Lauren Hill done playing, to become MSJ honorary coach

Lauren Hill's playing career at Mount St. Joseph University is complete, her family wrote in a Facebook post, but she will remain an honorary coach for the team, according to an email from head coach Dan Benjamin.

Benjamin's email:

On behalf of Lauren Hill, her family, Mount St. Joseph University and our Women's basketball program we would like to thank the NCAA for everything they have done in granting and making Lauren's dream of playing college basketball come true!

At this time it is Lauren's wish to remain on as a Honorary Coach!

We would like to thank the public for all their continued support for Lauren and her goal to reach $1 million dollars by December 31st.

Donations can be made to The Cure Starts Now.

Paul Daugherty wrote earlier this week that Lauren "has engaged us like no one else."

Hill has been honored by several local teams and schools during her courageous battle with DIPG. Last month, her alma mater of Lawrenceburg High School retired her No. 22 jersey.

The jersey retirement was a surprise to the MSJ freshman, who said she thought she was just coming to watch her former team play.

"All this has been amazing and the continued support from everybody, and all the other teams, and the community," Hill said as she addressed the crowd at the high school. "There's really good people out there I've learned, and I'm speechless."

"She just wants everybody to hear this message that she's trying to share, and I can't think of a better person to be leading that charge," Lawrenceburg High School girls' basketball coach Zane White said.

A banner with Hill's No. 22 jersey was unveiled during a halftime ceremony. Lawrenceburg's mayor declared there would be a Lauren Hill Week in the city.

In November, Hill scored a layup against Bethany College in a game at Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio, near Cleveland.

The Associated Press had reported just days earlier that it was unlikely that Hill would play in another game.

Three weeks ago, Hill thanked an audience at Mount St. Joseph for supporting her, as a check for $58,776 was presented to The Cure Starts Now Foundation for her first college basketball game earlier this month, in which she scored a pair of baskets and raised money and awareness for DIPG.

Officials from Xavier University and MSJ were on hand for the presentation, and confirmed that the total raised in Hill's honor is more than $324,000. The funds go to the International DIPG Registry at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

"I just want to thank everybody for supporting and still supporting - even though the game was two weeks ago," Hill said as she addressed the crowd. "I'm just still in shock. It's kind of like walking through a dream ... a good dream."

The UC women's basketball team honored Lauren Hill on Nov. 7 during its exhibition game at Fifth Third Arena.

Lauren Hill threw a party at Xavier on Nov. 2, wrote Paul Daugherty. The rest of us got the gifts.

PHOTOS: College basketball player Lauren Hill

David Clark writes for The Cincinnati Enquirer, a Gannett paper.