The future of Steven Hill

[fourthcrusade]

Steven has been getting all sorts of buzz lately... will he go pro?  Will he be a force?  Will he graduate and give up hoops?


photo Wesley Hitt

[rasorback4life]

If we have a good run in the SEC or NCAA tourney, and he plays like he has, the NBA scouts will be all over him.  I can see the possibility of him leaving after this year.  NBA teams love true centers.  There is a serious shortage of them right now. 

However, I see him staying another year.  He is getting more popular by the day.  Good work with some one like Joe Klein, or someone could vault him into a lottery pick next year.

[primetime21]

Let's not get carried away.  He has had a couple of good games lately, but I am not sold on this offensive ability.

[rasorback4life]

I believed that he would make it to the NBA on defensive abilities alone.  The fact that he has developed some offense will do nothing but take him higher.

[Dugann]

I think he is finally finally breakin out like we hoped he could, still feel he need 1 more year of college development and he could be on the next level ...ie 10 pts 10 rb 3-5+ blocks again.  I feel that if he came out this year he'll still be a late 1st rounder if he keeps showing stuff like he has over the last few games.  Still think it is too early to tell yet if it is for real or just a dream hehe.

[WILL CLINTON]

Just a side note.

I saw where Justin Blake Eddins was getting married to a girl from Hot Springs in the Hot Springs paper this weekend. 

[fourthcrusade]

Let's not get carried away.  He has had a couple of good games lately, but I am not sold on this offensive ability.

so did you pick overseas?

[primetime21]

Could you imagine Hill guarding Ben Wallace?

[ErieHog]

The thing is that he's 7 foot, and many NBA players at that height are expected to also spell some minutes at PF, which to be frank, Hill doesn't have the athleticism to do.   He needs another year to work on his game, establish himself as an all-around center working on defensive rebounding and a few low post moves in particular  -- I'd love to see a baby hook and the drop step.

[mbgrulz]

Let's not get carried away.  He has had a couple of good games lately, but I am not sold on this offensive ability.

i think you are right to be cautiously optomistic about SH.

i LOVE the way he's been playing. defensively he is and always has been a force to be reckoned with, and now he is beginning to score a little too. however, his buckets have been off of wide open dunks and defenses still thinking that they can pull his man off hard on help side. i will be sold on him  as an NBA center when he can catch with his back to the basket, turn and score over his man.

SH getting dunks off of the secondary break is a scary thought for other teams. if he continues to run the floor that way, the NBA will come calling hard core.

[Bomis Hawg]

I think Hill gets drafted after next year.  I don't think he'll stick unless he works on his offensive game.  If he does so and does well, he'll make some money somewhere.  He'll be in the NBDL, likely, when it's all said and done. 

We'll see how he develops himself over the next year.  I think he get drafted and goes to the summer league with his team, probably flush out into the NBDL his first year or two.

[Wrigley_crush]

IMHO, Hill will be a lottery pick after his senior season. However, he has nowhere near the offensive capabilities to do much in the pro's and his defense won't be as dominant against those who have an inch on him and outweigh him.  He's not 7'7" like Manute bol who it didn't matter if he scored.

[Wrigley_crush]

oh yeah, i pick 2 seasons in the NBA and then he's overseas.

[Razorback88]

I think if he's smart, he'll go after this year and take advantage of all the good press he's been getting.  I'm not sold on his NBA ability, but if he keeps playing well, it will be a good time for him to leave.

[mbgrulz]

Could you imagine Hill guarding Ben Wallace?

it doesnt take much to guard ben wallace. that would actually be a perfect matchup for SH because he could help off and block shots that way.

