Terrence Hill Jr. had yet to enter the transfer portal when he first identified Tennessee basketball as a potential landing spot. It was the performances of Tennessee point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie that drew Hill’s attention.
“It stands out a lot,” Hill told RTI. “I was actually watching the March Madness game where he (Gillespie) was shooting anything he wanted. I was like, ‘s***, he (Rick Barnes) let his point guard go.’ So I like that. And me and my agent were watching it like, ‘Tennessee might be a good spot for me.’”
Gillespie averaged 21.8 points in Tennessee’s four NCAA Tournament games, taking 14-plus shots in all four games.
Hill fulfilled his prophecy Friday afternoon, committing to Tennessee basketball shortly after completing his official visit. He chose the Vols over Kansas.
The interest was immediately mutual between Tennessee and Hill. The Vols quickly reached out to Hill after he entered the portal, hopped on a Zoom call and later lined up an official visit.
“They were one of the first teams that were contacting me and my agent when the portal opened,” Hill said. “They were one of my first Zoom calls. Just to see what Rick Barnes had to offer for me and how much he believed in me. He said he watched a lot of tape on me throughout my games this season. He was really excited. He’s done really good with a lot of great point guards.”
Hill is a combo guard who has played both on and off the ball at VCU where was one of the most efficient offensive players in the country as a sophomore. The Portland native averaged 15 points on 46.6% shooting from the field. He made 81 three-pointers at a 37% clip. His 128.3 offensive rating was the 74th highest in the entire country.
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Tennessee needs someone to take the reigns from Gillespie in running the Vols’ offense. While Hill will play off the ball some and Cal transfer combo guard Dai Dai Ames is capable of running the point at times, Hill looks like Tennessee’s starting point guard next season.
“I think I see myself scoring a lot, play making a lot, whether that’s being at the one or being at the two,” Hill said. “But primarily going forward, I think for me to get to that next level is going to be me at that point guard spot.”
As for what Barnes told him while they watched film on his visit:
“Just me being the primary guy that’s going to start our offense, run our offense,” Hill said. “A lot of ball screening is what I like to do. His offense is really predicated around his point guard and even him talking about me being off the ball and getting some easier shots with the guys coming in I think was a big value for me.”
Hill had one of the most memorable performances of the NCAA Tournament this March, scoring 34 points and adding five rebounds and five assists in VCU’s come from behind win over North Carolina.
After getting his first dose of the big dance at VCU, Hill yearns to get back and make an even deeper run with Tennessee.
“So much desire, man,” Hill said. “Just getting that one win felt (like) everything to me, so I can only imagine what it feels like to get to that Final Four.”
