The Elizabeth City State University Division of Athletics announced the transition of John Hill from Interim Head Coach to Head men’s basketball Coach.
Boasting over eleven years of Division II head-coaching experience and another 13 seasons as an assistant, Hill has an established ability to build programs into conference and national contenders.
As interim coach, Hill and led the Lady Vikings to a 5-18 overall record and a 3-13 record in conference play.
Before joining ECSU, Hill led the Lincoln Lions men’s basketball team to a 53-30 overall record; which ranked third in the CIAA Northern Division over three seasons. The 2014-15 Lions finished 16-11 and led the CIAA in free-throws made per game (19.7), free-throws attempted per game (29.3), while ranking second in blocks per game (4.6).
In 2012-13, Hill spearheaded his Lions to their best start in school history with an 11-3 overall record and an undefeated 8-0 record in Manuel Rivero Hall. For his efforts, he was named CIAA Coach of the Week in January of 2014. A senior driven squad capped their 2013-14 season by winning the 2014 ECAC Men’s Basketball Tournament Championships in Fairfield, CT.
In Hill’s first year at Lincoln, he transformed Denzel Mooney into an All-CIAA player. Mooney was the league’s leading scorer at the time, averaging 22.1 points per game; which ranked him No. 11 in all of Division II. Defensively, the Lions were among the most consistent in the nation.
During his second year, Hill guided the Lions to seven more wins than the previous year as Lincoln defeated Fisk and Bowie State (Nationally ranked 9th in the country) to capture the Fresh Coast Classic Championship – the school’s first NCAA Division II basketball title. Denzel Mooney continued to be one of the top players in the CIAA as he was named to the All-CIAA Team.
In just a matter of three seasons, Hill managed to turn The Lincoln University men’s basketball team from one of the lowest seeded teams in the CIAA (2010-2011) to Northern Divisional Champions for the 2012-2013 season. He propelled Lincoln basketball to its first winning season (17-10) in over ten years, marking the program’s first North Divisional Championship since becoming a NCAA Division II member. Kenny Sharpe and Derrick Washington continued to blossom under Hill’s leadership by earning All-CIAA and All-Tournament honors respectively.
In 2006-07 as assistant coach at ECSU, Hill helped lead the Vikings to a CIAA Tournament Championship and a berth in the NCAA Division II National Tournament; a team that finished ranked No. 5 in the South Atlantic Region.
From 1998-2005, Hill served as head coach at two separate CIAA institutions and earned the distinction of being a rigor-ous recruiter that demanded character both athletically and academically.
As the architect of memorable women’s basketball teams at Saint Paul’s College, he spearheaded the Lady Tigers development from a 2-22 team during his first season in 1998-99 to one that never dipped below .500, finishing the next year at 15-11 and 2000-2001 at 17-9. In his fourth and final season in Lawrenceville, Va., SPC went 17-11.
Following that successful venture into women’s basketball, Hill took the head men’s basketball position at Virginia State University for the 2002-2003 season.
Prior to his time at Elizabeth City State, he spent the 2005-06 season as an assistant at national power California Univer-sity of Pa. In a 17-11 season, the Vulcans earned a No. 9 ranking in the East Region and the first NCAA bid of Hill’s career. From 1990-1998, he served as an assistant men’s basketball coach beginning with his alma mater Greensboro College (1990-92) before moving on to Bloomfield College (1992-93), Kean University (1993-95) and Winston-Salem State University (1995-1998).
Hill holds a bachelor’s of science degree in sociology and psychology from Greensboro College and a master of science in sport management from the California University of Pennsylvania.
He is currently a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, the Black Coaches Association and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. He is married to Michele Hill. They have three daughters and one grandson, Isaiah.
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Hill’s Highlights:
• Transitioned (2010) the program from NCAA Division III to NCAA Division II at Lincoln University
• In 2012-13, he raised the program from cellar to the top in winning the CIAA Northern Division title
• Defeated Howard, a NCAA Division I institution
• Maintained a high retention and graduation rate of 92 percent; while elevating and stabilizing a team GPA of 2.8 throughout six seasons
• Defeated NCAA Division II #9 Nationally Ranked Bowie State University to win the HBCU Fresh Coast Classic Championship, LU’s first as a Division II member, 2011-12
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