Belleville East junior standout Malcolm Hill, Jr. has given a verbal commitment to Bruce Weber and the University of Illinois.
The 6’5″ shooting star choose the Illini over Xavier, Missouri and several others schools who were vying for his services. Hill is one of the top juniors in the state of Illinois. He is ranked among the Top 50 players in the nation in the junior class by several national recruiting websites.
Hill made his final decision on Monday night with his family after making one final visit to Illinois last weekend.
“I liked all of the schools, but Illinois is my home-state school and I feel it was the best fit for me,” said Hill. “I felt comfortable with the coaching staff. They were very dedicated when they were recruiting me. I look forward to continuing to build a relationship with them.”
Hill enjoyed a breakout sophomore season at Belleville East, leading the Lancers to a 22-7 record. Hill took his game to another level during the summer when he averaged 20 points a game for the Southwest Illinois Jets 16U team, which was coached by Pat Smith. His outstanding play during the summer really raised his national profile as many of the nation’s top collegiate programs came calling. However, the attraction of playing at his state school in front of his family and friends helped make the difference.
Hill was also relieved to get the recruiting process behind him so he can prepare for his junior season, which promises to be a very good one for him and his Lancers team, which is expected to be one of the top teams in the St. Louis metro area.
“It feels good to get it out of the way, because I can now concentrate on school and the upcoming season,” Hill said. “I’m looking forward to having a great year with my teammates.”
