SequSpur
06-26-2008, 11:04 PM
LIVE DRAFT BLOG: HILL AND CO. TUNE IN ON ESPN COVERAGE OF 2008 NBA DRAFT
Hill goes 26th overall to San Antonio Spurs
Ed Holdaway, IUPUI Sports Information
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6/26/2008 6:34:25 PM
INDIANAPOLIS - Check back frequently as we hang out with former IUPUI standout George Hill on 2008 NBA Draft night.
7:24 pm: Hill and former IUPUI standout Carlos Knox just conducted a mini press conference for three media members preparing their draft coverage. About 50-60 people have converged on the clubhouse at Auburn Hills Apartments on the West side. Aside from a relative lack of seating, everyone is in great spirits as the excitement is about to begin.
7:31 pm: NBA Commissioner David Stern welcomes a live television audience to Madison Square Garden and draws his fair share of boos after congratulating the Boston Celtics as 2008 NBA Champs.
7:38 pm: Stern annonces Derrick Rose of Memphis is the first overall selection. Here, there is no reaction. People are snapping posed photos with Hill while numerous teammates have been spotted. Jon Avery and Billy Pettiford are on hand, as well as a well dressed Ron Hunter. Additionally, three incoming freshman whom Hill never got the chance to play with have stopped out to offer support.
Despite just telling us he's "stressed" and "didn't sleep much last night", George is seemingly cool and in attack mode on a plate of chicken.
7:49 pm: Donning a multi-colored white t-shirt, George snuck away and tucked some Bachrach garmet bags away for later. Michael Beasley goes second, O.J. Mayo goes third - no reaction here. Cell phone towers are currently working overtime on the Westside and the crowd is steadily growing inside the clubhouse.
8:00 pm: John Ashworth, Kyle Savely and Associate Head Coach Todd Howard rockin' a New York Yankees hat and son Adam have now made appearances. We hear Gary Patterson is en route. Hill tells stories of his $960 suit he just got tailored and adds this tidbit, "I just wanna hear my name and I can go home."
8:07 pm: For the first time tonight, there's a hush inside the clubhouse when Stern approaches the podium. MSG is in an uproar over the selection of Danilo Ganillari. Hill and Hunter joke back and forth about the thought of living in some of the different NBA cities. This was after Hill took a quick stroll by the swimming pool, needing some fresh air.
8:12 pm: The selection of Indiana's Eric Gordon draws a polite clap inside the clubhouse. As ESPN's Stuart Scott praises Gordon's long range shooting, Hill poses with about 12 attendees for a photo in front of the fire place.
8:22 pm: It's official, the current and former Jaguar count is getting close to 20. Drew Conner and Christian Siakam are in the building, while Assistant Coach Matt Crenshaw and former IUPUI standout Don Carlisle are in the back by the water cooler. With ESPN at a commercial break, a five-on-five full court may break out.
8:24 pm: George slips back to the back room to take a phone call - someone is lost trying to find the clubhouse. D.J. Augustin just went off the board at No. 9, proving most the mocks wrong that the former Texas guard would be on the board when the Indiana Pacers pick at No. 11.
8:31 pm: Admiring a photo of himself, George proclaims, "Doesn't my hair look fresh?" He jokes about hurriedly getting ready to go to Conseco Fieldhouse, should the Pacers pick him in the first round. Pacers are on the clock - Brook Lopez just went to New Jersey at No. 10.
8:34 pm: Patterson has arrived and is yukking it up with Jason Smeathers. As the draft goes longer, getting real estate in the proximity of the television is growing increasingly more difficult. On an aside, props to whoever provided the food tonight!
Everyone is quieted by some yelling as Stern announces the Pacers pick of Arizona's Jerryd Bayless. The selection draws some collectives oohs and boos from the crowd and Hill says, "I told you they would take him there. They had to take him there."
8:43 pm: The first 'off the radar' pick is in the books as Sacramento picks Rider's Jason Thompson. George talks about his workout with the Kings and wonders why nobody's picked Brandon Rush yet. He's starting to work the phones a little more frequently now.
8:47 pm: Hill pumps his fist as Stern announces Rush is picked by the Trailblazers at No. 13. Hill and Rush worked out together for the Pacers earlier this month and both spoke highly of one another. "I want him and Donte Green (Syracuse) off the board and I'm good." George and Knox meet in the back room, an 8x8 leasing office by day and NBA Draft war room tonight.
