Four years ago, Grant Hill was quite the big man on Duke's campus. He was a member of the defending two-time national champion men's basketball team, a preseason All-American and one of the most versatile and exciting players in college basketball. The one thing he was not was an Olympian.
Hill would have been a shoe-in for the Olympic team if college players were going to be on it, but in 1992 professional basketball players were used for the first time and he saw his Olympics dreams stymied. Hill was part of an eight-man USA Olympic Development team that scrimmaged the original 'Dream Team' before the Olympics. That unit, however, is better known for having served as the first of many sacrificial lambs for the Dream Team. Now, four years later, Hill is set to take the stage at the Summer Olympics in Atlanta as a member of Dream Team III.
"It feels really good to have on the USA jersey," Hill said. "Last time I wore it in '92, I had to buy it if I wanted to keep it and now they give it to you for free. I always wanted to be on the Olympic team but I didn't think it would happen this quick, just four years later.
"It feels really good to represent your country and not be a pawn for Dream Team I like I was in practice in '92. It's great to actually be on the Dream Team competing for the Gold Medal. To play in the Olympics is a great honor. To be here with these great players, to win a Gold Medal and to be a part of the whole Olympic experience to me is the ultimate honor."
The charismatic Hill has recently completed his second season in the NBA with the Detroit Pistons. He is the least experienced of the players on the Dream Team, but he is arguably, the most recognizable. He has been voted to two straight NBA All-Star games, and was the leading vote-getter this year, garnering more votes than Michael Jordan.
Analysts note that Hill is the second-most marketable player in the NBA behind only Jordan. Hill has a bestselling book, Change the Game, numerous commercials and his own web site [http://www.granthill.com]. More importantly, after years of crybaby superstars, the NBA has found its perfect poster boy and latched on.
"I don't think anybody has as many commercials and has been as good of an ambassador for basketball as Grant has been," Duke men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "I think he handles his fame and fortune extremely well, with class and dignity-as he did his experience here at Duke. And I think that's part of the Duke experience and part of a lot of his family's background. I'm very happy for him."
Juggling as many projects as he does, while still aiming to improve on the basketball court is a difficult part of Hill's life. Hill admits to being tired, but after a long, grueling NBA season in which the Pistons advanced to the first round of the NBA Playoffs, he is excited about having the chance to play on the Dream Team.
Hill likens the experience to a four or five week All-Star break. He know he will enjoy the games and the festivities surrounding the Olympics, but he is quite aware of how tiring it will be on his body and his mind. Luckily, Hill has already learned a valuable lesson about his time.
"This year I realized that no matter what you do, there are going to be people who aren't satisfied," Hill said. "Really you have to please yourself. So this year I became a little more selfish in what I do, and I now try to have time for myself. I have learned to say no.
"I still do things, things that are very important things, involving the NBA, endorsements and charities. But I don't do everything. It has helped me, I think it has helped me in my game, it has helped me as a person to develop and grow."
Even while reducing the number of activities he is involved in, Hill still finds time for his alma mater. He keeps in contact with Blue Devil assistant coaches Tommy Amaker and Quin Snyder and others who were players when Hill was in school. In fact, Hill even found time to make it to Durham for the Blue Devils' contest with Wake Forest in early January.
"Duke was a special moment in my life, a special four years for me," Hill said. "I will always remember, and I will always hold on to those memories, and I will always try to relive those memories whether it be talking with ex-teammates, ex-coaches or ex-friends from college. In some ways I wish I was back in school."
Hill departed in Duke in 1994 after having compiled quite a list of accomplishments. The Blue Devils won two national titles and reached the finals once more in his four years. He was a two-time All-American, and he had his jersey retired. Since graduating, it is fair to say that Hill is Duke's most recognizable alumnus.
"You'd have to say that Grant is one of the most prominent and recognizable alumni that Duke has," said John Burness, Duke University senior vice president for public affairs. "One of things about Grant is he projects a positive image-period. He obviously is not only a great athlete, but he is a thoughtful, decent person, and it comes through. He is someone who has taken his stardom in sort of a natural stride."
NBA Superstar, highly marketable role model, most recognized alumnus-Hill is now all of these. He is also now an Olympian, and on Aug. 3 he should receive the Gold Medal he had his sights set on four years ago.
Johnny Moore of Blue Devil Weekly contributed to this article.
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