KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Senior Marley Hill is known on the court for her go-to move, the hook shot. Which she acknowledges is influenced by NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Coming from a strong basketball family which includes her grandfather, Hal Greer an NBA Hall of Famer and 10-time NBA All-Star who during his time in the league, played for the Philadelphia 76ers alongside Wilt Chamberlain. Hill has always been fascinated by the old school style of basketball, but to the surprise of some did not always want to play basketball.
It was not until the fifth grade when her next door neighbor had a hoop placed in the driveway that she began shooting and from there she fell in love with it. By the time she was a freshman in high school the college offers already started rolling in from programs like University of Michigan and the University of Dayton.
As someone who always had a size advantage over their peers, Hill's senior year would wind up being a crucial time in the development of her as a post player. She began to use her size to outplay and finesse the competition, averaging 17 points and seven rebounds a game. Hill finished her high school career as an Associated Press Division III Ohio Co-Player of the Year and made two state finals runs, one of which resulted in a state championship. Following her stellar high school career, she was headed to the University of Cincinnati to play basketball.
Following her sophomore season as a Bearcat, Hill was looking to transfer. Unsure of exactly where she would go, but she was certain of two things; it was time to leave the state of Ohio and she wanted a male coach. With a large list of possible programs to transfer to, Hill chose Western Michigan University because it gave her the opportunity to do both. Hill and head coach Shane Clipfell maintained a relationship that goes as far back to her sixth grade year. As a coach at Michigan State University, Clipfell recruited out of Hill's high school, Columbus Africentric quite frequently. Located in Columbus, Ohio Africentric has produced a number of Division I athletes including her current teammate, junior guard Alexis Parks.
Hill has always seen minutes on the court, but during her year of sitting out she learned lessons that could only be absorbed from the bench. With patience Hill began to embrace truly being able to watch the game from a different perspective and became a more supportive teammate because of it. This season she serves as co-captain to the Broncos.
"Sitting out taught me how to lead by example, be a good teammate and show good body language," Hill said. Noting most players don't realize the importance of body language.
"Body language is very important because I know the young girls are looking to me for guidance," Hill explained. "If I show a bad face then they feel like they can make a bad face as well."
Knowing the right time to speak up and when to hold her tongue is another valuable lesson Hill learned during her year out. Assistant coach Tangela Smith chuckles reflecting on Hill's growth in picking her battles.
"She has a strong personality and is very opinionated," Smith said. "She learned how to let smaller issues go and focus more on the pressing basketball issues."
Every player has personals goals. Hill's personal goal is to be a post presence and the person that opposing teams circle on the scouting report to make sure she doesn't go off in scoring. Just a third of the way through the season Hill has proven to be a problem for teams and currently is the leading WMU in scoring (16.7 PPG) and is the only member of the team that has scored in double-figures in every game this season.
"She brings a different, slower pace to the game which is a compliment," Clipfell said. "The game in her eyes is very slow which allows her to make good basketball decisions, it's really a gift."
Going up against a tough post player like herself, Eastern Kentucky's Jalen O'Bannon, the Ohio Valley Conference Preseason Player of the Year, complimented her after the game on her hook shot. Clipfell jokes that Hill probably still has not stopped smiling.
The year 2016 has turned into an overall fulfilling year for Hill both on and off the court. Always having a strong interest in the African culture, when presented with the once in a lifetime opportunity to travel to South Africa with the study abroad program at WMU, Hill took advantage. An experience she thoroughly enjoyed. On December 17th, 2016 she will walk across the stage to receive a degree in health services and in January of 2017 she will begin graduate school to complete a master's in educational leadership.
