Hill leaps into spring spotlight
Each spring, prospects from across the country use the grassroots circuit to boost their profile. Malcolm Hill is certainly somebody who falls into that category.
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The 6-foot-5 sophomore wing at Belleville (Ill.) East has been as good as just about any player in the country this spring and has shined at several stops for the Southwest Illinois Jets.
"This is one of our better AAU seasons, we've competed with some of the top 25 AAU teams in the country," Hill told Rivals.com. "I've done pretty well. I could do better but I think this is one of my best seasons so far.
"It's been great for me. I'm playing against some of the best players in the country. It's good for me because it keeps me humble and lets me know what I need to work on."
A good-sized wing who can play either the shooting guard or small forward slot, Hill's strength is his ability to create his own shot off the dribble. He has athleticism to finish around the rim and is turning into a dangerous shooter from deep.
"My strength so far is that I'm a great offensive player," said Hill, the 35th-ranked player nationally in the class of 2013. "I feel like I know how to score the ball very well. I play hard sometimes, well most of the time, but I can work on that. I can improve on my defense and rebounding and I can improve on my jump shot."
As Hill's reputation has grown, college programs have come calling. He's heard from Illinois, Missouri, Michigan, Ohio State, Indiana, Xavier, Providence and more.
He's hoping to make visits to Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio State this summer. Hill dropped by to see Frank Haith and his Missouri program last week.
"It was great," said Hill of Missouri. "They have a good campus, a great coaching staff and they know how to have good relationships with their players because they are easy to talk to. They have a good basketball environment."
Despite all of his newfound attention, Hill says that things have yet to get too crazy and he's hoping to keep it that way.
"I'm going to take my time with it right now so I can talk to my mom and dad about which colleges are for my best interest," Hill said. "Not just basketball but educationally."
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