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Write up on Steven Hill
Posted on 7/7/15 at 8:03 pm
Posted on 7/7/15 at 8:03 pm
quote:
Before Arkansas reached the SEC championship game against Kentucky in March, the Razorbacks hadn't won a game in the conference tournament since 2008, when Steven Hill's turnaround jumper over Wayne Chism with 5.3 seconds left in the league semifinal dashed Tennessee's hopes at a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
For many, that game-winning shot is the lasting image of Hill, the hirsute seven-footer known more for his defense than anything during his four years in Fayetteville.
However, if you ask Hill, who won SEC Defensive Player of the Year as a junior, made the conference all-defensive team again as a senior and still stands as the fourth-leading shot-blocker in SEC history, there's another shot he made -- not one of the 318 he rejected at Arkansas -- that he considers the biggest in his career, even if it came in a 17-point loss.
"Two points and three rebounds," Hill recalled quickly when asked by FOX Sports about his lone career NBA game -- and his perfect career field goal percentage -- earlier this year. "I always say I was one of the most efficient NBA players of all time."
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"That was my moment in the sun," Hill said. "I'm out there, two and a half minutes to go and we're getting smoked, but I am working hard. It's my first -- and would end up being my only -- opportunity in an NBA game, so I was out there busting it."
After checking in, Hill secured a rebound on his first possession, corralling a Russell Westbrook shot that was blocked by Marcin Gortat. The next OKC possession saw Kyle Weaver score the first two points of his NBA career, and after a Brian Cook offensive foul, a Weaver turnover and a Gortat travel gave the Thunder the ball down 107-87 with 1:35 to go, Hill finally got a chance to score.
Damien Wilkins began the possession with a missed 3-pointer, and after Westbrook missed a putback, Hill cleaned up with a tip-in for his first, and last career points on his only career shot attempt.
"It was just a random, garbage tip-in, but I shook hands with coach (P.J. Carlesimo), and he said, 'Congratulations on your first NBA point,' and it was obviously huge for me," Hill said.
After the basket, Hill added one more rebound, grabbing a missed J.J. Redick 3-pointer with 42 seconds left, but when the game was over, Hill says he found it hard to show excitement over his first basket with the team, which fell to 1-7 on the year with the 109-92 loss, sulking in the locker room
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Five years later, Hill is still working and living in northwest Arkansas, where he's added a second child to the family. He still gets recognized from time to time by Razorbacks die-hards, and while his two NBA points and his perfect field goal percentage may be an afterthought to most, Hill says he sees them as the embodiment of an entire career spent working toward a singular goal.
"It's hard to be proud of it publicly, because it's just two points and I'm seven feet tall," Hill said. "People still look at you and think you didn't achieve as much as they feel you should have. But privately, I take a lot of pride in it because I feel like I worked hard and I put a lot into it. I try to play it off, but I'm proud of it more (often) than I feel like, 'Aw, crap, I should have done more.'
"I did what millions dream of doing, and that's what I have to remind myself," Hill added. "I was on an NBA team. I was on private airplanes with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook and all those guys, living that life. It was for a very short period, but nobody gets to do that. So I use that to kind of re-balance myself."
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This post was edited on 7/7/15 at 8:07 pm
Posted on 7/7/15 at 8:33 pm to beebefootballfan
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That is the right attitude
Posted on 7/8/15 at 11:02 am to beebefootballfan
Cool to hear about him again. Thanks for posting
Posted on 7/8/15 at 4:37 pm to pioneerbasketball
Who have I pissed off to get a downvote for the "
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