George Hill surprised many fans in 2008 simply by declaring for the NBA Draft despite having a year of eligibility left at IUPUI. He then surprised the basketball nation when he was actually picked in the draft...in the first round. Hill could not have been picked by a better organization, the San Antonio Spurs, where he would spend the season backing up Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. When the international tandem went down early in the season, Hill even had the chance to start a few games and performed well on such a level. Needless to say, Hill has earned the right to be considered a torch-bearer for Summit League hoops.
Going into his second season, Hill once again finds himself on the summer league roster for the Spurs. Unlike Eric Gordon or Russell Westbrook, whose Summer League apperances may not have been altogether necessary, Hill's makes more sense as his playing time drained during the last few months of the season. He has certainly made the most of this endeavor, both facilitating and scoring on offense. In three games, Hill is shooting about 48% from the field and has gone to the line an average of 8 times per game. His most complete game came yesterday when he went off for 20 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds, and three steals. Now that's some stat-line clogging a la Gerald Wallace or Josh Smith (save all the blocking).
Hill's contract is guaranteed through next year with an option after that for two more, so his effort right now is simply to continue to prove that he's got the talent, drive, and leadership skills to see this whole NBA career thing through. The Spurs are not getting any younger, so Gregg Popovich has got to feel good about what his young guard of the future is doing so far this summer. Look for the former Summit League Player of the Year two more times this weekend, Saturday at 10:30pm EST against Portland and Sunday at 8:00pm EST versus Memphis.
And to George Hill: Thanks for giving Summit League ballers and followers hope for pastures beyond the D-League and Greece. Here's a video of our man talking with TrueHoop.
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