Johnny Hill
- Thread starter Cevol03
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Quotes from his coach from newspaper article before the start of last season:
Head coach Scott Cross categorized Hill as one of the best players on the team, despite not having seen him play any meaningful minutes yet.
But given his hyper-aggressive work ethic, Cross said he sees Hill as not only a player, but also a leader with coach-like qualities.
“I think he’s one of the closest things to a player coach that I’ve ever coached,” Cross said. “You picture a Michael Jordan competitiveness in practice. That’s who Johnny is.”
Head coach Scott Cross categorized Hill as one of the best players on the team, despite not having seen him play any meaningful minutes yet.
But given his hyper-aggressive work ethic, Cross said he sees Hill as not only a player, but also a leader with coach-like qualities.
“I think he’s one of the closest things to a player coach that I’ve ever coached,” Cross said. “You picture a Michael Jordan competitiveness in practice. That’s who Johnny is.”
Johnny Hill is the player pictured on the Frontpage from UT Arlington. 10 and 4 stat line.
Looks like he has a good motor, plays aggressive defense and can finish at the rim. Looks pretty good to me.
Great news…he's a horrible free throw shooter too!
Well, not horrible, but not what you want in a PG...69%.
He seems like a decent player. Probably wouldn't reach the PT/responsibility of Octeus, but that's a-ok.
Great news…he's a horrible free throw shooter too!
Well, not horrible, but not what you want in a PG...69%.
He seems like a decent player. Probably wouldn't reach the PT/responsibility of Octeus, but that's a-ok.
Sunbelt ain't the Big Ten either. Doesn't look as quick as JO but decent.
That was my thought - doesnt look real explosive, but can be a nice addition to the PG mix. And sounds like he can help raise the bar in practice from a competition standpoint
My only concern would be that it doesn't look like he had any guy with size like AJ and Isaac that was a factor last year and thus he may not know how to run an offense from through a big man. We've seen the difficulty folks can have just making the inside pass at times.
I'm not looking for another JO because honestly he spoiled us as a 5th year transfer at the PG position. I guarantee noone expected him to be glue guy that he was. The pieces are in place, all we need is from the pg is to be stable and capable this year for us to take the next step from the surprise team to the challenger. Give me a pg who doesn't turn the ball over and can read the floor and we will have success. Do not expect another Octeus to come out of nowhere bc he is not out there. Let's build on last year and show the big ten that we are back.
One of JO's biggest problems was his inability to feed the post consistently and effectively, so I feel like there's nowhere to go but up in that department.
He does resemble JO somewhat. He works on defense which our coach would like. He's from Chicago and Ill. State at one time. Turns the ball over more than desired but dribbles well in traffic. He looks to pass underneath which we want. Played 26+ minutes per game but was injured and didn't play at the end of the season. Actually shot 17 foul shots one game. His dunks in traffic made me chuckle and think of JO and the IU dunk. If someone said it was JO, I would have believed them. I think he would fit in well from ability perspective and what we need. He dropped from 77 to 69% in FTs but a couple of games were what caused that.
He will not be the rebounder Octeus Prime was.
Like his ability to finish in traffic.
Like his use of the rim to shield defenders.
Seems to knock down shots even when off balance....seemed really crafty around the rim.
Like his post feeds and court vision shown mostly.
Liked his stroke @ the FT line.
Seemed to dribble with his head down some and go when he did not have a plan.....would be interested in his TO stats?
However, some of the D in that video seemed awfully familiar to what we see @ iu.
Not sure Painter will let him use the dribble & give that much freedom to create, and whomever we get, their ability to acclimate to our system will be the key. If he can fit in our system and with our players, I am OK with it.
Like his ability to finish in traffic.
Like his use of the rim to shield defenders.
Seems to knock down shots even when off balance....seemed really crafty around the rim.
Like his post feeds and court vision shown mostly.
Liked his stroke @ the FT line.
Seemed to dribble with his head down some and go when he did not have a plan.....would be interested in his TO stats?
