Steven Hill (born November 14, 1985) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. A

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

, he attended

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

College career

In his freshman year, Hill started 18 of 30 games for the

Arkansas Razorbacks The Arkansas Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the intercollegiate athletics teams representing the University of Arkansas, located in Fayetteville. The University of Arkansas student body voted to change the name of the school mascot (ori ...

and finished second in the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...

with 1.8 blocks per game, also averaging 2.3 points and

rebounds 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

. The number of blocks achieved, 54, was second most for a freshman in

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

history, the leader being

Oliver Miller Oliver J. Miller (born April 6, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player. He was nicknamed "The Big O" because of his large size ( and well over throughout his pro career). Miller played college basketball at the University of ...

with 60. In his second year, Hill upped his numbers slightly, averaging 2.8 blocks in the process, good enough for second in the conference. His 91 blocks as a sophomore surpassed Miller's record of 85. Hill received SEC Defensive Player of the Year accolades in his junior year, and improved his averages once again (6.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.8 blocks), while his 93 made shots and 218 total points doubled his career totals entering the year. In blocked shots, Hill's total of 99 made him the first Razorback to get 90+ blocks in more than one year. In his senior year, his numbers decreased slightly.

Professional career

After going

undrafted In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in the 2008 NBA draft, Hill was signed by the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

in August 2008, but was waived in October, before the 2008–09 season began. He was signed by the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

on November 4, 2008, playing one game before being assigned to the Thunder's

D-League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA De ...

affiliate

Tulsa 66ers Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

on November 21. On December 13, Hill was recalled by the Thunder, after averaging 9.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in 25.6 minutes in five games for the 66ers. A week later, without playing an additional game, he was made expendable and subsequently waived by the Thunder to make room on their roster for newly signed 7'0" center Nenad Krstic. He played with the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

during the NBA 2009 Summer League and with the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

during the NBA 2010 Summer League. In October 2010, Hill signed a training camp contract with the

, but was waived prior to the regular season.

References

External links

NBA.com profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Steven 1985 births Living people American men's basketball players Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball players Basketball players from Kansas Centers (basketball) Oklahoma City Thunder players Power forwards People from Chanute, Kansas Tulsa 66ers players Undrafted NBA players