The thing is that he's 7 foot, and many NBA players at that height are expected to also spell some minutes at PF, which to be frank, Hill doesn't have the athleticism to do.   He needs another year to work on his game, establish himself as an all-around center working on defensive rebounding and a few low post moves in particular  -- I'd love to see a baby hook and the drop step.

you're right about SH needing a post up game, but i'm not sure i agree with you that he will be asked to play PF in the NBA. SH is a TRUE center and not a 6-9 guy who played center in college and is in between being an NBA C and PF. there are not a lot of guys who are "true" centers anymore, so comparisons are few and far between.

i think we too often think that the NBA and NFL want finished products all the time. the fact is that almost all players that come in have huge holes in their game. why work on your game for free when you can work on your game for hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars.

[oldfart]

As much as we have all been excited about Steven's emerging offense, lets face it, it has been based almost entirely on dunks and alley-oops that may have largely been available because opponents had become aware of his lack of offense.  I am one of the many who said that little could be expected offensively of Steven this year, and although I am not ready yet to eat my words I am pleased that he has been more of an offensive force. However, teams are now going to be looking for this, and he is not going to be scoring as much as he has in these last few games.  Until he actually develops more offensive capabilities as a true pivot man (baby hook, drop step, etc) he is going to be drafted as a defensive stopper, someone to take a few fouls, etc. He might last a few years in the NBA as a 12th man.

[BigR]

Just remember Andrew Lang. Long NBA career & never much of a scorer.

[mbgrulz]

IMHO, Hill will be a lottery pick after his senior season. However, he has nowhere near the offensive capabilities to do much in the pro's and his defense won't be as dominant against those who have an inch on him and outweigh him.  He's not 7'7" like Manute bol who it didn't matter if he scored.

who exactly will be bigger than SH? yao ming? shaq? that's about it. he matches up on paper with about every other big in the NBA.

by no means do i thin SH will be a star in the NBA, but i think it is a strong possibility that he could be a brad miller, or mark madsen type of player.

[ErieHog]

IMHO, Hill will be a lottery pick after his senior season. However, he has nowhere near the offensive capabilities to do much in the pro's and his defense won't be as dominant against those who have an inch on him and outweigh him.  He's not 7'7" like Manute bol who it didn't matter if he scored.

who exactly will be bigger than SH? yao ming? shaq? that's about it. he matches up on paper with about every other big in the NBA.

by no means do i thin SH will be a star in the NBA, but i think it is a strong possibility that he could be a brad miller, or mark madsen type of player.

Plenty of folks are bigger than Hill, or at least *as* big, and have much better skill sets.

Dirk, Mutumbo, both O'Neals, Gasol, Blount,  Ilgauskus,  Darko,  Garnett,  Howard.

He doesn't match up decently against half of the league when more than 2 feet from the basket, and his utter lack of rebounding intensity means he's going to be owned by the likes of Elton Brand, too.

[Bomis Hawg]

Hill can play defense away from the hoop, which is an advantage.  Most big men can't play outside of the lane.  Guys like Gaso and Dirk like to step out and shoot.  Most big men can't get out there and guard, Hill can.

[Lando Calrissian]

He has an NBA future.

As Bomis said, he can defend on the perimeter and the NBA is full of 6'9"-7'0" guys that can drain it from outside (like Dirk, Jermaine O'neal, etc).

He'll find a place in the NBA, no doubt.

-------------------------------

He is in no way ready for it yet, though.

[J.J. JingleHammer]

He's no Mark Eaton.

[Bomis Hawg]

It was ALL about Uwe!

[LSPRazorbac]

I think he will return next year then go to the NBA.  I don't think he will be all-star material but I think at worst he will be a back-up center.  He might bounce around the league with different teams some but he will stay in the league.

[ErieHog]

It was ALL about Uwe!

I'm more partial to Slava Medvedenko

[barbourman2]

I wish him nothing but the best, but to turn pro now a days you have to have some weight on you even if you are 9 foot....I think that he is a great basketball player, there is no doubt about that. Unless he puts on about 30 lbs. he would not be a force in the NBA. He can score many points in college, but when it comes to in the paint and being garded, he has a issue getting position on someone who is not taller, but bigger than him. I would like to see him go pro and do well.

