Michigan State

Hill is key to Spartans' success

While it's hard to point a finger at one player to carry the Spartans through the tournament, sophomore Chris Hill, a shooting guard moved to the point and then back to shooting guard, is clearly the team's most important player, possession through possession.

Hill, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound sophomore, is the team's best pure shooter and most consistent weapon. He averages 14 points, but more important, is the team's primary option when it needs a big basket.

"Once we get him going, the sky's the limit," said guard Alan Anderson, who has assumed some of the point guard duties to free up Hill's trigger finger. "The other team's first cue is stopping Chris. Our team is a lot better if he's scoring."

The reality is while Hill isn't needed to drop 20 points per game to keep the Spartans alive, his general contributions on offense, defense and in the huddle are immeasurable.

Entering the Big Ten tournament, the Spartans were 10-1 when Hill shot 50 percent or better from the field. The one loss came against Syracuse (76-75), and Hill hardly could be blamed for that. That day, he hit a career high and Big Ten record 10 3-pointers en route to a 34-point performance.

"I do put pressure on myself to play well at both ends, and when we do need baskets, to be able to step up and make those," said Hill, who led the Spartans in scoring in 15 of 31 games. "I feel like I have a big impact on how our team does, and I need to rise up now."

Coach Tom Izzo routinely has pointed out that asking Hill to become the point guard in the offseason and then slowly relieving him of those duties so he can shoot more would have been taxing on any player.

"He's done an incredible job of hanging in there," Izzo said.

Part of that could be because Hill easily assesses situations. This season, he became only the fourth MSU basketball player to be named an Academic All-American. Hill has a 3.90 GPA in finance and is a member of the MSU Honors Society.

One thing the Spartans won't have to worry about is Hill's sense of confidence.

"We played two No.1s, beat one of them and lost to the other by two points," Hill said. "So we should be ready."

-- Information from other news sources was used in this report.

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