Hill Has Been a Rock for Syracuse

John Wallace gets all the accolades and Lazarus Sims is regarded as Syracuse’s floor leader, but the Orangemen would not be playing in tonight’s NCAA championship game without junior Otis Hill.

In the tournament, Hill has been Syracuse’s most consistent player, averaging 16 points and 6.2 rebounds in five games. In the Orangemen’s 77-69 victory over Mississippi State in Saturday’s semifinal, Hill scored 15 of Syracuse’s first 27 points.

Not bad for someone who played so poorly in Syracuse’s first two exhibition games that he argued with Coach Jim Boeheim, left during the second game and walked nearly three miles from the Carrier Dome to his off-campus apartment.

“I did not have a problem with Coach Boeheim, I was just really frustrated at the time,” said Hill, a 6-foot-8 center. “I had a terrible first exhibition game and then was playing bad in the second and Coach told me if I was going to play like this then I should leave. So I did.”

In his walk home, Hill thought about the death of his father a year earlier of a heart attack.

“He was my best friend as long as [he was] my father,” Hill said. “I had to put my life into perspective. I realized that he would want me to go out and just play. After the walk, I decided to dedicate everything to him and let him give me vision out on the floor.”

Hill began his career at Syracuse on a high note by gaining all-rookie Big East Conference honors after shooting 54.1% from the field, averaging 5.6 rebounds and blocking 42 shots. But after his father died shortly before the start of last season, Hill struggled. He lost his starting position and his playing time decreased.

“It was tough for Otis because he was so close to his father, but he fought through it,” Boeheim said. “This year, he has really stepped up, especially during the second half of the season. He made the same plays and moves last year, but he just didn’t finish them as well.”

The real turning point for Hill this season came after an overtime loss at home to Villanova on Jan. 29. In that game, Hill fouled out with only four points and three rebounds in 22 minutes.

Since then, he has stayed out of foul trouble and become an offensive force inside, complementing Wallace.

“I’ve just started taking my time and being strong with my moves,” Hill said.

That was evident in the first half against Mississippi State when Hill dominated the Bulldogs’ bigger and more publicized center, Erick Dampier.

“Otis got it going early, so I just wanted to keep giving him the ball,” Sims said. “He turned it into a mismatch. He really did.”

Hill had been regarded only as a rebounder and a defensive specialist.

“It’s funny, but I never thought I had any stock before,” he said. “But now, people are coming up to me and telling me I have some.”