[DukeOfPork]

Let's not get carried away.  He has had a couple of good games lately, but I am not sold on this offensive ability.

When you're 7 feet tall and as agile as he is, the NBA doesn't care whether you are scoring in college.  They just don't care.

Example: I grew up in Kansas, and I remember a tall awkward kid named Greg Dreiling that was on a team with Danny Manning.  Dreiling was a nonfactor on the offensive end and was half as mobile as Hill.  He went on to be in the NBA for like 10 years.

You can't "teach" a guy to be 7 feet tall.

[chillinhoggie]

I think he will return next year then go to the NBA.  I don't think he will be all-star material but I think at worst he will be a back-up center.  He might bounce around the league with different teams some but he will stay in the league.

Not a bad life.... I'd take it.

[TRUHOG718]

IMO Hill would be a second round gamble off of height and recent hype if he goes this year. As history shows big men take longer to develop and Hill has actually improved every year here and this trend should continue next year. With this being said the smart thing for him to do would be to finish this year, go to another camp and come back next year looking to rise his stock and make more money for himself and his family. He should let  the oden's, the hibberts, the Gray's and those type guys go pro this year and continue to improve a the U of A. the numbers add up to him staying.  WPS

[Bomis Hawg]

Tree Rollins made a name for himself just blocking shots in the NBA.  Granted, he had a pretty good career at Clemson -- over 1800 pts. 

Chris Dudley played 16 years in the NBA and averaged less than 4 points a game.  He made like 4 million in 1997 with the Blazers.

Best example is Greg Kite.  He averaged 6 pts per game in college at BYU.  Drafted first round.  Played in the NBA 12 years, and averaged 6 plus per game.

[UhOhioHog]

Dampier

[mbgrulz]

IMHO, Hill will be a lottery pick after his senior season. However, he has nowhere near the offensive capabilities to do much in the pro's and his defense won't be as dominant against those who have an inch on him and outweigh him.  He's not 7'7" like Manute bol who it didn't matter if he scored.

who exactly will be bigger than SH? yao ming? shaq? that's about it. he matches up on paper with about every other big in the NBA.

by no means do i thin SH will be a star in the NBA, but i think it is a strong possibility that he could be a brad miller, or mark madsen type of player.

Plenty of folks are bigger than Hill, or at least *as* big, and have much better skill sets.

Dirk, Mutumbo, both O'Neals, Gasol, Blount,  Ilgauskus,  Darko,  Garnett,  Howard.

He doesn't match up decently against half of the league when more than 2 feet from the basket, and his utter lack of rebounding intensity means he's going to be owned by the likes of Elton Brand, too.

garnett and dirk are PF's and no coach would put hill on them for long periods of time.

other than that, i think hill would do just fine on them. he is not gonna be an all-star, but he is better than you are giving him credit for. like i said, we're looking at a brad miller type guy at best. he'll be a career backup center and will get filthy rich off of it.

sure, hill looks goofy and unathletic at times, but there are things he does on the court that go unnoticed. teams will all but abandon shots within 10 feet of hill because of his length. i'd bet you can take the number of shots he blocks and double that for shots altered.

hill should stay all four years, but i think he is a sure fire millionaire in a few years because of his basketball game.

[playboy]

IMHO, Hill will be a lottery pick after his senior season. However, he has nowhere near the offensive capabilities to do much in the pro's and his defense won't be as dominant against those who have an inch on him and outweigh him.  He's not 7'7" like Manute bol who it didn't matter if he scored.

who exactly will be bigger than SH? yao ming? shaq? that's about it. he matches up on paper with about every other big in the NBA.

by no means do i thin SH will be a star in the NBA, but i think it is a strong possibility that he could be a brad miller, or mark madsen type of player.

Plenty of folks are bigger than Hill, or at least *as* big, and have much better skill sets.

Dirk, Mutumbo, both O'Neals, Gasol, Blount,  Ilgauskus,  Darko,  Garnett,  Howard.

