2008 Woodie Awards
IUPUI's George Hill: the man behind the stats
Maurice M. McKiernan
Issue date: 2/20/08 Section: Sports
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Maybe that is the swagger you must exude to accomplish what the 6-foot-2-inch junior guard has.
In 2004 - his senior year at Broad Ripple High School - Hill averaged 36.2 points per game, the fifth best scoring average in the history of Indiana high school basketball.
At IUPUI, he has already won the honor of being named Summit League Player of the Week four times - and that is in this single, unfinished season alone.
He is almost sure to finish his collegiate career as one of the all-time greatest IUPUI athletes.
But, this piece is not about George Hill the basketball player and his accomplishments on the court - he obviously excels there.
This piece is about George Hill the human being and his personality in everyday life.
Like many people in the public spotlight, Hill is much different than his persona is frequently stereotyped as.
George Hill is a generous man who has a quick wit, a drive to remain upbeat and what seems like a dedication to constantly smile (despite the glare of the team-photo).
Furthermore, he is an only child who places a lot of importance on family.
Family is what brought him to IUPUI.
After his huge success at the high school level, it was time for Hill to pick a college.
"I was choosing between Florida and Temple, but my grandfather was (terminally) sick and my dream was always for him to be able to watch me play," he explains. Being from Broad Ripple, he decided to stay close to home and attend IUPUI because, "it would be a great opportunity for (my grandfather) to come see me."
Those dreams never came true.
"Unfortunately, (my grandfather) died my senior year in high school, so he never got to watch me play college ball," says Hill.
During this trying time, he was dealing with more than just the loss of a loved-one.
"After he died, people were asking me, 'Why don't you just switch (colleges)? You only verbally committed to IUPUI?'" Hill remembers. The integrity of his personality shows when he says, "My grandfather always told me to be a man of my word … so I stayed here."
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