Bob Hill

Last updated
Bob Hill
Bob Hill.jpg
Bob Hill with Robert Swift during his tenure with the Tokyo Apache
Personal information
Born (1948-11-24) November 24, 1948 (age 75)
Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school Worthington (Worthington, Ohio)
College Bowling Green (1968–1971)
Coaching career1975–2016
Career history
As coach:
1975–1978 Pittsburgh (assistant)
1979–1985 Kansas (assistant)
1985–1987 New York Knicks (assistant)
1986–1987New York Knicks
1988–1989 Virtus Bologna
1989–1990 Indiana Pacers (assistant)
1990–1993 Indiana Pacers
1993–1994 Orlando Magic (assistant)
1994–1996 San Antonio Spurs
1999–2003 Fordham
2005–2007 Seattle SuperSonics
2011 Tokyo Apache
2016 Phoenix Suns (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
As Head Coach:

As assistant coach:

Robert W. Hill [1] (born November 24, 1948) [1] is an American basketball coach. Hill grew up in Mount Sterling, Ohio, moving to Worthington, Ohio, for high school.[ citation needed ] Hill attended Bowling Green State University.

Contents

Career

College

Hill played basketball and baseball collegiately at Bowling Green State University and was also a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. He attended the school during a time when college players were not eligible to join the varsity squad until their sophomore seasons; although statistics indicated he showed tremendous promise as a member of the freshman team, his success never really translated over to his tenure as a member of the varsity team. [1] He then became interested in coaching.

Early coaching career

Hill was an assistant on Tim Grgurich's coaching staff at the University of Pittsburgh for three seasons from 1975 to 1978. [2] He was appointed to a similar capacity at the University of Kansas by Ted Owens in 1979 and stayed for six years until 1985, the last two with Larry Brown. [3] [ citation needed ]

As NBA coach

As an assistant

Hill was an assistant with Hubie Brown and the New York Knicks for the 1985–86 season. The following season, Brown was fired after a 4–12 start and Hill became Head Coach on December 1, 1986. [4] He would finish out that season with the Knicks and then became an assistant for the Pacers under Dick Versace in 1989.

Indiana Pacers

On December 20, 1990, Hill was promoted to head coach of the Pacers after Versace's firing. [5] He spent three seasons as the Indiana Pacers' head coach (1990–93). He led the Pacers to the NBA playoffs.

San Antonio Spurs

After being fired by the Pacers and being an assistant coach for the Orlando Magic for a season, Hill piloted the San Antonio Spurs to an NBA-best 62 wins in 1994–95 before losing to the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference finals. After a 3–15 start to the 1996–97 season, Hill was fired by one of his bosses, Gregg Popovich, who thereafter replaced Hill as the Spurs coach. Hill's firing at the time was puzzling to some and deeply angered Hill, considering his previous success and the fact that the poor start to the season was due in large part to injuries to David Robinson and Sean Elliott, the team's two best players. [6] [7] Under Popovich, the Spurs proceeded to win five NBA titles in the next two decades.

At Fordham University

Between 1999 and 2003, Hill was head coach at Fordham University where he compiled a 36–78 record (31.6% winning %). He was let go by the Rams following the 2002–03 season after only 1 win in the Atlantic 10. The Rams finished 2–26 in 2003, the worst record in school history. Fordham paid Hill $650,000 to leave the university in a buyout agreement four years into his 10-year deal. [8]

Hill took responsibility for his rocky four-year tenure at Fordham. "Fordham was my fault; I just shouldn't have done it," Hill told the New York Daily News . "I don't want to get into why," he added, "just blame it on me." [9] "I guess the best way to put it (is), I've had a really privileged career," Hill said, "I've been around a lot of great organizations; I've had a lot of great players. I've always had success to some degree, so I feel like I understand what it takes to do that and it just didn't work." Asked to recount some of the missteps he made during his tenure at Fordham, Hill said that he made a mistake before the 2002–03 season in trying to bring in playground players such as Adrian Walton and Smush Parker. "We tried to bring the Rucker League to Fordham and it didn't work out," Hill said. Hill added he didn't have any regrets about his time in the Bronx. "It's a good school, good people, the whole thing, but I made a mistake," Hill said. "I don't really regret it," he added. "I've learned so much about what those young guys go through to try to be successful. It's hard for them."

Return to NBA

Seattle SuperSonics

On January 3, 2006, Hill replaced Bob Weiss as head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics, after a lackluster 13–17 start to the 2005–06 season; he had most recently served as assistant coach for the team. He was fired over the phone as Sonics head coach on April 24, 2007,[ citation needed ] after their penultimate season in Seattle, after which they became the Oklahoma City Thunder.

He holds a career win–loss NBA coaching record of 310–293.