However, some of the D in that video seemed awfully familiar to what we see @ iu.
Not sure Painter will let him use the dribble & give that much freedom to create, and whomever we get, their ability to acclimate to our system will be the key. If he can fit in our system and with our players, I am OK with it.
I mentioned him on Tuesday of this week before GBI put the story out in BO in pay member view.
With his length at 6ft 3in and us being close to home (Glendale Heights, IL) it only made sense he look at us.
see below what I wrote on Tuesday.....
Here are some 5th year guys that are eligible next year with ties to the area we may look at now that Ennis and Tarrant are off the board.
1) Johnny Hill PG 6ft 3in 180lbs from Glendale Heights, IL transferring from Texas-Arlington (Not sure of major or grades)
2) Karl Madison PG 5ft 9in 186lbs from Springfield, IL transferring from Drake (Not sure of major or grades)
3) De Shon "Biggie" Minnis PG 6ft 3in 200lbs from Philly, PA transferring from Rhode Island (Not sure of major or grades)
I myself like the taller guards that can rebound and defend with the long arms like two of the 3 above, but also like quick guards that can defend.
With PJ and Weatherford being smaller quicker guards I hope we take a look at some of these taller 6ft 3in 5th year guys.
Boiler Up!
There's a lot to like about those clips. But like someone else already noted, they weren't in a big 6 conference like ours. But he's obviously a capable playmaker. He plays D. His coach called him a real leader. If he could improve his FT% to a level like earlier in his career, and his handle some, he could very well be the next JO.
I agree, but in terms of strength and quickness, it's an upgrade at PG (unless PJ reinvents himself over the summer). Even if PJ does, no one can play 35+ minutes a night effectively at PG and we need some more depth at that position.
At this point, we need something and as more time passes, options are become fewer and fewer to choose from.
I agree. I think having Hill would balance out the PG platoon.
I think you can have a smaller guard, but IMO they need to be strong, quick and explosive (LewJack) to make up for the lack of size - which PJ is not (at least right now). I like PJ in a backup PG role. He runs the offense well enough, shoots well enough and for the most part makes good enough decisions. I'd love PJ if he was a lock down defender, but let's face it, he's not and that's okay, he still provides value for the team.
Weatherford might be strong and explosive, I just personally don't like having to rely on a freshman PG with no other options. You need 2 PGs to complete a 40 minute game and having a 3rd PG on the roster is a must (and the 3 PG will get better over the year with the competition).
Completely agree. The people who are expecting THAT are not realistic. Right now, we need a capable body at that position for depth. I don't expect a transfer to come in and play 30 minutes a game like Octeus was.
I hear what you're saying since we knew what JO could do but Hill did average 4.3 rebounds per game with a high of 9. That is pretty good actually for a pg.
It should be noted that Octeus
Hill actually averaged 4.3 rebounds, so not sure I'd point blank say "he will not be the rebounder" that Octeus was.
We don't need a great PG in our offense, JO spoiled us greatly, but everyone returning and getting better this summer, we just need a PG to run the offense through our bigs, we all know Edwards will probably lead the team in assists anyway, as long as our PG can play D,which this kid can, and not turn it over we will be in good shape. The competition b/w PJ, Grant and if this kid comes will be great
First off, he's just visiting. People get so wrapped up in things becoming done deals before anything is remotely done.
Secondly, PJ hardly needs to "reinvent" himself. There's things he needs to improve, but he's certainly capable of doing so and does not need to reinvent himself to do so.
Third, the people who think we're going to get another Jon Octeus have the bar set way too high. We need depth, like you said. Even so, there are other guards on our team that would be capable of playing point for smaller increments of time.
I think the big issue is TOs, Painter has shown a history to be very intolerant of TOs in our guards, even when they are trying to create. As per above, I like what I see in this guy a lot, but what he might do for Purdue, will be limited if he starts turning it over.