8:55 pm: George plays with his God-brother, Jon Jon Saunders, who's sporting a green Donovan McNabb jersey. After answering some quick questions for an Indianapolis Star photographer, he disappears back in the office to talk to Knox and Hunter. Anthony Randolph of LSU just came off the board. ESPN's Jay Bilas proclaims Robin Lopez as the 'Best Available'. Less than 15 seconds later, Stern announces Lopez is a member of the Phoenix Suns at No. 15.
9:00 pm: Over 4,000 points of IUPUI's basketball history remain huddled in the back, largely joking with one another. Hill asks how the shindig at Conseco is going, which we've heard via email, is pretty pumped with the Bayless selection.
9:05 pm: Florida's Marreese Speights is off the board, which was met with yawns and a bunch of 'Who?'s' in the clubhouse. The Pacers are on the clock, part deux. The predicitions around here are Roy Hibbert and Kosta Koufos.
9:07 pm: Correction, Toronto is picking for Indiana. The T.J. Ford/Jermaine O'Neal deal isn't official until July. Hibbert is the pick - the concensus here is that the Pacers are having a good day at the office. Hill, Hunter and Knox continue to huddle in the back in a rather relaxed atmosphere. Those trying to get seats near the TV are probably needing to go home at this point - it's standing room only around here.
9:18 pm: Pacers trade Bayless for Rush. Nevada's JaVale McGee goes to Washington, score another one for the so-called little guys.
9:20 pm: Cleveland takes J.J. Hickson from N.C. State. George is calmly working the crowd, joking with a table of people during a commercial break and stepping outside for some fresh air with a Faygo Orange drink in hand.
9:27 pm: Fallon, who set tonight's event up, comes over and introduces herself. With people everywhere, she's almost as cool under pressure as George. Meanwhile, George jokes around on the front porch, with a small crowd huddled around him. He's doing a combination of a defensive stance/dance move as the onlookers laugh in unison. Stuart Scott alerts us that former Carmel star Josh McRoberts is coming to Indiana as part of the Bayless/Rush trade.
The crowd is becoming more restless by the pick and somewhere in the neighborhood of 144 sodas have been consumed by the attendees.
9:35 pm: Just got the line of the night - I asked one of the attendees who he was hoping George to be picked by, the gentleman paused and said, "Just grateful. He's blessed to have this opportunity and he'll make the most of it. We would've loved the Pacers at No. 17, but just grateful."
9:39 pm: Orlando's pick of Courtney Lee at No. 22 draws some claps and shouts of "Courtney"! Courtney and George were teammates on the Indiana All-Star Team and still keep in contact. He's just the third senior selected in tonight's draft, according to Stuart Scott.
9:46 pm: Utah takes Kosta Koufos at No. 23 - the crowd is getting more amped and more restless with each pick. The Pacers draft night is being replayed on ESPN right now - they're apparently the talk of the NBA with their abundant activity tonight. George is posted up on the wall about 30 feet from the TV, paying more attention to the conversations around him than what Stuart Scott is saying. Former IUPUI Metro/Jag Jermaine Gardner is in the house.
As Seattle's pick at No. 24 is announced, the room is silent. I'm guessing this will be the theme for the rest of the night.
9:53 pm: Anticipation grows for the Spurs' pick at No. 26. I talk briefly with George's Godfather, Mike Saunders. Saunders' alternates between clutching his Sanyo phone and plugging it in to it's charger. Saunders admits it would've been nice for George's name to have already been called, but now action will start heating up.
9:54 pm: Saunders and Knox share a hug and start clapping their hands as the Spurs go on the clock. Meanwhile, the crowd is gravitating to George, who has shifted positions to the center of the room behind the sofa.
10:02 pm: PANDEMONIUM! George, meet Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, you're now a proud member of the San Antonio Spurs! The Spurs have just gained about 75 fans inside this building. People are clapping, crying, hugging and exchanging high fives.
Hill went from a huge smile to tears in about 2.3 seconds after Stern uttered his name.
10:12 pm: You can't get within 50 feet of George at this point. He's in the back office with Hunter, Knox, Saunders and Co. and outside the door is a line of everyone else. WISH-TV's Chris Widlic just called the cell phone he's en route for some reaction.
Knox just announced that George is on the phone with his agent, Mike Whitaker, and he'll "be right out".
10:25 pm: A tearful Hill emerged from the back office to a standing ovation. Pastor Higgins just gave one of the most moving prayers I've ever heard in my life. George is addressing the crowd.
"The goal was to make it, and now we've made it. Thanks and I'm gonna' ball out like we always do."
11:04 pm: Calling it a night for blogging... media crush the past 30 minutes. WISH-TV and WTHR have both stopped by to get some reaction - I suggest tuning in. George still has tears in his eyes and will probably still be hugging well wishers for the next couple hours.
