Hill looked like a different player last weekend at Hoop Fest. The 6-foot-5 freshman has always had an intriguing skillset and the size and strength necessary to make you think he’ll be a big-time player one day, but he looks like he’s finally starting to understand the important of multiple efforts and motor. Against The Club, he had a good number of deflections and was simply more engaged and locked in defensively than I’ve seen him before, and it paid dividends for him on the offensive end as well. He made a bunch of shots from three, he was super active in the passing lanes defensively, and he consistently used his physicality to punish defenders in the paint. Hill REALLY impressed me and I’ll be curious to see whether this is a permanent change for him.

Hill is only a freshman, and you can literally see him getting more comfortable as the games go on. The 6-foot-5 forward hit 5 threes in New Bedford’s first round matchup, but he also used his size and strength to finish in the paint. Hill also made a couple nice dump down passes and looked more physically and mentally tough than he has in the past. Major growth for the freshman.

Like Finlayson, Hill is a freshman who looks more than comfortable playing up in the varsity division. The 6-foot-4 big man is most effective as a rebounder and defensive presence. He has a very strong and balanced base, and he does a good job finding bodies on the defensive end when the shot goes up. He’s certainly still getting comfortable shooting and handling the basketball, but he shows flashes of both and will probably vastly improve both of these skills as he continues to get older and more experienced. He’ll get significant minutes for New Bedford this year and will be one of the better freshmen in the MIAA.