Hill's NBA success boosts IUPUI

July 1, 2008
Back to TopCommentsE-mailPrint
geohillDespite George Hill’s departure for the National Basketball Association, IUPUI men’s basketball coach Ron Hunter said the program is far from dead.

When Hill left—despite having one year of eligibility remaining—many hoops experts predicted that would stunt the growth of the IUPUI program.

The prospect of seeing an NBA first-round draft pick certainly would have packed in the fans to the Jaguars’ home venue on the west side of downtown. But Hunter said momentum is building not in spite of Hill’s departure—but in some ways because of it.

Hunter said Hill’s success at IUPUI has been a strong recruiting tool with area high school players and a strong motivational device with current players.

“George Hill came in a skinny kid with some talent, and he left a millionaire,” Hunter said. “We tell our kids it is about hard work, having some luck and doing things the right way.”

Though it will be difficult improving off last year’s 26-7 season, Hunter isn’t discounting the possibility. Two incoming freshmen could be the key. Hunter is touting Larry Stone from Howe and Alex Young from Northwest as his new young guns.

“Alex Young should really not be at IUPUI,” Hunter said. “He should be at a much bigger school. He can flat out play.”

Sports marketers think the promise of watching another possible NBA star in the cozy confines of IUPUI’s home arena could draw fans in record numbers this year.
ADVERTISEMENT
  • berwickguyJuly 1, 2008 10:30 AM
    Perhaps state coffers should help finance a new basketball facility for this fine program instead of wasting more $$ as has been the case at the university cess pool in Bloomington.
    Reply to CommentFlag Comment
  • BatesJuly 1, 2008 8:54 PM
    Building a new IUPUI playing venue has one BIG obstacle. The ownership of the Pacers doesn't want it. Another 8,000 to 10,000 seat arena downtown does nothing for the viability of Conseco Fieldhouse. That facility has enough problems attracting concerts, etc. without another venue to compete with. But I really like the job the folks in the IUPUI AD have quietly done.
    Reply to CommentFlag Comment
  • SlevinJuly 2, 2008 9:28 AM
    I think Hunter has to be right that this will help the program long term. As Hill plays in the NBA and people hear At guard, 6'2, from IUPUI people will have to give their respected attention to the basketball team. That, in conjunction with the continued improvement of the school, its facilities, and the surrounding city, should boost the program immensely in my eyes. I am rooting for the Jaguars, and hope that they can continue to represent the city of Indianapolis and the state of Indiana as a basketball powerhouse.
    Reply to CommentFlag Comment
  • nice stunts
    Ashwani KumarMarch 5, 2013 4:06 AM
    basket ball is very nice game.This is my faovrite game.
    Reply to CommentFlag Comment

Post a comment to this blog

COMMENTS POLICY
We reserve the right to remove any post that we feel is obscene, profane, vulgar, racist, sexually explicit, abusive, or hateful.
 
You are legally responsible for what you post and your anonymity is not guaranteed.
 
Posts that insult, defame, threaten, harass or abuse other readers or people mentioned in IBJ editorial content are also subject to removal. Please respect the privacy of individuals and refrain from posting personal information.
 
No solicitations, spamming or advertisements are allowed. Readers may post links to other informational websites that are relevant to the topic at hand, but please do not link to objectionable material.
 
We may remove messages that are unrelated to the topic, encourage illegal activity, use all capital letters or are unreadable.
 

Messages that are flagged by readers as objectionable will be reviewed and may or may not be removed. Please do not flag a post simply because you disagree with it.

ADVANCED SEARCH
Sponsored by
ADVERTISEMENT

  1. Good ole' Obamacare. Thanks liberals and those who didn't bother to vote.

  2. Yes. Blame those who were too lazy to go vote Obama out and those who voted him in again. That's my take on it. I know folks won't get it on the left. OK. Start berating me now!

  3. Serioulsy, people are AGINST this project? Most communities would be salivating over a project like this. You'd rather have an empty eye-sore gas station and shacks posing as apartments? This project is exactly what BR needs. BUILD IT MR MAYOR. And yes, I am a BR resident, and have been for 20 years.

  4. As a St. Vincent employee of over 20 years, I am saddened and disheartened by this announcement. Unfortunately, as the healthcare "industry" continues on this political and corporate path, all that St. Vincent Hospital has stood for spiritually for its employees and this community is being sucked dry. I know it truly has no choice. It is not just Obamacare or just competition or just any single thing. This trend started long before I was even born when the government became involved in healthcare and it became an "industry." I grieve for those who will lose their jobs, one of whom may be me, but I also grieve for this hospital which I have served for over 20 years. May God give us and it the grace to withstand the future of healthcare.

  5. Why do people constantly harp on this issue and act ignorant about what a city population measures? A city's population is the city's population. There is no argument or debate about it. If you want to measure the density of a city--measure it. If you want to measure the size of a metropolitan area, then measure the metropolitan population. City boundaries cover different sized areas--and they always have (though the disparity has probably increased since about 1900 or so when more cities began annexing their surrounding communities). For example, San Francisco only covers 49 square miles while Houston cover nearly 600 square miles. No one argues about the population rankings of either city even though they clearly cover extremely different sized areas. Indianapolis is the 13 largest city by population in the U.S. That is a fact. While the population of a metropolitan area may give you a better sense of how large a community is, as noted, even metro areas can vary widely in the size of geographic area they cover--so that is not a perfect comparison either.

ADVERTISEMENT