Jordan Hill, PF

Hill has made remarkable strides in all areas of his game despite his virtual neophyte status. He rates as one of the premier rebounders eligible for the draft, excelling at attacking the offensive glass with the athleticism to evolve into an offensive threat.

Hill has tremendous explosiveness for a big man, causing problems for defenders trying to stay in front of him. Hill can create contact off the dribble and but defensively he's nearly a finished production because of his elevation, wing span and explosive leaping ability. He developed into an exceptional shot blocker, and closed out his career ranking sixth in school history with 140 blocked shots.

Hill's rebounding skills saw him set the school single-season record with 375 as a junior, and his career total of 763 boards place him ninth in Arizona history. A high-percentage shooter, Hill made 65.2 percent of his field goals as a freshman (second-best percentage in Wildcats' annals) and 62.0 percent of his attempts as a sophomore (fourth on the season list). In 97 games for UA, his field-goal percentage of .578 ranks fifth on the school all-time record list.

Not until he was a senior at The Patterson School that Hill became serious about becoming a basketball player. He never stepped on the court as a junior, but after he guided his team to a 43-4 record in his final prep season, he was rated the nation's 11th-best power forward by hoopscooponline.com.

Hill wasted little time signing with Arizona, agreeing to join the program in November of his senior high school year. He turned down scholarship offers from Winthrop, Virginia, Xavier and Georgia Tech to head out West. Before arriving at Arizona, he competed for the Smyrna Stars in AAU competition, averaging 16.4 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.2 blocked shots per game in 2006.

Upon arriving at Arizona, little was expected from Hill, who became the big surprise of Arizona's "Tour of Vancouver" with a strong performance in the middle -- he averaged 8.2 points and 5.2 rebounds in five games, while shooting 51.7 percent (15 of 29) from the floor.

For the 2006-07 season, the then-210-pound Hill saw limited action early in the campaign, but by midseason became an integral part of the rotation. He emerged as a shot-blocking presence in the middle with 18 blocks in his last 14 games and ranked 10th in the Pac-10 Conference with 0.90 blocks per game. He made 65.2 percent of his field-goal attempts, averaging 4.7 points per game. He also pulled down 118 boards (4.1 rebounds per game) and had 26 blocked shots.

Hill ran into a bit of foul trouble as a sophomore (105 fouls, 72 turnovers), but still earned All-Pac-10 Conference and league All-Defensive Team honorable mention. In games where he logged at least 30 minutes of action, the Wildcats compiled an 11-5 record (finished the year with a 22-15 mark). He led the league in field goal percentage (.620, fourth on the school season-record list) and placed fourth in blocked shots (1.65 blocks per game), as his total of 56 blocks rank 10th on the school season-record list. He also averaged 7.9 rebounds and 13.2 points per game.

Hill worked out extensively in the Arizona training room leading up to the 2008-09 campaign, bulking up to 235 pounds. His hard-earned chiseled frame helped him rank second in the Pac-10 in scoring (18.3 points per game), rebounding (11.0 rebounds per game), and blocked shots (1.8 blocks per game). His 621 points scored rank 12th on the school season-record list and he set the Arizona annual record with 375 rebounds. He produced 20 double-double performances in 34 contests (had 33 double-doubles in 97 games for his career) as secured All-Pac-10 and league Defensive Team first-team honors, in addition to being named All-American third-team.

With the coaching staff going through another series of changes -- for the third consecutive year -- Hill opted to forgo his senior season and applied for the 2009 NBA Draft.

