Ella Hobbs’ current Lego collection sitting on top of her bookshelf in her apartment. Credit: Courtesy of Ella Hobbs
After hours of sprints, film sessions and shot attempts, athletes need ways to decompress.
Some may turn to books, others to movies.
But redshirt freshman forward Ella Hobbs unwinds in another way.
Sitting on her apartment floor with a movie playing in the background, she pulls out one of the many Lego sets in her growing collection.
This time, it’s a $300 “Home Alone” house with 3,955 individual pieces.
In a season filled with demanding schedules and the constant pressure of college athletics, Hobbs turns to Lego-building on her off days and after hard practices to express her creativity and manage stress.
“It helps to calm my nerves if I get stressed or anxious,” Hobbs said. “It is my favorite leisure activity to do.”
Her interest was first piqued at age 16 after stumbling across a TikTok of the Lego Flower bouquets. Hobbs said she immediately got her own bouquet for display.
“I was just like, oh my gosh, I want those!” she said.
That first bouquet sparked a collection that now sits on top of her bookshelf, arranged by theme in her room.
The Marvel or Spider-Man sets get one area, while the Twilight series, next to the Cullen House model and the Harry Potter collection go on the bottom.
Hobbs said building Legos allows her to take a step back from reality and focus solely on relaxation.
“I like to turn on a movie or YouTube while building, so I can think about putting the pieces together,” Hobbs said. “It kind of just clears my mind.”
When she’s not building sets, Hobbs is a force on the court, averaging 9 points and 10 rebounds per game on the Ohio State women’s basketball team.
Although basketball and Lego building are very different, Hobbs said both require following instructions and having patience.
“It’s like following plays, I have to know exactly what I’m doing in order to really make an impact on the court,” Hobbs said.
Her hobby has rubbed off on other teammates on the Ohio State women’s basketball team, including sophomore center Elsa Lemmilä.
Lemmilä said she uses Legos to escape from basketball and bond with her teammates throughout the season.
“We’ll get together usually on an off day and watch a movie while building a set,” Lemmilä said. “The botanical Legos are especially aesthetically pleasing to look at after building.”
