The George Hill story, what hes truly made of from High school on.

I just wanted Spurs fans to know who George is.. I know there have been many good things said but many even more impressive things have been left out.. I am one of George's close childhood friends and have been blessed to know him for 10+ years...

You guys wanna know who George really is..
his senior year in High school he had the most under appreciated performances ive ever seen in sports.. George hill hit the 40+ point mark prolly more than 10 times that season was averaging over 40 a game at points, .. you want to know why he was not respected in these performances..?

because he played for a Poor inner city high school with no supporting cast... Broad ripple's coach, Coach Smith, who now works with the Atlanta Hawks as a scout, intentionally scheduled them the most difficult schedule, ranked #1 most difficult schedule in Jeff Sagarin's rankings... people thought because his team wasn't a state championship team it was not important... lets see he was facing the most difficult Competition in the basketball hotbed for talent in the nation... facing such teams as greg oden and connelly on the same high school team...

he faced back to back state champions towards the middle of the season... he scored 35 points in the first half with a 6'6 All' American Tight end Ryan Baker, who went on to play Football for Notre Dame, a pure defensive specialist specifically sent to rattle george... he was double teamed by Justin Cage who was going to Temple and around 6'5... 35 points.. the following quarter on the second play hill was flagrantly fouled BRUTALLY undercut, by Ryan baker, and George was down and out on the ground and a Stand clearing brawl nearly ensued.. this knocked out george for the next 2 to 3 games including his chance to prove his true worth against oden and connelly.. I found out later from a close friend on the opposing Bishop Chatard team.. the Champion acclaimed coach told his all american "to get very physical with hill".. George through this trying time did not react or say ill comments towards these individuals later.. he just waited for his next time to shine...

This was not the only time where george has faced massive physical adversity.. in a game against a suburban high school team with 2 6'11 players, Hill was hounded, double triple teamed, and when he was up to 20+ points early.. they flagrantly fouled Hill and he was badly shaken up...he got up and shot his free throws looking hurt, he then sat out for a quarter or 2... he came back in the forth quarter.. and I have never seen him with more fire in his eyes..he scored 29 points in the forth quarter being double and triple teamed hitting 9 - 3 pointers in the 8 minute quarter on route to a 49 point game...

Hill put up historic performance after historic performance only to be quietly mentioned in the press..while players like A.J Ratliff who went on to I.U and put up around 16 ppg, were raved and praised upon, George never complained, he just played his game and put on one of his most memorable performances against Mcdonalds All-American Josh McRoberts former Duke player and now in the NBA, where he scored around 20+ points in the forth quarter being guarded by Mc Roberts the leading shot blocker in Indiana High School History and scoring 35+ points in the game leading BRHS to victory over the Sport Illustrated top 10 national High School athletic program, Carmel High School, he also guarded Mcroberts and held the 6'10 forward to single digits, and effectively neutralized the all-american..

Hill went on to end the season with nearly 37 PPG, and the 5th greatest scoring season in Indiana High School History, and by all my research was the Nations top scorer this season.. yet was only a McDonalds all-american honorable mention even though he had about the best season one could have against about the toughest high school competition had to offer.. you see IUPUI was not the first place Hill was under estimated because of the name on his chest, Hill finished 3rd in Indiana Mr. Basketball receiving less than 5% of the vote, regardless of having one of the greatest seasons in IHSAA history, to A.J Ratliff and A.J Graves from more well known suburban programs... both players college careers have come and gone with out incident.. but Hill didn't say a word.. and went on to play for little known IUPUI and be mocked by some for chosing such a little known program... don't be the one to dismiss Hill again,
I just find it funny that its taken George nearly 8 years and be drafted by on of the top teams in the world to gain the recognition hes long deserved..and still people are sayin IUPUWHO?...

Indy is proud of you my friend, it took many until last Thursday night for many to jump on the George Hill bandwagon, some of us know the hard work and long deserved recognition that has eluded Hill.. for so many years

Thanks to the spurs fans who have welcomed George with open arms, you will be rewarded, and you have gained thousands of fans in Indy who will be there right along with you cheering for a Spurs title in 09'

edit: neat little side note on Hill, you guys think George is off the radar, well he was on a certain well known players radar when he was 14 years old, a guy named Micheal Jordan,
you might have heard of him, me and George attended Micheal Jordan's Flight School on UCSB campus in the summer of 2000, where George earned MVP honors of the camp, and was quoted by Jordan as "one of the best young players I've ever seen"

also in 06 Larry Bird was quoted "If George Hill does not go in the first round of the NBA draft, IUPUI will not have done him justice"

Good stuff.

I recommend you edit your post and break it up into shorter paragraphs. Long blocks of text often turn off people from reading, and I'd hate for anyone to miss out on what you wrote.

