Following his junior season in which he averaged 23.8 points and shot 44% from three-point range, Hill verbally committed to Illinois and former head coach Bruce Weber on September 12, 2011.[1] Prior to verbally committing, Hill listed Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio State, Providence, UCLA, Xavier, and Wisconsin as the other schools he had considered.[2]
During his senior season, Hill broke his previous single season scoring mark he set during his junior season increasing his scoring total from 666 points to 708 total points.[3] He averaged 25.3 points, 6.1 rebounds 2.3 steals and 1.9 blocks during his final year at Belleville, and also finished in third place for Mr. Illinois Basketball voting, finishing behind Simeon's Jabari Parker and Whitney Young's Jahlil Okafor.[4]
After head coach John Groce was hired on March 29, 2012, Hill reaffirmed his verbal commitment to Illinois, and officially signed his National Letter of Intent on November 14, 2012.[5][6]
Hill made his first start, along with fellow freshman Kendrick Nunn, for the Fighting Illini on February 9, 2014, against Penn State, scoring 11 points and helping the team end an 8-game losing streak.[7][8]
On January 7, 2015, Hill scored a career-high 28 points as a sophomore to lead the Fighting Illini to a win at home against 11th-ranked Maryland when Illinois' leading scorer Rayvonte Rice was sidelined with a broken hand.[9][10]
As a junior, Hill was named one of ten finalists for the 2016 Jerry West Award which is awarded by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the best collegiate shooting guard in the United States.[11] In a double-overtime loss to Penn State at the end of the 2015–16 Big Ten Conference men's basketball season, Hill set another career high scoring 39 points. Hill's 39 points were the most since Brandon Paul scored 43 points against Ohio State in 2012 and the seventh most points scored by an Illini player in program history.[12] Following his junior season, Hill became the only Illinois basketball player to record 600 points, 200 rebounds and 100 assists in a single season.[13] On November 13, 2016, Hill bested that career mark with 40 points in a 79–64 victory over Northern Kentucky.[14] Following his senior season, Hill was invited to participate in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, which is held annually in Portsmouth, Virginia to showcase college basketball's best seniors.
On August 16, 2019, Hill signed with BC Astana of the Kazakhstan Championship,[21] where he averaged 20.2 points, 4 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.
Hill joined House of 'Paign, a team composed primarily of Illinois alumni in The Basketball Tournament 2020. He scored 14 points and had four rebounds in a 76–53 win over War Tampa in the first round.[22]
On October 9, 2021, Hill signed with the New Orleans Pelicans.[24] However, he was waived on October 12.[25] On October 25, he signed with the Birmingham Squadron as an affiliate player.[26] In 14 games, he averaged 16.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.6 steals in 31.6 minutes per game.[27]
Atlanta Hawks (2021–2022)
On December 22, 2021, Hill signed a 10-day contract with the Atlanta Hawks.[27] In his 3 appearances, he averaged 5.7 points, 2 rebounds and 0.3 assist in 15.3 minutes per game.
On September 7, 2022, Hill re-signed with the Bulls on a new two-way contract.[30] On February 21, 2023, he was waived by the Bulls.[31]
New Orleans Pelicans / Return to Birmingham (2023–present)
On February 24, 2023, Hill was re-acquired by the Birmingham Squadron.[32] On September 30, he signed with the New Orleans Pelicans,[33] but was waived on October 22.[34] Eight days later, he re-signed with Birmingham.[35]
On January 27, 2024, Hill signed a 10-day contract with the New Orleans Pelicans, but didn't play for them[36] and on February 8, he returned to Birmingham.[37] On February 22, he signed a two-way contract with the Pelicans.[38]
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Hill moved with his family to a nearby Metro East suburb Belleville, Illinois when he was four years old. Up until fifth grade, Hill also played soccer and baseball, but chose to focus on basketball. Hill's father, Malcolm, played NCAA Division II basketball for UMSL Tritons during the early 1990s.[41]
During the summer of 2012, Hill was diagnosed with Thoracic outlet syndrome, and underwent surgery to repair the blood clot in his upper right arm. Hill took several months to recover from the operation and made a full recovery.[41]
Brian Joshua Cook is an American former professional basketball player. He was drafted out of the University of Illinois with the 24th overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers.
John Harding Lucas III is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Baylor and Oklahoma State.
Eric Ambrose Gordon Jr. is an American-Bahamian professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). In high school, he was named Indiana Mr. Basketball during his senior year while playing at North Central High School. He is known, in part, as the subject of a recruiting competition between the University of Illinois and Indiana University in the spring and summer of 2006; because of Gordon's talent and high level of play that year, his recruitment was the subject of media coverage.
Derrick Bernard Favors is an American professional basketball player for the Windy City Bulls of the NBA G League. Favors played college basketball for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets for one season before being selected by the New Jersey Nets with the third overall pick of the 2010 NBA draft.
Garrett Bartholomew Temple is an American professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the LSU Tigers.
Jordan Lee Crawford is an American professional basketball player for the Sichuan Blue Whales of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers and the Xavier Musketeers. His brother is Joe Crawford, who has also played in the NBA.
Meyers Patrick Leonard is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the University of Illinois Fighting Illini before being selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 11th overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft. After spending his first seven seasons with the Trail Blazers, he was traded to the Miami Heat in the 2019 off-season. He reached the NBA Finals with the Heat in 2020.
Andrew Michael Harrison is an American professional basketball player who plays for Semt77 Yalovaspor of the TBL. He was considered one of the top recruits for 2013. He attended Travis High School in Richmond, Texas, and played college basketball for the University of Kentucky along with his twin brother, Aaron Harrison.
Stanley Herbert Johnson Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Stockton Kings of the NBA G League. He played one season of college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats before being selected eighth overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 2015 NBA draft.
Sindarius Thornwell is an American professional basketball player for Avtodor of the VTB United League. He played college basketball for the South Carolina Gamecocks. Thornwell was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 48th overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft before he was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Wayne Anthony Selden Jr. is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Taipei Fubon Braves of the P. League+. He played college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks.
Alfonzo McKinnie is an American professional basketball player for Dinamo Sassari of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He played college basketball for Eastern Illinois University and University of Wisconsin–Green Bay.
Jared Lamar Harper is an American professional basketball player for Valencia of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the Auburn Tigers where he was the starting point guard on the Tigers first ever Final Four team.
Zylan Anthony Cheatham is an American professional basketball player who last played for the New Zealand Breakers of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for the San Diego State Aztecs and the Arizona State Sun Devils.
Devin Cannady is an American professional basketball player for the Birmingham Squadron of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Princeton Tigers.
James Alton Banks III is an American professional basketball player for the Maine Celtics of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Texas Longhorns. In 2020-21 he led the Israel Basketball Premier League in blocked shots per game.
Eric "E. J." Liddell Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Matthew Richard Ryan is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Birmingham Squadron of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for Notre Dame, Vanderbilt and Chattanooga. He began his pro career in the NBA G League, before signing a two-way contract with the Boston Celtics.
Izaiah Antoine Brockington is an American professional basketball player for the Birmingham Squadron of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the St. Bonaventure Bonnies, Penn State Nittany Lions, and Iowa State Cyclones.
Dereon Seabron is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Birmingham Squadron of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the NC State Wolfpack.
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.