Positives: Product of the Wildcats' training room, having added more than 25 pounds of muscle to his frame since arriving on campus as a freshman … Has the frame and power to maintain position under the boards, displaying long limbs with a large wing span, using his body to create contact … Very physical mixing it up in the paint and is regarded as one of the toughest rebounders (especially on the offensive glass, where he grabbed 273 of his 763 career boards) in the draft … Has learned how to use his newfound bulk and power to dominate in the paint on the defensive end … Shows excellent body control, adjustment and balance, possessing the quick feet needed to make sudden moves in the post … Has very good lateral quickness, using it along with his wing span and elevation to alter a considerable amount of the opponent's shots … Demonstrates the athleticism and determination to finish around the basket … Despite his relative inexperience on the basketball court (did not begin concentrating on basketball until his prep senior year), shows good court vision and basketball IQ, along with the ability to easily run the floor, as he consistently plays with a high motor … Physical driving to the basket, but can also step back or go to a lefty hook shot … Still a work in progress from the charity stripe, but shows good rotation, motion and touch when shooting from the foul line … Has the large, soft hands to warrant being fed regularly by guards when playing in the paint … Has the speed to put the ball on the floor and drive to the rim and the nimble feet and explosive second gear to fly to the basket … Uses his body well to be creative on screen-and-roll plays … Works well in transition, consistently finishing on pick-and-roll plays … Very quick on spin moves, displaying the nimble footwork to pivot on a dime and drive hard to the basket … Not really a perimeter shooter (never attempted a trey in college), but has become effective hitting the jumper coming off the dribble … Can pound the ball in with an emphatic dunk, but when the area around the basket is clogged, he can easily use the glass to slip the ball in … Not really known for his ball-handling skills, but has that first step that gets him by bigger forwards with great consistency … Still learning how to play with his back to the basket, but shows a good hook shot and has developed the skill to fire off the jumper from mid-range … Attacks the rim with good aggression and has excellent leaping ability … Uses his quick elevation on a swift turnaround jumper working in the post, but has also developed confidence with his jump shot from 15-20 feet … His leaping ability makes him appear effortless finishing above the rim … When facing the basket, he is much more determined driving in the lane … Has the slashing moves and explosive first step that makes it hard for slower defenders to stay in front of him … Nimble enough to post up from the left side before executing a right-handed jump shot (made 71 percent of his shots near the basket as a junior) … Shows good improvement on the defensive end, playing with much better discipline as a junior than in his first two years (still is turnover prone) … Uses his length well as a shot-blocker and has become a much better intimidator as a junior, thanks to his improved strength and added weight … Uses his wingspan well when facing the basket, more than doubling his steals as a junior from his first two seasons combined (30 last year compared to 23 total the first two seasons), working hard to take the opponent off the dribble … His added weight has allowed him to be more aggressive when creating his own shot … Does a good job with his timing as a shot blocker, as he has the loose hips and lateral agility rotating from his weak side to disrupt the shooter … Can slip through the crowd on the offensive glass for putbacks and rebounds.

Negatives: Still developing as a decision-maker, but teams will likely realize he is an athlete with upside -- just four years of good organized basketball experience under his belt … Has the hands to catch and shoot, but is a marginal ball-handler with a high, loose dribble that led to turnover issues (169 in his past 68 games) … Can also get into foul trouble, especially vs. double-team activity (will get too aggressive driving to the rim) … His back-to-the basket arsenal of moves is marginal-to-adequate, but he has improved as a junior, thanks to increased bulk and power … Does not have an array of moves needed to be successful working in the low post … Has good rotation shooting from the foul line, but lacks consistency and accuracy … Better on help defense than when playing the man (needs to rotate over quicker when trying to defend in the paint), as he does not get low in his stance (plays upright) to stay in front of the shooter and must take better angles when trying to take on his man and fight through screens … Also must be more selective using his hands, as he lets them get out of his frame too much, resulting in costly fouls … Must become more aware of his surroundings, as he does get stripped of the ball when posting up … Marginal passer who can be too predictable in the post.

Compares To: CHRIS BOSH, Toronto -- Ironically, Hill could replace Bosh if the Raptors' power forward opts to bolt Toronto. Some scouts liken Hill to a young Chris Wilcox, but with his improved strength and increased bulk, Hill has become much more dominant on help defense and has far better range and athletic ability for offensive development. He is a presence in the paint, especially attacking the offensive glass. He has less organized basketball experience than most forwards in this draft, but if he can develop solid back-to-the-basket skills, he will be worth the expected lottery pick it will cost to secure his services.