He doesn't match up decently against half of the league when more than 2 feet from the basket, and his utter lack of rebounding intensity means he's going to be owned by the likes of Elton Brand, too.

garnett and dirk are PF's and no coach would put hill on them for long periods of time.

other than that, i think hill would do just fine on them. he is not gonna be an all-star, but he is better than you are giving him credit for. like i said, we're looking at a brad miller type guy at best. he'll be a career backup center and will get filthy rich off of it.

sure, hill looks goofy and unathletic at times, but there are things he does on the court that go unnoticed. teams will all but abandon shots within 10 feet of hill because of his length. i'd bet you can take the number of shots he blocks and double that for shots altered.

hill should stay all four years, but i think he is a sure fire millionaire in a few years because of his basketball game.

Dirk would absolutely abuse Steven Hill.....but you're right, no coach would put Hill on Dirk or Garnett.

[ErieHog]

The problem is that teams like Pheonix, Dallas, and Minnesota will often play a small lineup where their PF fills the role of a C.   Either Hill draws the defensive assignment, or he doesn't play-- one or the other.  NBA teams are enamored of guys his size who have a little athleticism, and they try to hammer the square peg like Hill into a round hole;  when he fails against the bigger, scoring type PFs, he'll either be buried on a bench, or get backup minutes at C.

IMHO, Hill will be a lottery pick after his senior season. However, he has nowhere near the offensive capabilities to do much in the pro's and his defense won't be as dominant against those who have an inch on him and outweigh him.  He's not 7'7" like Manute bol who it didn't matter if he scored.

who exactly will be bigger than SH? yao ming? shaq? that's about it. he matches up on paper with about every other big in the NBA.

by no means do i thin SH will be a star in the NBA, but i think it is a strong possibility that he could be a brad miller, or mark madsen type of player.

Plenty of folks are bigger than Hill, or at least *as* big, and have much better skill sets.

Dirk, Mutumbo, both O'Neals, Gasol, Blount,  Ilgauskus,  Darko,  Garnett,  Howard.

He doesn't match up decently against half of the league when more than 2 feet from the basket, and his utter lack of rebounding intensity means he's going to be owned by the likes of Elton Brand, too.

garnett and dirk are PF's and no coach would put hill on them for long periods of time.

other than that, i think hill would do just fine on them. he is not gonna be an all-star, but he is better than you are giving him credit for. like i said, we're looking at a brad miller type guy at best. he'll be a career backup center and will get filthy rich off of it.

sure, hill looks goofy and unathletic at times, but there are things he does on the court that go unnoticed. teams will all but abandon shots within 10 feet of hill because of his length. i'd bet you can take the number of shots he blocks and double that for shots altered.

hill should stay all four years, but i think he is a sure fire millionaire in a few years because of his basketball game.

Dirk would absolutely abuse Steven Hill.....but you're right, no coach would put Hill on Dirk or Garnett.

[returntoglory]

this post shocks me. i love the heart of steven hill. but we arent talking rudy's heart here where he can make it on that. he has been merely decent over that past couple of years and nothing but an offensive liability. he has had three good games in his career (possible understatement for effect) and they have coincidentally been his last three games. the guy will get thrown around in the nba and be a bench warmer at most. i will be elated if i am wrong on this, cause that means that he will continue to develope over the next year and a half.

[hogtusk]

Just remember Andrew Lang. Long NBA career & never much of a scorer.

Yeah, Andrew Lang played 11 or 12 years in the NBA. His offense was not stellar, but he could block shots. Steven Hill has similar skills.
I think Andrew still works for the Hawks (chaplain or something like that).

[J.J. JingleHammer]

"He can score many points in college"

Why doesn't he then?

[artyhog]

He has said many times that his mom wanted him to get his degree.  I think he stays to honor her request.

