Alexis Washington, Assistant Sports Editor
VCU entered this season under new head coach Phil Martelli Jr. with a lot of questions. One of the biggest was “How will the offense look, and where will the scoring primarily come from?”
Terrence Hill Jr. was the answer.
The spark comes off the bench for VCU, and it arrives with Hill, a multi-skill second-year guard from the West Coast.
Before making his mark in Richmond, Hill split his high school days between football and basketball — following in the footsteps of his father, who played both sports.
Basketball runs deep in his family. Hill’s aunt, who recently passed away, played as well, but it was not until one particular game he realized his full potential.
“We played against Cleveland High School,” Hill said. “Dame Lillard actually came to a game, and I hit a game winner while he was there. So that kind of was like a moment. I was like, ‘wow, this is kind of crazy.’”
As a high school senior in 2024, Hill was named Portland Interscholastic League Player of the Year, to First Team All-State and to the Oregon School Activities Association’s 6A First Team All-Tournament.
Hill brought that same hunger to the Stu, but he had to pay his dues behind a stacked guard room in his first year. He was usually the last name off the bench, but even in his limited play time flashes of scoring potential shone through.
Now in his second year, Hill’s potential is being realized. He scored a career high of 24 points this season against Loyola Chicago on Friday, Jan. 30. On that same night he put up a season high of five threes. He also scored double figures in 22 out of 30 games this season.
Hill said he models his game after NBA guards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the legendary sixth man Jamal Crawford. He admires Crawford’s ability to change the game off the bench and works to bring that same impact to his own play.
Hill embraces that role, as he is VCU’s lead scorer coming off the bench averaging 14 points and 2.8 assists — a big improvement from last year where he averaged just 3.4 points.
“It speaks to the work I put in over the summer, the confidence I have going into this season, because I knew what I was capable of once I got the opportunity, so I just wanted to take advantage of it,” Hill said.
Watching Hill play, his energy is evident engaging with the crowd every chance he gets. He said he wants fans to remember him as the best player on the floor. The loud atmosphere gives him and his teammates a boost.
That momentum is what Martelli takes pride in. He describes Hill as someone who knows how to make the right play attacking the rim.
As the Atlantic-10 tournament approaches, Martelli is focusing on consistency — knocking down shots, watching defensive film and working in the weight room.
Off the court, preparation looks different for Hill. Maintaining that level of performance requires a balanced meal, and thanks to his mom, cooking has become a new hobby.
“I’ve been getting into cooking more,” Hill said. “My mom had come down recently, so she was teaching me how to cook more because she said I need to stop eating fast food.”
Hill knows what it takes to reach March Madness, with hopes of watching the confetti fall as an A-10 championship comes within reach.
“We know what we have ahead for us. So just taking these small games one by one, and just trying to perfect our craft every game, so when we get to that March Madness we will be ready,” Hill said.