I think the Spurs have a sleeper here, ala Manu and Parker.

nice read. thanks.

Great post-- thanks.

Thanks for the introduction.

Hill's basketball accomplishments are impressive.. I'm even more impressed that he seems to be a level-headed kid who can take punishment without complaint and is content to let his game do the talking.. reminds me of a certain Spur from Argentina.. can't wait to finally see him in acion.

Thanks for telling us who George Hill is. It appears to me he has the exact mentality and toughness that Spurs is looking for in its personnel. I sure hope he breaks into the rotation and makes significant contribution to Spurs 5th Championship.

Here is a toast to George Hill. And to Pop. And to RC.

welcome aboard man! this thread rocks ass!

good story. Kudos

hows his ass taste like.....

welcome to the board

sweet post...when we drafted him, i was like who??? but the more info i learn about this kid, i really like him and i think he's going to be a solid player for the Spurs.

Thanks for the terrific post and welcome to the forum.

Nice read :tu

Amazing. I'm definitely fired up for summer league.

Great post. It sounds like Hill has the kind of personality Pop loves. I am liking this pick more and more.

:lmao

At first I was like "who the hell is George Hill!". But then I thought about it, nobody, and I mean NOBODY, drafts better then San Antonio. If they drafted this kid it was for a reason. No worries George Hill, sorry for even doubting you for that slpit second that I did.

Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for that great info, jayc23. :toast
He sounds like a tough kid! I can't wait to see what he'll bring to the team.

I've lived in Indy for almost 6 years now, and I have to admit that I'd never heard of Hill. I had to ask our sports guys about him.
It's unfortunate that stories weren't done on him through high school and college. Lord knows, I've had my fill of Oden stories.

Welcome to the board!

Welcome to SpursTalk. Good post, and GO SPURS GO.

Thanks JayC.

Stick around for years to come while George plays for em!

That was a nice read! Thanks for posting and welcome! :toast

Tough kid.

WOOT! Sounds like the Spurs picked a winner! Welcome George Hill; prove all the doubters wrong again!

nice post. Looking forward to watching Hill play.

nice read

thanks :toast

jay thanx for taking the time to post this story. George sounds like a rock that doesn't get rattled easily. Can't wait to see what he does for the Spurs. Quality guy for a quality team.

neat little side note on Hill, you guys think George is off the radar, well he was on a certain well known players radar when he was 14 years old, a guy named Micheal Jordan,
you might have heard of him, me and George attended Micheal Jordan's Flight School on UCSB campus in the summer of 2000, where George earned MVP honors of the camp, and was quoted by Jordan as "one of the best young players I've ever seen"

also in 06 Larry Bird was quoted "If George Hill does not go in the first round of the NBA draft, IUPUI will not have done him justice"

Great read

appreciate the feedback guys.

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Originally Posted by SpursFanFirst

Thanks for that great info, jayc23. :toast
He sounds like a tough kid! I can't wait to see what he'll bring to the team.

I've lived in Indy for almost 6 years now, and I have to admit that I'd never heard of Hill. I had to ask our sports guys about him.
It's unfortunate that stories weren't done on him through high school and college. Lord knows, I've had my fill of Oden stories.

Welcome to the board!

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An Indianapolis resident basketball fan has never heard of him although he attended high school and college nearby. He must be good. :lol

Great read. :tu

Hmmm...if the assessment of Jordan and Bird is to be taken, then we may indeed have an asset here. Might turn out to be better than TP :lol

Didn't notice it on Spurstalk. Sorry if that has been posted before.

A former coach of George Hill speaks about him, his talent, his attitude...

Billy Shepherd: Fresno State team inspires underdogs
Written by Billy Shepherd Noblesville Daily Times
Thursday, 03 July 2008

http://www.county29.net/cms2/index.p...979&Itemid=227


Dear Parents,

Did you watch the NBA draft? It was so much fun for me. One of my former AAU players, George Hill of IUPUI, was selected by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round. That’s correct, the first round.

I met George just over five years ago. He was a high school junior. I met with him and his high school coach at Broad Ripple High School in Indianapolis.

He was a late developer. He didn’t grow up with AAU ball. He grew up loving basketball and playing and practicing all the time.

He didn’t go to a big college. He had dreams of playing in the NBA, but every day wasn’t a plan around that dream. His home life was far from perfect, but basketball was his escape, and now it’s his career.

George is now a pro. But you know what? He was a pro that first day I met him. Very polite, yes sir, no sir. He was easy to coach. He was eager to learn. He would listen and try to do what I asked him to do.

His dream has come true. Next year he will play in the NBA. I hope it doesn’t change his attitude and charm. And yes, I will be watching with great interest and anticipation.


