Dametri Hill facts for kids

Dametri Antonio Hill (born January 8, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player. He played as a power forward and center. Standing 6 feet 7 inches tall and weighing 290 pounds, Dametri was a strong presence on the court. He played high school basketball in his hometown of St. Petersburg, Florida. Later, he spent four years playing college basketball for the Florida Gators.

During his college career, Dametri helped his team reach the exciting Final Four in the 1994 NCAA tournament. In his final year, he was even chosen as an All-SEC player. After college, he became a professional player, starting in Israel. There, he was the top scorer in the league during his first season. He then played in many countries, including France, China, Latvia, Cyprus, Portugal, and Slovakia, where he won a league championship in 2009.

Dametri Hill's High School Years

Dametri Hill was born in St. Petersburg, Florida. He went to Dixie M. Hollins High School. He was a part of the school's main basketball team from his very first year. By his junior year, he started getting noticed across the state. He led Pinellas County in scoring, averaging almost 28 points per game. He also grabbed about 15 rebounds per game, which means he was great at getting the ball back after a missed shot.

As a junior, he was picked for the Class AAAA All-State First Team. He was also named a Street & Smith All-American. In his senior year, Dametri averaged 26.3 points per game. He was chosen for the All-Southern state team. He finished his high school career with an amazing 2,392 total points. This was a record for Pinellas County.

Playing for the Florida Gators

Dametri decided to play for the University of Florida in April 1991. He officially signed with the team in November of that year. In his first year with the Florida Gators, Dametri didn't play much. He was on the court for only 60 minutes in 16 games. He averaged 1.1 points and 0.6 rebounds per game. This was under coach Lon Kruger.

The next year, Dametri became a starter. He started all 37 games that season. He played about 26.2 minutes per game. He was the third-highest scorer on the team, with 12.7 points per game. He was also the second-best rebounder, with 4.9 rebounds per game.

Reaching the Final Four

Dametri played in the 1994 NCAA tournament. His team made it all the way to the Final Four. They lost to Duke in a tough game. In that game, Dametri scored 16 points, which was the most on his team. He also got 9 rebounds in 30 minutes. That season, he also lost a lot of weight. The New York Times reported he went from 351 pounds to 286 pounds.

Dametri continued to be a starter in his junior year. He was the best on the team at making shots, with a 52.5% field goal percentage. He was also the second-highest scorer (13.7 points per game) and rebounder (5.9 rebounds per game). The team made it to the NCAA tournament again. Dametri played in their only game against the Iowa State Cyclones. He scored 11 points and grabbed 3 rebounds.

Senior Year Success

For his senior year, Dametri was named team captain. He played a career-high 33 minutes per game. He led the team in both scoring (17.6 points) and rebounding (7.8 rebounds). On January 29, 1996, he was named SEC Player of the Week. On March 2, 1996, he scored a career-high 30 points against Tennessee. This included a game-winning shot from 18 feet away!

At the end of the season, he was named to the All-SEC Second Team. This honor came from both the Associated Press and the coaches. He also won the MVP award at the NABC All-Star Game.

He finished his college career with 1,376 total points and 580 rebounds. He played a total of 2,771 minutes. He had 12 games where he scored double-digits in both points and rebounds (called "double-doubles"). He scored in double figures in 77 of his 110 games. His special hook shot earned him the nickname "Da Meat Hook" during his time at Florida.

Dametri's College Stats

Dametri's Pro Basketball Journey

After college, Dametri was eligible for the 1996 NBA draft. He was not chosen by an NBA team, but he was picked in the 6th round of the Continental Basketball Association draft. He decided to play professionally in Israel for Hapoel Tel Aviv. In his first pro season, he was amazing! He averaged 22.8 points per game and was the league's top scorer.

In 1997, he moved to France and played for BCM Gravelines. He averaged 14.6 points and 5.6 rebounds in 30 games. In 1998, he returned to Hapoel Tel Aviv for 10 games, averaging 18.2 points and 6.5 rebounds.

Dametri came back to the United States in 1999. He played for the Sioux Falls Skyforce in the CBA league. He averaged 13.5 points and 4.9 rebounds in 50 games. In 2000, he joined the Tampa Bay ThunderDawgs in the new ABA league. In 2001, he played for Shenzhen Yikang in the Chinese Basketball Association.

In 2002, he went back to France to play for Entente Orléanaise. This team was in the second-highest French league. He played 23 games, averaging 17.4 points and 7.1 rebounds. In 2003, he joined BK Skonto in Latvia. He averaged 21.3 points and 6.9 rebounds in 33 games. He was also the second-highest scorer in the 2003–04 FIBA Europe League. He was even chosen for the 2004 FIBA EuroCup All-Star Day.

In 2004, Dametri played in Cyprus for APOEL. In 2005, he moved to Portugal to play for CAB Madeira. There, he averaged 20.2 points and 5.1 rebounds in 18 games.

In 2006, he moved to Slovakia and signed with SPU Nitra. The next season, he was the 4th best scorer in the league and 3rd best rebounder. In 2009, he helped Nitra win the league championship! He scored 17 points in the final game. He was also picked for the All-Star game, where he scored 15 points. After playing the 2009–10 season with Nitra, Dametri moved to Astrum Levice. He averaged 10.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in his final professional season.