captain, and role model.”
With only four games remaining, Nieves is slowly coming to terms that this is her final week wearing the red, white, and blue for Tech.
“I don’t want it to be over,” she said. “I’ll miss working with my teammates and helping them get better. I definitely want to win some more games, but I really want us to hard work and finish the right way.”
Nieves, who is giving serious consideration to joining the United States Marine Corps after she graduates high school, will leave behind a legacy of hard work, dedication, and perseverance.
“On the court, I have a responsibility to be a leader and I stick with it,” said Nieves. “I’m going to leave my heart out there. I’m going to leave my love of the game to my team, and they better take it.”
Justin Barrasso can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso