Hill, who has built a strong reputation in Baltimore and in the DMV as a ferocious bulldog guard, has made the move up to Boston to join CATS Academy and showcase his game to New England. He does a nice job running the show and consistently finds teammates in position to score, keeping the offense organized and flowing. Hill is also capable of creating offense for himself in a variety of ways, as he puts constant pressure on the defense by living in the paint and attacking gaps. Defensively, he uses his quickness to stay in front of his assignment and does a solid job navigating ball screens thanks to his low center of gravity and active footwork. Hill keeps the ball on a string in the open floor, and his teammates must stay ready at all times because he is capable of delivering difficult passes that lead directly to scoring opportunities. Overall, Hill tracks as a scholarship-level prospect whose toughness, playmaking, and downhill pressure make him a valuable backcourt piece. 

Hill was excellent in his opening weekend for CATS, and he looks like he might hold the starting point guard position this season. The 5-foot-8 guard is obviously undersized, but he’s one of the quicker guards I’ve seen and can get a paint touch whenever he wants. Once he gets near the rim, he does an excellent job reading the defense and is a really solid passer. Defensively, Hill plays 94 feet of aggressive defense for the entire game, and he’s a total nuisance to dribble against. He already has an offer from Towson, but more could come if he has a big year for CATS.

Hill hails from Baltimore and is absolutely ELECTRIC. The 5-foot-8 guard has incredible quickness and a phenomenal handle, so he can get paint touches whenever he wants. Once he gets there, he has excellent vision and unselfishness and sets up his teammates consistently. If the defense doesn’t collapse, Hill will get all the way to the rim and finish quite comfortably for a player of his size. He will be attending CATS Academy next season and will be an awesome watch whenever he’s on the floor.

14p 8a 2r 2s vs NY Lightning

-Loved the progression with Hill’s maturity throughout games, as he is channeling his passion into providing aggressive 2-way value as a point guard capable of playing on or off the ball. Hill really ratcheted up the defensive ball pressure midway through the 3Q to turn a double-digit deficit into a 12-point win by bottling up and turning over opposing guards along the sideline. Hill also impressed at the offensive end of the floor, showing the full versatility in his skillset by seeking out contact on drives and drawing fouls, knocking down floaters after getting into the teeth of the defense, pushing the pace and making timely reads in transition, knocking down perimeter jumpers behind screens, and throwing runout passes over the top to maximize his teammates’ advantage in transition for layups and jumpers at the other end. Eight assists to only two turnovers showed the improvement of his decision-making in tight gaps, as Hill struck the balance between throwing timely passes and avoiding risky passes into traffic.

Hill was on a heater all weekend and it wasn’t just with his scoring performances. His tight handle, cat-like quickness and quick processing to fit the ball into tight windows off the live dribble led to a plethora of buckets. When Hill is playing with balance and confidence, you’ll see the jumper fall consistently and that’s what took place throughout S1. Whether he was leading the break or quickly getting to spots off the bounce in the half court, when he sets his feet with a strong base, good things happen. The sharing of on-ball duties between he and Darrell Davis make for a hellacious duo that should cause massive issues in UAA play moving forward.

I thought Hill looked improved in this viewing compared to the weekend prior and it had to do with his overall pace and decision making when it came to being an aggressive slasher. Hill has high-level twitch on the ball and can change directions in the blink of an eye before the help side defenders knew what hit them. When he’s initiating high ball screens and snaking them, Hill causes a ton of problems for defenses because it forces the big to decide whether he’ll switch or continue his drop coverage. If the switch is aggressive, Hill makes tough pocket passes look routine. If he probes his way into the paint he can quickly process the defense and find shooters on the weakside spotting up. Lastly, when he’s playing with the pace and balance that he was on Saturday, Hill can get into his midrange jumper with rhythm and good results.

Samartine Hill is a player that I’ve gotten more familiar with over the past few weeks, and he’s becoming one of my favorite players to watch. He is an aggressive driver who, despite his size, has no fear driving the ball. He is one of the most crafty finishers I saw on the day and is a pretty good athlete. Samartine’ is outstanding in space and can score effectively from all over the court. He is a pest of a defender and has elite quickness. He averaged 21.5 PPG and 5.5 RPG in two Mount Carmel wins. 

Despite his smaller stature, Samartine Hill is a dynamic floor general. His quick decision-making, excellent ball-handling skills, and ability to energize his teammates highlight his leadership capabilities as a point guard.

is a small and quick PG who sees the floor at a high level. Samartine’ has one of the better handles at the event, and he knows how to dictate the pace of a game. I’d put Samartine’ up there with almost anyone when it comes to the best passers in the DMV. Samartine’ is an outstanding perimeter defender who puts a lot of pressure on opposing guards. He’s an acrobatic finisher, and you can see he’s the vocal leader for Mt. Carmel. Samartine’ had a combined 28 points and 10 assists in two games. 

18p 4a 2r 1s vs Malvern Prep

-Counted out by some scouts and coaches due to his size, Hill continues to be extremely productive as the head of the snake for a deep OLMC group. Hill leverages his size and speed to throw his matchup off balance and get downhill even through the smallest of gaps in the defense. Once he’s generated paint touches and distributed to teammates, he will usually find opportunities to reject ball screens to knock down perimeter looks from beyond the arc. Proving that he can be a lockdown POA defender while limiting fouls and turnovers will be key in winning over college coaches to his brand of basketball.