Phoenix Suns

On February 1, 2016, it was announced that Hill would be the Phoenix Suns' newest assistant head coach for the rest of the 2015–16 season [ citation needed ] after it was announced that the Suns would fire Jeff Hornacek as their head coach and replace him for the season with his former player under the Seattle SuperSonics, Earl Watson. After his contract for 2016 expired, it was announced that the contracts for both Hill and Corey Gaines would not be renewed with the team.[ citation needed ]

International experience

During the summer of 2011, Hill was invited by Nike to help the Taiwan men's basketball team as a consultant. He also has coached the Tokyo Apache of the Japanese bj league. Most recently, Hill was the assistant coach of the Ukrainian national team at the 2014 FIBA World Cup and the 2015 Euroleague. [10]

Personal life

Hill has three sons with his wife Pam. The oldest, Cameron, is currently the head women's basketball coach at Trinity University in San Antonio and is the owner of CHB, specializing in player development and team training. His second son, Chris, is the head basketball coach at Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas, and his youngest, Casey, is an assistant for the NBA's New Orleans Pelicans.

Head coaching record

Legend
Regular seasonGGames coachedWGames wonLGames lostW–L %Win–loss %
PlayoffsPGPlayoff gamesPWPlayoff winsPLPlayoff lossesPW–L %Playoff win–loss %
TeamYearGWLW–L%FinishPGPWPLPW–L%Result
New York 1986–87 662046.3034th in Atlantic————Missed Playoffs
Indiana 1990–91 573225.5615th in Central523.400Lost in First Round
Indiana 1991–92 824042.4884th in Central303.000Lost in First Round
Indiana 1992–93 824141.5005th in Central413.250Lost in First Round
San Antonio 1994–95 826220.7561st in Midwest1596.600Lost in Conf. Finals
San Antonio 1995–96 825923.7201st in Midwest1055.500Lost in Conf. Semifinals
San Antonio 1996–97 18315.167(fired)—————
Seattle 2005–06 522230.4233rd in Northwest————Missed Playoffs
Seattle 2006–07 823151.3785th in Northwest————Missed Playoffs
Career603310293.514371720.459

Books

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Westphal</span> American basketball player and coach (1950–2021)

Paul Douglas Westphal was an American basketball player and coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Cartwright</span> American basketball player and coach

James William Cartwright is an American former professional basketball player and a former head coach of the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A 7'1" center, he played 16 seasons for the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls and Seattle SuperSonics, helping the Bulls capture consecutive championships in the 1991, 1992 and 1993 seasons. He attended Elk Grove High School in Elk Grove, California, and played college basketball at the University of San Francisco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lenny Wilkens</span> American basketball player and coach

Leonard Randolph Wilkens is an American former basketball player and coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been inducted three times into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, first in 1989 as a player, as a coach in 1998, and in 2010 as part of the 1992 United States Olympic "Dream Team" for which he was an assistant coach. In 1996, Wilkens was named to the NBA 50th Anniversary Team, and in 2021 he was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. In addition, in 2022 he was also named to the list of the 15 Greatest Coaches in NBA History, being the only person to be in both NBA 75th season celebration list as player and coach. He is also a 2006 inductee into the College Basketball Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Nelson</span> American NBA player and head coach

Donald Arvid Nelson is an American former professional basketball player and head coach. Nelson is second all-time in regular season wins of any coach in NBA history, with 1,335. He coached the Milwaukee Bucks, the New York Knicks, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Golden State Warriors. After an All-American career at the University of Iowa, Nelson won five NBA championships playing with the Boston Celtics, with his number 19 retired by the franchise in 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terry Porter</span> American basketball player and coach

Terry Porter is an American former college basketball coach and former player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was most recently the head men's basketball coach at the University of Portland. A native of Wisconsin, he played college basketball at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point before being drafted 24th by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1985 NBA draft. In Portland, he played ten seasons with two All-Star Game appearances. Porter spent 17 years in the NBA as a player. Following his retirement as a player in 2002, he began coaching in the league. Porter has twice been a head coach, first with his hometown Milwaukee Bucks and then with the Phoenix Suns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Karl</span> American basketball coach and player (born 1951)

George Matthew Karl is an American former professional basketball coach and player. After spending five years as a player for the San Antonio Spurs, he became an assistant with the team before being appointed as a head coach in 1980 with the Montana Golden Nuggets of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). Three years later, Karl became one of the youngest National Basketball Association (NBA) head coaches in history when he was named coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers at age 33. By the time his coaching career came to an end in 2016, Karl coached nine different teams in three different leagues, which included being named Coach of the Year three combined times with one championship roster in the FIBA Saporta Cup. He is one of nine coaches in NBA history to have won 1,000 NBA games and was named NBA Coach of the Year for the 2012–13 season. While he never won an NBA championship, Karl made the postseason 22 times with five different teams, which included a trip to the 1996 NBA Finals with the Seattle SuperSonics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">P. J. Carlesimo</span> American basketball coach

Peter John Carlesimo is an American basketball coach who coached in both the National Basketball Association (NBA) and college basketball for nearly 40 years. He is also a television broadcaster and has worked with ESPN, The NBA on TNT, Westwood One, Fox Sports Southwest, Pac-12 Network, The NBA on NBC, and CSN New England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gregg Popovich</span> American basketball coach (born 1949)