[mbgrulz]

The problem is that teams like Pheonix, Dallas, and Minnesota will often play a small lineup where their PF fills the role of a C.   Either Hill draws the defensive assignment, or he doesn't play-- one or the other.  NBA teams are enamored of guys his size who have a little athleticism, and they try to hammer the square peg like Hill into a round hole;  when he fails against the bigger, scoring type PFs, he'll either be buried on a bench, or get backup minutes at C.

IMHO, Hill will be a lottery pick after his senior season. However, he has nowhere near the offensive capabilities to do much in the pro's and his defense won't be as dominant against those who have an inch on him and outweigh him.  He's not 7'7" like Manute bol who it didn't matter if he scored.

who exactly will be bigger than SH? yao ming? shaq? that's about it. he matches up on paper with about every other big in the NBA.

by no means do i thin SH will be a star in the NBA, but i think it is a strong possibility that he could be a brad miller, or mark madsen type of player.

Plenty of folks are bigger than Hill, or at least *as* big, and have much better skill sets.

Dirk, Mutumbo, both O'Neals, Gasol, Blount,  Ilgauskus,  Darko,  Garnett,  Howard.

He doesn't match up decently against half of the league when more than 2 feet from the basket, and his utter lack of rebounding intensity means he's going to be owned by the likes of Elton Brand, too.

garnett and dirk are PF's and no coach would put hill on them for long periods of time.

other than that, i think hill would do just fine on them. he is not gonna be an all-star, but he is better than you are giving him credit for. like i said, we're looking at a brad miller type guy at best. he'll be a career backup center and will get filthy rich off of it.

sure, hill looks goofy and unathletic at times, but there are things he does on the court that go unnoticed. teams will all but abandon shots within 10 feet of hill because of his length. i'd bet you can take the number of shots he blocks and double that for shots altered.

hill should stay all four years, but i think he is a sure fire millionaire in a few years because of his basketball game.

Dirk would absolutely abuse Steven Hill.....but you're right, no coach would put Hill on Dirk or Garnett.

if phoenix drafted him, that would be the most retarded choice of all time.

backup center. that will be his career for the most part. that is what i have been saying the whole time. i dont think anybody has ever said that he'll be an all-star or anything, but a serviceable post man he will be.

[ErieHog]

The problem is that teams like Pheonix, Dallas, and Minnesota will often play a small lineup where their PF fills the role of a C.   Either Hill draws the defensive assignment, or he doesn't play-- one or the other.  NBA teams are enamored of guys his size who have a little athleticism, and they try to hammer the square peg like Hill into a round hole;  when he fails against the bigger, scoring type PFs, he'll either be buried on a bench, or get backup minutes at C.

IMHO, Hill will be a lottery pick after his senior season. However, he has nowhere near the offensive capabilities to do much in the pro's and his defense won't be as dominant against those who have an inch on him and outweigh him.  He's not 7'7" like Manute bol who it didn't matter if he scored.

who exactly will be bigger than SH? yao ming? shaq? that's about it. he matches up on paper with about every other big in the NBA.

by no means do i thin SH will be a star in the NBA, but i think it is a strong possibility that he could be a brad miller, or mark madsen type of player.

Plenty of folks are bigger than Hill, or at least *as* big, and have much better skill sets.

Dirk, Mutumbo, both O'Neals, Gasol, Blount,  Ilgauskus,  Darko,  Garnett,  Howard.

He doesn't match up decently against half of the league when more than 2 feet from the basket, and his utter lack of rebounding intensity means he's going to be owned by the likes of Elton Brand, too.

garnett and dirk are PF's and no coach would put hill on them for long periods of time.

other than that, i think hill would do just fine on them. he is not gonna be an all-star, but he is better than you are giving him credit for. like i said, we're looking at a brad miller type guy at best. he'll be a career backup center and will get filthy rich off of it.

sure, hill looks goofy and unathletic at times, but there are things he does on the court that go unnoticed. teams will all but abandon shots within 10 feet of hill because of his length. i'd bet you can take the number of shots he blocks and double that for shots altered.

hill should stay all four years, but i think he is a sure fire millionaire in a few years because of his basketball game.

