Dametri Hill facts for kids
| Power forward / center | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 8, 1974 St. Petersburg, Florida |
| Nationality | American |
| High school | Dixie Hollins (St. Petersburg, Florida) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 290 lb (132 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Florida (1992–1996) |
| NBA Draft | 1996 / Undrafted |
| Pro career | 1996–2011 |
| Career history | |
| 1996–1997 | Hapoel Tel Aviv |
| 1997–1998 | BCM Gravelines |
| 1998–1999 | Hapoel Tel Aviv |
| 1999–2000 | Sioux Falls Skyforce |
| 2000–2001 | Tampa Bay ThunderDawgs |
| 2001–2002 | Shenzhen Yikang |
| 2002–2003 | Entente Orléanaise |
| 2003–2004 | BK Skonto |
| 2004–2005 | APOEL |
| 2005–2006 | CAB Madeira |
| 2006–2010 | SPU Nitra |
| 2010–2011 | Astrum Levice |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
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, he played high school basketball at Dixie Hollins High School in his hometown of St. Petersburg, Florida.
He then played four years of college basketball for the Florida Gators. During his time in college, he helped his team reach the Final Four in the 1994 NCAA tournament. He was also chosen as an All-SEC player in 1996. After college, he started his professional career in Israel in 1996. In his first season there, he was the top scorer in the league. Dametri Hill also played basketball in France, China, Latvia, Cyprus, Portugal, and Slovakia, where he won a league championship in 2009.
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High School Basketball Journey
Dametri Hill was born in St. Petersburg, Florida. He went to Dixie M. Hollins High School and was part of the varsity basketball team from his first year. He started getting noticed across the state during his junior year.
Top Scorer in Pinellas County
As a junior, Dametri was the leading scorer in Pinellas County. He averaged almost 28 points and 15 rebounds per game. He was named to the Class AAAA All-State First Team for boys. He was also chosen as a Street & Smith All-American.
In his senior year, he averaged 26.3 points per game and made the All-Southern state team. Dametri finished his high school career at Dixie Hollins with an amazing 2,392 total points. This set a new record for Pinellas County.
College Career with the Florida Gators
Dametri Hill decided to play for the Florida Gators in April 1991 and officially signed in November of that year.
Early Years and the Final Four
In his first season with the Gators (1992–93), Dametri played a limited amount of time. He averaged 1.1 points and 0.6 rebounds per game. The next year, he became a starter and played in all 37 games. He averaged 12.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.
Dametri helped the Gators reach the Final Four in the 1994 NCAA tournament. In their game against Duke, he scored a team-high 16 points and grabbed 9 rebounds. During this season, he also worked hard to lose weight, going from 351 pounds to 286 pounds.
Leading the Team
Dametri continued to be a starter in his junior season (1994–95). He led the team in field goal percentage (.525). He was also second in scoring (13.7 points per game) and rebounding (5.9 per game). The team made it to the 1995 NCAA tournament again.
For his senior season (1995–96), 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, including a game-winning shot. At the end of the season, he was named to the All-SEC Second Team. 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 scored double figures in 77 of his 110 games. His special hook shot earned him the nickname "Da Meat Hook" during his time at Florida.
College Statistics
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992–93 | Florida | 16 | 0 | 3.8 | .333 | .000 | .636 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.1 |
| 1993–94 | Florida | 37 | 37 | 26.2 | .513 | .000 | .657 | 4.9 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 12.7 |
| 1994–95 | Florida | 29 | 29 | 28.2 | .525 | .304 | .686 | 5.9 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 13.7 |
| 1995–96 | Florida | 28 | 28 | 33.0 | .489 | .318 | .671 | 7.8 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 17.6 |
| Career | 110 | 94 | 25.2 | .505 | .304 | .669 | 5.3 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 12.5 |
Professional Basketball Career
After college, Dametri Hill was eligible for the 1996 NBA draft. He was not chosen by an NBA team, but he was picked by the Florida Beach Dogs in the Continental Basketball Association draft.
Playing in Israel and France
Dametri decided to start his professional career in Israel with the team Hapoel Tel Aviv. In his first season (1996–97), he was the top scorer in the Israeli Basketball Premier League, averaging 22.8 points per game.
In 1997, he moved to France to play for BCM Gravelines. He averaged 14.6 points and 5.6 rebounds in 30 games. In 1998, he returned to Hapoel Tel Aviv for part of the 1998–99 season.
Back in the USA and Asia
In 1999, Dametri came back to the United States. He played for the Sioux Falls Skyforce in the CBA during the 1999–2000 season. He averaged 13.5 points and 4.9 rebounds over 50 games.
In 2000, he joined the Tampa Bay ThunderDawgs in the new American Basketball Association. In 2001, he played for Shenzhen Yikang in the Chinese Basketball Association.
European Adventures
In 2002, Dametri went back to France to play for Entente Orléanaise in the second French league. He averaged 17.4 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.
In 2003, he joined BK Skonto, a team in Latvia. He averaged 21.3 points and 6.9 rebounds in 33 league games. He also played in the 2003–04 FIBA Europe League, where he was the second-highest scorer. He was chosen to play in the 2004 FIBA EuroCup All-Star Day.
In 2004, he 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.
Championship in Slovakia
In 2006, Dametri moved to Slovakia and signed with SPU Nitra. In the next season, he was among the top scorers and rebounders in the league. In 2009, he helped Nitra win the league championship. He scored 17 points in the final game. He was also selected for the All-Star game that year.
After playing the 2009–10 season with Nitra, Dametri Hill moved to Astrum Levice. He averaged 10.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in his final season of professional basketball (2010–11).