Also--That will be a nice surprise if he can translate his 4.3 R/game in that league to the B1G.
Also--That will be a nice surprise if he can translate his 4.3 R/game in that league to the B1G.
Let's be clear, I'm not banking on it happening. He is visiting and he is considering us. If Hill or other 5th year player came, our team would be much better off for it. We have little depth at this position and the guys we have aren't proven commodities. It's obvious Painter thinks so too and why he's desperately recruiting that spot (the current roster is solid in every position but the fact that we only have 2 young and inexperienced PG is concerning).
I'm certainly not expecting any newcomer to be Octeus. Any newcomer needs to come in and be themselves, but there's a reason Painter is going for a 5th year guy (and not an incoming freshman) because it will bring a mature college player and body to help stabilize the spot.
As for PJ, I respect your opinion, but we disagree. (Also, please re-read my post. I said Hill is an upgrade unless PJ re-invents himself. I didn't say that PJ HAS to reinvent himself. I like him in a backup PG role). I'm not trying to pick on him, but we have a chance to be really good next year and he's the concerning piece. If we want to be S16 or greater, I think we need another starter or he needs to get a lot better defensively. He's fine if we plan or do not want to be that good. For teams that have a good PG, PJ is a mismatch to attack against. A 5th year PG with good to above average athleticism and defense neutralizes or minimizes that mismatch.
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Not to knock anything about this guy, as I would like to have him part of the team. How is he better than Bryson Scott would have been? I don't know what happened there behind the lines, but losing Scott hurt. I felt his play this year, when he did play was good considering his Freshman season. I guess it's a moot point now, just frustrating.
Highlight tapes don't tend to show you the misses. About the first off balance leaping leaner he takes with someone else open that clangs off the rim and Painter will plant him on the pine.
I'm saying people in general keep referring to the next Octeus. That's most likely not going to happen.
I like the idea of this guy. I just want some more depth. I don't want our young PGs to ride the bench. A PG that has experience and won't panic under pressure is what I want to add along with PJ and GW.
And don't get me wrong, because I love what he gave to the team too, but people should be thinking more about this guy contributing in the way that Sterling did, not Octeus. And I don't mean that in a derogatory sense as I liked Carter too but he didn't have as much all around game and skill. He'll I'd take Carter back for one more year too. I just think that's more along the lines of play we can expect from a player coming it. It's going to be based on FIT with the system and the team, not stats and skill.
I don't have a sense of how likely this is to happen nor do I have a great sense of how good Hill can be within Painter's system. A lot of it comes down to maturity and willingness to adapt.
One of the things that I noticed when looking at KenPom is that UT Arlington was actually a pretty good team last season. Their KenPom rating of 194 was actually higher than Gardner Webb, Missouri, and Rutgers.
An apparent red flag with Hill is his offensive efficiency and his turnover rate in particular, but I wonder how much his inefficiency had to do with the fast pace that UTA played at, ranked eighth in the country by KenPom. He may have been asked to constantly push th pace and encouraged to force plays early in the shot clock. He was a considerably more efficient player when he was at Illinois St.
If he comes to Purdue, Painter will certainly encourage him to make the simple, high percentage play and choose his spots of when to attack. Whether he can make this adjustment, I have no idea, but I can imagine him contributing to Purdue's success next year.
Agreed. We need depth, not a star. If he happens to turn out better than expected, great.
I think Painter learned last year he needs to give more minutes to the players that earning it like JO. I hope I'm wrong but I think its going to be hard for any 5th year transfer to come in and see minutes with the group we have. I wish Painter would get more creative and shorten the bench to get our best players more minutes like the 8 player rotation (Thad Matta approach). I know I'm going to get crucified but I can see VE growing into a Scottie Pippen type role on this team with his passing ability.
Starters
VE
Mathias
RayDay
Smotherman
Hammons
Bench
Haas
Stephens
Taylor
Starters
VE
Mathias
RayDay
Smotherman
Hammons
Bench
Haas
Stephens
Taylor