Hill goes 26th overall to San Antonio Spurs
Ed Holdaway, IUPUI Sports Information
Email to a Friend | Print
6/26/2008 6:34:25 PM
INDIANAPOLIS - Check back frequently as we hang out with former IUPUI standout George Hill on 2008 NBA Draft night.
7:24 pm: Hill and former IUPUI standout Carlos Knox just conducted a mini press conference for three media members preparing their draft coverage. About 50-60 people have converged on the clubhouse at Auburn Hills Apartments on the West side. Aside from a relative lack of seating, everyone is in great spirits as the excitement is about to begin.
7:31 pm: NBA Commissioner David Stern welcomes a live television audience to Madison Square Garden and draws his fair share of boos after congratulating the Boston Celtics as 2008 NBA Champs.
7:38 pm: Stern annonces Derrick Rose of Memphis is the first overall selection. Here, there is no reaction. People are snapping posed photos with Hill while numerous teammates have been spotted. Jon Avery and Billy Pettiford are on hand, as well as a well dressed Ron Hunter. Additionally, three incoming freshman whom Hill never got the chance to play with have stopped out to offer support.
Despite just telling us he's "stressed" and "didn't sleep much last night", George is seemingly cool and in attack mode on a plate of chicken.
7:49 pm: Donning a multi-colored white t-shirt, George snuck away and tucked some Bachrach garmet bags away for later. Michael Beasley goes second, O.J. Mayo goes third - no reaction here. Cell phone towers are currently working overtime on the Westside and the crowd is steadily growing inside the clubhouse.
8:00 pm: John Ashworth, Kyle Savely and Associate Head Coach Todd Howard rockin' a New York Yankees hat and son Adam have now made appearances. We hear Gary Patterson is en route. Hill tells stories of his $960 suit he just got tailored and adds this tidbit, "I just wanna hear my name and I can go home."
8:07 pm: For the first time tonight, there's a hush inside the clubhouse when Stern approaches the podium. MSG is in an uproar over the selection of Danilo Ganillari. Hill and Hunter joke back and forth about the thought of living in some of the different NBA cities. This was after Hill took a quick stroll by the swimming pool, needing some fresh air.
8:12 pm: The selection of Indiana's Eric Gordon draws a polite clap inside the clubhouse. As ESPN's Stuart Scott praises Gordon's long range shooting, Hill poses with about 12 attendees for a photo in front of the fire place.
8:22 pm: It's official, the current and former Jaguar count is getting close to 20. Drew Conner and Christian Siakam are in the building, while Assistant Coach Matt Crenshaw and former IUPUI standout Don Carlisle are in the back by the water cooler. With ESPN at a commercial break, a five-on-five full court may break out.
8:24 pm: George slips back to the back room to take a phone call - someone is lost trying to find the clubhouse. D.J. Augustin just went off the board at No. 9, proving most the mocks wrong that the former Texas guard would be on the board when the Indiana Pacers pick at No. 11.
8:31 pm: Admiring a photo of himself, George proclaims, "Doesn't my hair look fresh?" He jokes about hurriedly getting ready to go to Conseco Fieldhouse, should the Pacers pick him in the first round. Pacers are on the clock - Brook Lopez just went to New Jersey at No. 10.
8:34 pm: Patterson has arrived and is yukking it up with Jason Smeathers. As the draft goes longer, getting real estate in the proximity of the television is growing increasingly more difficult. On an aside, props to whoever provided the food tonight!
Everyone is quieted by some yelling as Stern announces the Pacers pick of Arizona's Jerryd Bayless. The selection draws some collectives oohs and boos from the crowd and Hill says, "I told you they would take him there. They had to take him there."
8:43 pm: The first 'off the radar' pick is in the books as Sacramento picks Rider's Jason Thompson. George talks about his workout with the Kings and wonders why nobody's picked Brandon Rush yet. He's starting to work the phones a little more frequently now.
8:47 pm: Hill pumps his fist as Stern announces Rush is picked by the Trailblazers at No. 13. Hill and Rush worked out together for the Pacers earlier this month and both spoke highly of one another. "I want him and Donte Green (Syracuse) off the board and I'm good." George and Knox meet in the back room, an 8x8 leasing office by day and NBA Draft war room tonight.
8:55 pm: George plays with his God-brother, Jon Jon Saunders, who's sporting a green Donovan McNabb jersey. After answering some quick questions for an Indianapolis Star photographer, he disappears back in the office to talk to Knox and Hunter. Anthony Randolph of LSU just came off the board. ESPN's Jay Bilas proclaims Robin Lopez as the 'Best Available'. Less than 15 seconds later, Stern announces Lopez is a member of the Phoenix Suns at No. 15.
