Illinois Basketball: Remembering the careers of the Illini seniors

Malcolm Hill

The saddest part about the last four seasons was not the fact that we weren’t good, but it was the fact that Malcolm Hill couldn’t see the NCAA tournament just once.

Hill is arguably the best player we have seen in the orange and blue in the last decade. He had the ability to create his own shot and he could post up or shoot the three-pointer. His abilities were amazing.

Over the last three seasons, Hill has averaged over 14.3 points per game. He hit the 17.2 points per game mark this season and also added in 5.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists. It was a true joy to watch him play the game.

Hill was never injured but his career was affected by injuries. He couldn’t get to the NCAA tournament because the Illini were injured so much during his four seasons. You mix that in with bad coaching and that is how you have four straight postseason misses.

I will always appreciate Hill’s ability to put the team on his back, though. He could lift this team night in and night out, but he didn’t have a ton of help.

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The stretch of four missed NCAA tournaments is a sad era, but I won’t remember Hill that way as a player. I will always remember his as a great who just had a bad situation.