Badger of Honor
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Why Jordan Hill Left: Minutes

By Noah Seligman

Mar 2, 2017; Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard Jordan Hill (11) looks to pass during the game with the Iowa Hawkeyes at the Kohl Center. Iowa defeated Wisconsin 69-67. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 2, 2017; Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers guard Jordan Hill (11) looks to pass during the game with the Iowa Hawkeyes at the Kohl Center. Iowa defeated Wisconsin 69-67. Mandatory Credit: Mary Langenfeld-USA TODAY Sports /
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As Badger of Honor has covered here and here, Jordan Hill is leaving he UW Basketball team and it appears to be an amiable parting based on the UW Athletic Department news release  (Sam Okey and Jared Uthoff take notes).

Hill statement in the release:

"“I am so grateful for the opportunity to spend four years studying and playing at Wisconsin,” Hill said. “In May, I will be graduating with an incredible degree from a world class institution. Making the decision to leave the program was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do in life, but I had to make the best decision for myself. “Thank you to everyone who has shown me love, my teammates who became brothers, coaches who never let me get stagnant, and all of the people on campus who educated a young man from Pasadena. I can never say enough because coming here was life-changing. I will always hold a special place in my heart for you, Wisconsin. I will forever be a Badger. On Wisconsin!”"

Coach Greg Gard quote in the release:

"“We want to thank Jordan for his dedication to our program and congratulate him on getting his degree. He was a valuable member of some very successful teams at Wisconsin. We wish him well and will do whatever we can to help him both on and off the court moving forward.”"

The Badgers will lose four starters from last season as 2017-2018 looks to be somewhat of a rebuilding year before expectations rise in 2018-2019.  It would be foolish to ever pick UW to not finish top four in the B1G.  But the return of potential NBA lottery pick Miles Bridges makes Michigan State a serious contender for the conference crown along with the experienced Minnesota and Northwestern teams (which just seems odd to write but here we are).

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Applying Occam’s Razor to Hill’s decision makes sense.  Perhaps Hill wasn’t looking to be a caretaker/mentor in his final eligible season in Madison?  He lost minutes last season and may see further reductions with some prized recruits coming in.

Hill averaged 9.9 minutes per game during the 2016-2017 posting 1.5 points-per-game (PPG) and 1.1 rebounds-per-game (RPG).  He shot 35.2 percent form the field.  Hill saw his minute’s decrease from the 2015-2016 season when he averaged 16.1 minutes-per-game and 3 PPG and 1.4 RPG.

D’Mitrik Trice and Brevin Pritzl took a lot of Hill’s playing time. And despite Trice’s poor showing the NCAA Tournament, Trice is the obvious heir apparent with Bronson Koenig’s departure.  Trice averaged 18.3 minutes-per-game during the 2016-2017 season, 6th highest on the team. Trice and Pritzl should be the de facto starters at Guard until further notice. Pritzl recorded 195 minutes in the 2016-2017, or approximately 191 more minutes than the 2015-2016 season.  A full 73.3 percent of Pritzl’s minutes came in the last 12 games of the season.

Hill played just 3 minutes against Villanova in the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament and 4 minutes in the Sweet 16 loss to Florida.

The Badgers will welcome a 4-star PG Brad Davison from Osseo, MN and 3-star SG Kobe King from La Crosse, WI to Madison next season.  King was named Mr. Basketball in the state of Wisconsin last month.

Good luck to Jordan Hill and congratulations on earning a degree from a fine school.

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