9:00 pm: Over 4,000 points of IUPUI's basketball history remain huddled in the back, largely joking with one another. Hill asks how the shindig at Conseco is going, which we've heard via email, is pretty pumped with the Bayless selection.
9:05 pm: Florida's Marreese Speights is off the board, which was met with yawns and a bunch of 'Who?'s' in the clubhouse. The Pacers are on the clock, part deux. The predicitions around here are Roy Hibbert and Kosta Koufos.
9:07 pm: Correction, Toronto is picking for Indiana. The T.J. Ford/Jermaine O'Neal deal isn't official until July. Hibbert is the pick - the concensus here is that the Pacers are having a good day at the office. Hill, Hunter and Knox continue to huddle in the back in a rather relaxed atmosphere. Those trying to get seats near the TV are probably needing to go home at this point - it's standing room only around here.
9:18 pm: Pacers trade Bayless for Rush. Nevada's JaVale McGee goes to Washington, score another one for the so-called little guys.
9:20 pm: Cleveland takes J.J. Hickson from N.C. State. George is calmly working the crowd, joking with a table of people during a commercial break and stepping outside for some fresh air with a Faygo Orange drink in hand.
9:27 pm: Fallon, who set tonight's event up, comes over and introduces herself. With people everywhere, she's almost as cool under pressure as George. Meanwhile, George jokes around on the front porch, with a small crowd huddled around him. He's doing a combination of a defensive stance/dance move as the onlookers laugh in unison. Stuart Scott alerts us that former Carmel star Josh McRoberts is coming to Indiana as part of the Bayless/Rush trade.
The crowd is becoming more restless by the pick and somewhere in the neighborhood of 144 sodas have been consumed by the attendees.
9:35 pm: Just got the line of the night - I asked one of the attendees who he was hoping George to be picked by, the gentleman paused and said, "Just grateful. He's blessed to have this opportunity and he'll make the most of it. We would've loved the Pacers at No. 17, but just grateful."
9:39 pm: Orlando's pick of Courtney Lee at No. 22 draws some claps and shouts of "Courtney"! Courtney and George were teammates on the Indiana All-Star Team and still keep in contact. He's just the third senior selected in tonight's draft, according to Stuart Scott.
9:46 pm: Utah takes Kosta Koufos at No. 23 - the crowd is getting more amped and more restless with each pick. The Pacers draft night is being replayed on ESPN right now - they're apparently the talk of the NBA with their abundant activity tonight. George is posted up on the wall about 30 feet from the TV, paying more attention to the conversations around him than what Stuart Scott is saying. Former IUPUI Metro/Jag Jermaine Gardner is in the house.
As Seattle's pick at No. 24 is announced, the room is silent. I'm guessing this will be the theme for the rest of the night.
9:53 pm: Anticipation grows for the Spurs' pick at No. 26. I talk briefly with George's Godfather, Mike Saunders. Saunders' alternates between clutching his Sanyo phone and plugging it in to it's charger. Saunders admits it would've been nice for George's name to have already been called, but now action will start heating up.
9:54 pm: Saunders and Knox share a hug and start clapping their hands as the Spurs go on the clock. Meanwhile, the crowd is gravitating to George, who has shifted positions to the center of the room behind the sofa.
10:02 pm: PANDEMONIUM! George, meet Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, you're now a proud member of the San Antonio Spurs! The Spurs have just gained about 75 fans inside this building. People are clapping, crying, hugging and exchanging high fives.
Hill went from a huge smile to tears in about 2.3 seconds after Stern uttered his name.
10:12 pm: You can't get within 50 feet of George at this point. He's in the back office with Hunter, Knox, Saunders and Co. and outside the door is a line of everyone else. WISH-TV's Chris Widlic just called the cell phone he's en route for some reaction.
Knox just announced that George is on the phone with his agent, Mike Whitaker, and he'll "be right out".
10:25 pm: A tearful Hill emerged from the back office to a standing ovation. Pastor Higgins just gave one of the most moving prayers I've ever heard in my life. George is addressing the crowd.
"The goal was to make it, and now we've made it. Thanks and I'm gonna' ball out like we always do."
11:04 pm: Calling it a night for blogging... media crush the past 30 minutes. WISH-TV and WTHR have both stopped by to get some reaction - I suggest tuning in. George still has tears in his eyes and will probably still be hugging well wishers for the next couple hours.