--Report by Dave-Te' Thomas

Received second-team All-American honors from The NBA Draft Report, third-team accolades from The Sporting News and was an honorable mention pick by the Associated Press … Earned first-team All-Pac-10 Conference and Pac-10 All-Defensive team honors in addition to All-District IX recognition from by the USBWA and NABC … .Among 24 players on the final ballot for the John R. Wooden Award … Posted season bests in nearly every statistical category as a junior, including minutes played (1,213), field goals (252), field goal attempts (469), free throws (117), free throw attempts (179), rebounds (375), rebounding average (11.0 rebounds per game), assists (50), blocked shots (58), steals (30), points scored (621) and scoring average … Was the first Arizona player to average double figures in both points and rebounds in the same season since Larry Demic accomplished the feat in 1978-79 (19.3 points per game/10.3 rebounds per game) … Recorded double-double performances in 20 of his 34 appearances (led the conference in that category) … Averaged 18.3 points and 1.7 blocked shots per game, as he made 252 of 469 field goals and led the Pac-10 with 20 double-doubles, as he also scored in double figures a team-leading 33 times … Handed out 50 assists (1.5 assists per game) with 30 steals (0.9 steals per game), but turned the ball over 97 times and registered 102 personal fouls.

All-Pac-10 Conference honorable mention and named to the league's All-Defensive team … Started 33 of 34 games, as Hill ended the season ranked first in the Pac-10 Conference with a .620 FG percentage (184 of 297), while ranking fourth in blocked shots (1.65 blocks per game) … Ranked 10th on the UA single-season blocked shots list with 56 … Scored 450 points (13.2 points per game) on 184 of 297 field goals and 82 of 120 free throws (68.3 percent) … Pulled down 270 rebounds (7.9 rebounds per game), including 84 from the offensive glass … Credited with 27 assists (0.8 assists per game), 17 steals (0.5 steals per game), as he turned the ball over 72 times and was charged with 105 personal fouls … In games in which he logged at least 30 minutes of playing time, the Wildcats compiled an 11-5 record.

Hill was a pleasant surprise for the Wildcats as a true freshman, starting twelve of the 29 games he appeared in … His field goal percentage of .652 (58 of 89) rank second on the school season-record list … Added 21 of 47 free throws (44.7 percent) for 137 points (4.7 points per game) … Grabbed 118 rebounds (4.1 rpg), with 46 coming from the offensive glass … Registered six steals with three assists and 26 blocked shots (0.9 blocks per game) … Had 21 turnovers and 51 personal fouls.

Hill appeared in 97 games at Arizona, starting 79 contests … Ranks 27th on the school career-record list with 1,208 points scored (12.5 points per game) … Logged 2,623 minutes of action, as his field-goal percentage of .578 rank fifth on the school all-time record chart (made 494 of 855 field goals), topped by Joseph Blair (.613 on 470-767; 1992-96), Pete Williams (.605 on 296-489; 1984-85), Brian Williams (.591 on 325-550; 1990-91) and Al Fleming (.583 on 688-1181; 1973-76) … His field-goal percentage of .652 in 2006-07 rank behind Al Fleming (.667 on 136 of 204 in 1973-74) on the Wildcats season-record list and his 2007-08 field-goal percentage of .620 rank fourth … Averaged 7.9 rebounds per game, as his 763 total boards rank ninth in Arizona annals … His average of 11.0 rebounds per game as a junior rank sixth on the school season-record books, but his total of 375 rebounds in 2008-09 broke the old Arizona annual record of 373 by Leo Johnson (1950-51) … Ranks ninth (58 in 2008-09) and 10th (56 in 2007-08) on the school season-record blocked shot list … His 140 total blocks place sixth in school history behind Anthony Cook (278, 1985-89), Channing Frye (258, 2001-05), Loren Woods (186, 1999-2001), Ed Stokes (167, 1989-93) and Sean Rooks (142, 1988-92) … Averaged 18.3 points and 11.0 rebounds per game in 2008-09, becoming the first Wildcat to average double figures in both points and rebounds in the same season since Larry Demic accomplished the feat in 1978-79 (19.3 points per game/10.3 rebounds per game).

2008-09 Season … Sat out the Weber State game (12/29) with a left leg muscle strain.

AAU BASKETBALL: Played for the Smyrna (Ga.) Stars in 2006 … Averaged 16.4 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.2 blocked shots per game.

Attended The Patterson (Lenoir-Patterson, N.C.) School … Did not play basketball as a junior, but in his final season, he led the team to a 43-4 record … Rated the nation's 11th-best power forward by hoopscooponline.com.

Sociology major … Born 7/27/87 … Resides in Atlanta, Georgia.