Billy Shepherd is a former Indiana Mr. Basketball and a professional athlete (ABA) who earned 15 varsity letters in high school. His father was a Hall of Fame coach and Billy’s two sons attended college on athletic scholarships. Billy has been speaking on parenting athletes for 17 years.

Hopefully we ended up with the steal of the draft. Great read. :tu

Excellent post!

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Originally Posted by tlongII

An Indianapolis resident basketball fan has never heard of him although he attended high school and college nearby. He must be good. :lol

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Funny that a Jail Blazer fan is chiding another team for picking players no one ever heard of from schools no one ever heard of.

cough*Porter*cough*Kersey*cough

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tlongII

An Indianapolis resident basketball fan has never heard of him although he attended high school and college nearby. He must be good. :lol

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Now why did you have to go and be a jerk?
My comment wasn't a slam on Hill.

For one thing, I don't follow high school sports here in town. I didn't attend any of these schools, so therefore, I have no vested interested in them.

2 - we just don't do a whole lot of IUPUI coverage...at least none that I can remember. We've had Ron Hunter in on occasion, but that's about all I can remember. If I'm watching the newscasts, then I'm not doing my job.

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Originally Posted by SpursFanFirst

Now why did you have to go and breathe air?

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Fixed.

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Originally Posted by ShoogarBear

Fixed.

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:lol Thanks, Shoog

I like George Hill.

Do the Blazers have a PG? I know they drafted a SG thinking he was a PG.

Nice post man...hope more people take the time to read it.

It is getting increasingly hard to find talented players with a professional attitude, but the Spurs always manage to find them because they first value the player as a person and care more about their CHARACTER than anything. That is something that maybe Mr.Jailblazer fan might want to consider.
:flag:

good stuff. i'm praying popovich gives him a ton of playing time. that would be the smart move, but pop doesn't always make the smart move when it comes to lineups.

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Originally Posted by itzsoweezee

good stuff. i'm praying popovich gives him a ton of playing time. that would be the smart move, but pop doesn't always make the smart move when it comes to lineups.

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I know what you're saying -- but giving an unproven rookie a ton of playing time isn't really a great idea at all.

regular season is a time to test the mettle of our players, so im hoping pop will give george some playing time. im excited see what he can do to help our team, plus it's encouraging to hear that next year is an odd-numbered one. 2009- go spurs go!

people are really impressed by George's character, how humble and grounded he is... but he grew up playing tough inner city ball which is where he got his toughness, and he had a string of coaches that really fundamentally honed his game.

So don't be deceived by his meager demeanor, hes a vicious slasher, has a brutal jump shot and can elevate in the moment, I've seen him sky so high to save loose balls, I could swear his feet were above peoples heads, one of the biggest understatements I have seen is what is said about his athletic ability, I have seen few players with his frame and size finish at the rim like him, and his quickness is deceiving, he is not a finely tuned PG yet, but the potential Hill has compared to Chalmers or CDR is Exponential.

Great OP. Hope he takes EVERY SINGLE DAMN MINUTE from Vaughn.

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Originally Posted by dg7md

I know what you're saying -- but giving an unproven rookie a ton of playing time isn't really a great idea at all.

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Uhh, I guess your forgetting an unproven rookie named Tony Parker, who was actually drafted later than Hill was and was younger too? Yeah, I can see how giving playing time would be a bad idea.:downspin:

Good read man...thanks for posting it. I was also a skeptic when they called his name on draft day but from what I have read on MySA and what I am hearing here I am becoming more and more convinced we draft the perfect player for our team. I remember reading Chad Ford's draft grades where be basically insinuated that we should have drafted Chalmers...all the info that has come out on Hill proves why Ford is who he is and Pop and R.C. are who they are.

ya when I read what Ford said, it was laughable to me, I bet Ford was scrambling reading through his notes trying to find out who Hill is... the spurs have only been watching Hill develop for 4 years... what do they know.

...there's also the fact that Ford just happens to be one of these...

http://www.parentsascoaches.net/images/toolbox.jpg

Unappreciated, under the radar, not respected despite some amazing accomplishments. Sounds like a team I cheer for.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jayc23

neat little side note on Hill, you guys think George is off the radar, well he was on a certain well known players radar when he was 14 years old, a guy named Micheal Jordan,
you might have heard of him, me and George attended Micheal Jordan's Flight School on UCSB campus in the summer of 2000, where George earned MVP honors of the camp, and was quoted by Jordan as "one of the best young players I've ever seen"

also in 06 Larry Bird was quoted "If George Hill does not go in the first round of the NBA draft, IUPUI will not have done him justice"

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Michael Jordan thought Kwame Brown was one of the best players he's ever seen too. :lol

I want him to succeed and hopefully contribute this year. Everything coming out about this young man is very positive, can't wait to see him in the summer games.