Hill refuses to quit
Published 12:00 am Friday, February 2, 2007
AHOSKIE – It looked like the end of a career.
After being accidentally stepped on during a contest three weeks ago at Terra Ceia Christian School, Chris Hill’s prep career looked to be over.
The three-time member of the All-Roanoke-Chowan basketball team suffered what is called a Bennett’s Fracture.
“It happened three minutes into the Terra Ceia game,” Hill said. “It felt like when I broke my wrist at first, but then didn’t bother me the rest of the game.”
The senior sharp-shooter, who was on everybody’s list as a candidate for Player of the Year in the Tarheel Independent Conference, played the duration of the contest. It was only after the game that the pain started to become stronger.
“It hurt, but it looked a lot worse than it felt,” he insisted.
After seeing a trio of doctors, Hill was diagnosed with the Bennett’s Fracture and surgery was performed to place a pin in his thumb.
Doctors also agreed Hill’s career in the high school game was probably over.
“They said it would be best that I not play anymore,” he admitted.
With his Ridgecroft Rams in a dog-fight for the top spot in the TIC, Hill was determined to take the floor again, whether his doctors wanted him to or not.
Hill’s mother also was against him taking the floor again. Asked how he convinced her to let him play, he said he really didn’t.
“I don’t have 100 percent blessing,” he said. “She really wants me to let it get fixed right, but she hasn’t stopped me from playing.”
Tuesday night the senior made his way onto the floor at Northeast Academy, starting out in the second quarter. After a tenuous beginning, he started to settle in and scored 13 points.
“Because of the adrenaline I had going, it didn’t both me,” Hill insisted. “It did restrict some things I like to do, but right away I felt okay.”
Hill insisted he was going to play like he wasn’t hurt because he felt showing favoritism to his right arm, which is in almost a full cast, would cause injury instead of preventing it.
As the Rams continue play in the TIC, Hill said he feels his team has a chance to win the conference, something he would very much like to be a part of.
Hill said the chemistry on his current team makes it competitive and said he believes the group plays as one unit.
“From last year to this year has been a big change in chemistry,” he said. “Also, having coach (Tim) Boone and coach (Danny) Lafferty has been the best thing that could happen to us.”
After the season ends, he will turn his attention to what he hopes will be a collegiate career on the hardwood.
“I definitely want to extend basketball,” he said. “There are places I feel like I could play.”
Hill said his focus would not be on the division inside the National Collegiate Athletic Association, but about the school he could play at and could contribute.
“I would rather go to a school where I could play rather than go to a so-called better school and sit,” he said.
Until that time, however, Hill will be on the court, broken hand and all, to help the Rams.