It began while he was growing up in Arizona. Lillard was the middle child, with one brother three years older and another brother two years younger.
The trio would compete over anything they could, including sports.
“We all go at it all the time,” Lillard said. “They’re all good athletes too, so it’s fun to mess around with them.”
One of Lillard’s earliest competitions came in an unlikely activity. In elementary school, Lillard was ranked as the 94th best 10-year-old chess player in the country.
“My brothers and I did it,” Lillard said. “I just happened to have a knack for it. My parents said I took chess as a personal competition with the guy I was playing against.”
Lillard competed in both national and state tournaments throughout elementary school, along with his two brothers.
Lillard said he checked his last king before his first day of middle school, turning his focus toward athletics.
By the time Lillard enrolled in high school at Brophy College Preparatory, he was 6 feet 4 inches tall. His size, combined with his technical ability, earned Lillard a spot on the varsity team and a regular role as the team’s lone forward.
During Lillard’s freshman season, Brophy College Prep won its second-ever state title and ended the season ranked as the second-best team in the country.
Lillard also won Arizona state titles at the club level in 2009, 2010 and 2011 with the Scottsdale Soccer Club 96 Blackhawks.
However, that success in Arizona would come to an end when his father relocated to the greater Chicago area for his job.
Lillard was forced to find a new club team and earn a spot on his new high school team, something that can potentially prove difficult at that age.
It was his father’s relocation that found Lillard his next opportunity on the pitch, though. One of his father’s new business partners was Terry Shipp, the father of Harry Shipp, current Chicago Fire player and then-member of Notre Dame’s men’s soccer team.
Prior to playing at Notre Dame, Harry Shipp had played for the Chicago Fire youth academy, and his father still had connections within the academy.
Lillard earned a tryout with one of the top academy teams in the country.
He made the team as a central defender, eventually becoming the captain.
Lillard also joined the basketball team at Hinsdale Central High School.
He excelled defensively as a power forward, using a lot of the same skills he used playing soccer.
“There are a lot of similarities,” Lillard said. “It helped my aerial game a lot and defending one-on-one. There’s definitely some benefits I’ve gotten from basketball.”
Since arriving at IU, Lillard has made an immediate impact. The freshman has started every game this season, including two exhibition matches.
“It’s really nice to have that height at the back,” IU senior Patrick Doody said. “(Lillard) being a lefty works well with me. But in every facet, (Lillard) coming to the program has been an awesome fit.”
Doody also played for the Chicago Fire academy before playing at IU and assisted Lillard as he made his decision about where to attend college.
“We talked a little bit about it,” Doody said. “He was choosing from some big schools, but I’m happy he realized how great of a place this was and went with us.”
Lillard’s final two schools were North Carolina and IU. Both schools seemed like a good fit for Lillard given their respective strengths on the field and in the classroom. Lillard carried a 4.8 GPA on a 5.0 scale through high school.
“IU just felt right for me,” Lillard said. “I really liked the campus and everything about the coaches. The program and everything it’s done, it was just the best fit for me.”
