FSLM Student Profile for March 2025
/Meet Lily Armstrong
By Baylor McLelland
photo by shane darby
Humility is an essential quality for any basketball player. It allows them to recognize their strengths and areas for growth, both on and off the court. For Lily Armstrong, a ninth-grade basketball and track athlete at Albert J. Murphy Junior High in Genoa, humility is a core value that has fueled her journey from rookie to leader.
Lily began playing Pee Wee league basketball in Wake Village when she was 7 years old. “Basketball has her whole heart,” Lily’s mother, Mandy Armstrong, explained. “It’s funny because, when she started playing Pee Wee, no one thought she would stick with it. As a leftie, she was uncoordinated, and I thought maybe theater would be better suited for her. Let’s just say it wasn’t. She continued to work hard.”
“I want to be someone who’s known for what she’s done.”
Today, Lily is a starter for the ninth-grade Lady Dragons basketball team. “I went from playing against the same age group of girls to going up against older girls who might be better,” Lily explained. The move from being a rookie player to now being a key member of the Lady Dragons has been a stressful change, especially with more advanced players to compete against. However, her ambition for greatness pushed her to do more in this new leadership role.
“I went from being the one people looked down on to being the one people look up to,” Lily said. “It’s kind of just leading people now instead of being the one led.” As a ninth grader at Albert J. Murphy Junior High (which comprises seventh, eight, and ninth grades), Lily’s seniority makes her a mentor to younger players. Her focus with them is to make sure they feel comfortable with what they’re doing and to get rid of any doubt in their minds. Since stepping into this new leadership role, she’s formed real relationships with all of her teammates.
“Her best quality is how fiercely she wants her teammates and friends to achieve greatness,” Lily’s mother said. “No one cheers harder on the bench than her. When she’s not actively playing, you can usually find her on the bench chanting or doing some sort of clap-cheer for the other girls.”
photo by nt photography
Lily also works with her coach on Saturdays for the Pee Wee league, helping kids who started playing basketball the same way Lily did. “I kind of just make sure everything is in line and that they all know what they’re doing,” she explained.
Her dedication to serving younger kids extends beyond the court. Lily’s care for children can be seen in her community work with The CALL, a Christian organization that fosters local kids and brings support to foster parents. The Armstrongs themselves started fostering in 2019 but stopped in late 2021. However, they still continue to work with the organization, sorting clothes, shoes, and hygiene products. Lily said she would be open to fostering again whenever the chance arrives.
With all that she does, Lily holds on to her core beliefs throughout. On Sundays, you can regularly find Lily with her family at Legacy Baptist Church. “It makes me realize that when you’re playing, you’re playing for an audience of one,” Lily explained. “Instead of for my coach or for people in the stands, I’m playing for God.” Lily cherishes her faith in the church, at home, on the court, and at school, as an active member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
lily is a starter for the lady dragons. photo by TR Photography
Professional WNBA player (and Lily’s idol) Caitlin Clark said, “I don’t want my legacy to be, ‘Oh, Caitlin won X amount of games,’ or ‘Caitlin scored X amount of points.’ I hope it’s what I was able to do for the game of women’s basketball. I hope it is the young boys and young girls that are inspired to play this sport or dream to do whatever they want to do in their lives.”
Lily shares this goal. It drives her to work harder on the Lady Dragons and to take care of younger children. “I want to be someone who’s known for what she’s done,” Lily said. She wants to be remembered not by her stats as a basketball player but for what she’s done for the community.
Looking toward the future, she dreams of becoming an ultrasound technician, using her medical skills to help others, with a little basketball on the side. Lily Armstrong’s future is bright, fueled by her dedication, leadership, and commitment to others.