Gregg Charles Popovich is an American professional basketball coach and executive who is the president and head coach for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Popovich has been a member of the Spurs organization since 1994, as president of basketball operations and general manager before taking over as coach of the Spurs in 1996. Popovich is the longest tenured active coach in the NBA as well as all other major sports leagues in the United States. Nicknamed "Coach Pop", Popovich has the most wins of any coach in NBA history, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest coaches in NBA history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nate McMillan</span> American NBA basketball coach and former player

Nathaniel McMillan is an American basketball coach and former player who serves as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He coached the Seattle SuperSonics from 2000 to 2005, the Portland Trail Blazers from 2005 to 2012, and the Indiana Pacers from 2016 to 2020. Nate served as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks in 2021, before becoming the head coach from 2021 to 2023. He spent his entire 12-year NBA playing career with the SuperSonics, then served as an assistant coach for one-and-a-half years and as head coach for almost five years. His long tenure as a player and coach in Seattle earned him the nickname "Mr. Sonic".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Van Gundy</span> American basketball coach and commentator

Jeffrey William Van Gundy is an American basketball coach and former commentator who is currently the top assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers. He served as head coach of the New York Knicks and the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). During his tenure on the Knicks, he led the team to the 1999 NBA Finals, where they ultimately lost to the San Antonio Spurs. Van Gundy won an NBA championship in 2024 with the Boston Celtics where he served as a senior consultant in the front office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck Person</span> American basketball player (born 1964)

Chuck Connors Person is an American former basketball player and coach. Person played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and was the 1987 NBA Rookie of the Year. Person played college basketball at Auburn University and was selected fourth overall in the 1986 NBA draft by the Indiana Pacers, for whom he played six seasons. He also played for the Minnesota Timberwolves, San Antonio Spurs, Charlotte Hornets and Seattle SuperSonics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Weiss</span> American basketball player and coach

Robert William Weiss is an American former professional basketball player and coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brendan Malone</span> American basketball coach (1942–2023)

Brendan Thomas Malone was an American professional basketball coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1988–89 NBA season</span> 43rd NBA season

The 1988–89 NBA season was the 43rd season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Detroit Pistons winning the NBA Championship, sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers. This was the first season of the Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1999 NBA Finals</span> 1999 basketball championship series

The 1999 NBA Finals was the championship round of the shortened 1998–99 NBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs took on the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks for the title, with the Spurs holding home court advantage. The Spurs defeated the Knicks 4 games to 1 to win their first NBA championship. Until 2023, this was the only NBA Finals to feature a #8 seed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alvin Gentry</span> American basketball player and coach

Alvin Harris Gentry is an American professional basketball executive for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A former basketball player and coach, Gentry has served as the head coach of six NBA teams. He served as an interim head coach for the Miami Heat at the end of the 1994–95 season, and later coached the Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, New Orleans Pelicans and Kings. He currently serves as the vice president of basketball engagement for the Kings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avery Johnson</span> American basketball player and coach

Avery DeWitt Johnson is an American basketball television commentator and former player and coach who most recently served as head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team. He is currently an NBA and college basketball analyst for CBS Sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Thibodeau</span> American basketball coach

Thomas Joseph Thibodeau Jr., nicknamed "Thibs", is an American basketball coach who is the head coach for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He served as an assistant coach for the United States men's national basketball team from 2013 to 2016, and helped Team USA win a gold medal at the 2016 Olympic Games.

Brian Keefe is an American professional basketball coach who is the head coach of the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Budenholzer</span> American basketball coach (born 1969)

Michael Vincent Budenholzer is an American professional basketball coach who is the head coach of the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

References

  1. 1 2 3 The Sporting News: 1992-93 Official NBA Register. St. Louis, Missouri: The Sporting News Publishing Co. 1992.
  2. ↑ University of Pittsburgh Men's Basketball 2023–24 Media Guide (scroll down to page 101). Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  3. ↑ University of Kansas Men's Basketball 2023–24 Media Guide (scroll down to page 136). Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  4. ↑ "Brown Is Fired as Coach of Knicks". Washington Post. December 1, 1986.
  5. ↑ "Disappointing Pacers Fire Versace, Select Bob Hill as Their New Coach". Los Angeles Times. December 20, 1990.
  6. ↑ Allen, Percy (2006-02-21). "Sonics' Hill remains baffled by Popovich's treatment - Seattle Times". seattletimes.nwsource.com. Archived from the original on 2011-06-04. Retrieved 2010-02-25.
  7. ↑ "SuperSonics fire coach Bob Hill" . Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  8. ↑ Finley, Bill (April 23, 2003). "BASKETBALL; Fordham Expected To Fire Hill". The New York Times.
  9. ↑ New York Daily News , March 13, 2007.
  10. ↑ Odeven, Ed (18 September 2014). "Ex-Apache coach Hill supports FIBA mandate for JBA" . Retrieved 5 June 2017– via Japan Times Online.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.