Dirk would absolutely abuse Steven Hill.....but you're right, no coach would put Hill on Dirk or Garnett.

if phoenix drafted him, that would be the most retarded choice of all time.

backup center. that will be his career for the most part. that is what i have been saying the whole time. i dont think anybody has ever said that he'll be an all-star or anything, but a serviceable post man he will be.

Its not about any of those teams drafting him;  its about him having to play against that style, one that's expanding in the League.  Hill has a chance at a productive career as a guy who gives minutes at the 5, but he really needs to be drafted in the Eastern Conference to have a shot.

[big papa]

Hill has gotten bigger every year since coming into the SEC. Those of you that think he'll be with the rim rockers are cra zy. He'll be in the NBA for some time. He could probably come out this year in the second round or so. If he continues to improve and get bigger without losing a step--forget about it. First round pick next year.

[jamie72921]

No way the guy is a lottery pick.

He MUST develop an offensive game for that to happen.

[kcstar]

I think Hill goes to the NBA next year since he is a Hog and we want to keep him.  It seems that the Hogs lose their players early (Corliss, Scotty, Darnell, Olu, Joe Johnson, Ronnie B) and teams like Kentucky keeps theirs until their eligibilty is used up (Bogans, T.Prince, Morris).

I don't think SH will be an NBA star but could have a long career and make a lot of bucks.  We need him to return in a bad way.

[DukeOfPork]

this post shocks me. i love the heart of steven hill. but we arent talking rudy's heart here where he can make it on that. he has been merely decent over that past couple of years and nothing but an offensive liability. he has had three good games in his career (possible understatement for effect) and they have coincidentally been his last three games. the guy will get thrown around in the nba and be a bench warmer at most. i will be elated if i am wrong on this, cause that means that he will continue to develope over the next year and a half.

Hill will be in the NBA for several years and make millions.  I guarantee it. 

When you are 7 feet tall, you don't have to be polished.  The NBA wants you anyway.

[Tusker4life]

Has anyone noticed he plays better when he doesnt wear those weird looking shoes he wore most of the first half of the season?  :razorback:

[canadianrazorback]

No doubt he will be drafted.  He is too much of a defensive threat not to be.  If his offensive skills keep improving, his stock will only go higher.  Because of this he needs to stay the full 4 years.

[HogBen]

It was ALL about Uwe!

SWEEEET!

[playboy]

Hill has gotten bigger every year since coming into the SEC. Those of you that think he'll be with the rim rockers are cra zy. He'll be in the NBA for some time. He could probably come out this year in the second round or so. If he continues to improve and get bigger without losing a step--forget about it. First round pick next year.

by saying he could come out this year in the second round "or so", do you mean the second round or "undrafted".  There are only 2 rounds.

[kcstar]

Just remember Andrew Lang. Long NBA career & never much of a scorer.

Yeah, Andrew Lang played 11 or 12 years in the NBA. His offense was not stellar, but he could block shots. Steven Hill has similar skills.
I think Andrew still works for the Hawks (chaplain or something like that).

Lang was a miserable offensive player and was no where close to Hill on defense.  He was easily faked off his feet and never learned to play (while at the UofA) without fouling.

[elksnort]

The thing is that he's 7 foot, and many NBA players at that height are expected to also spell some minutes at PF, which to be frank, Hill doesn't have the athleticism to do.   He needs another year to work on his game, establish himself as an all-around center working on defensive rebounding and a few low post moves in particular  -- I'd love to see a baby hook and the drop step.

No offense my man, but Steven Hill appears to be very athletic. Not many 7 feet people can run the floor and jump like he can. I will agree that his ball handling (incl. passing) could improve along with maybe a better understanding of court awareness could improve. But I really think that he has alot of "it" which you can't teach.