 Hill in 2012 asDetroit Pistons assistant coach | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1947-09-19)September 19, 1947 (age 78) East Orange, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Listed height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Listed weight | 175 lb (79 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Our Lady of the Valley (Orange, New Jersey) |
| College | John F. Kennedy College (1965–1969) |
| Coaching career | 1970–2013 |
| Career history | |
Coaching | |
| 1970–1972 | Clifford Scott HS |
| 1972–1974 | Montclair State (assistant) |
| 1974–1975 | Lehigh (assistant) |
| 1975–1983 | Lehigh |
| 1983–1986 | Penn State (assistant) |
| 1986–1990 | Atlanta Hawks (assistant) |
| 1990–1993 | Orlando Magic (assistant) |
| 1993–1997 | Orlando Magic |
| 1997–1999 | Vancouver Grizzlies |
| 2001–2003 | Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets (assistant) |
| 2004–2005 | New Jersey Nets (assistant) |
| 2005–2007 | Orlando Magic |
| 2007–2009 | New Jersey Nets (assistant) |
| 2009–2013 | Detroit Pistons (assistant) |
| Career highlights | |
| As coach: | |
Brian Alfred Hill (born September 19, 1947)[1] is an American former professional basketball coach.
Born inEast Orange, New Jersey, Hill graduated fromOur Lady of the Valley High School inOrange, New Jersey in 1965 andJohn F. Kennedy College in Nebraska in 1969 with a degree in physical education. Hill was a three-year starter on the Kennedy basketball team.[2]
In 1970, Hill began his coaching career as head coach atClifford Scott High School in his native East Orange, New Jersey. Hill then was an assistant coach atMontclair State College from 1972 to 1974.[2][3]
Hill began his tenure atLehigh University as an assistant coach for one season before being promoted on April 9, 1975, to succeedTom Pugliese who had resigned sixteen days prior on March 24.[4] He inherited a program whose 1–23 record in 1974–75 was the worst among major colleges nationally.[5] His 75–131 record in eight seasons included a 14–12 performance in 1980–81 which was the Engineers' best campaign in 65 years. He left Lehigh to joinBruce Parkhill's staff atPenn State on April 13, 1983.[6]
Hill began his NBA coaching career in 1986 as an assistant coach for theAtlanta Hawks underMike Fratello.[2] The two met at Montclair State College when Hill was studying to be certified as adriver's education teacher.[7] In 1990, Hill joined theOrlando Magic as an assistant coach underMatt Guokas.[2] He was the head coach of theOrlando Magic from 1993 to 1997 and is the Magic's most successful coach with a record of 191–104. During that time period, he led the Magic to their firstNBA Finals in 1995 and also led the team to a 60–22 record the following season. However, following the loss of star centerShaquille O'Neal tofree agency during the off-season, he was fired mid-season in 1997 after a player revolt was led by disgruntled starPenny Hardaway.[8][9]
Following his firing from theMagic, he became head coach of the third-year, expansionVancouver Grizzlies in 1997. Hill was fired early in his third season. Following that, he became an assistant coach of theNew Jersey Nets, where he remained until the end of thepostseason. He was then rehired by the Magic and he led the team to a 36–46 record in the2005–2006 season.[2]
On May 23, 2007, after multiple media sources reported that Hill would not return to coach theOrlando Magic for the2007–08 NBA season, but would instead be offered another position within the organization,[10] the Magic released a statement that he would not return as coach of the Magic,[9] although it was reported he was actually fired by general managerOtis Smith.[11] It was a position he had held since May 24, 2005. It was his second stint with the team.
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lehigh Engineers(East Coast Conference)(1975–1983) | |||||||||
| 1975–76 | Lehigh | 9–15 | 2–8 | 5th(West) | |||||
| 1976–77 | Lehigh | 12–15 | 6–4 | 3rd(West) | |||||
| 1977–78 | Lehigh | 8–18 | 5–5 | T–2nd(West) | |||||
| 1978–79 | Lehigh | 8–18 | 4–13 | 5th(West) | |||||
| 1979–80 | Lehigh | 5–20 | 2–14 | 5th(West) | |||||
| 1980–81 | Lehigh | 14–12 | 6–10 | T–3rd(West) | |||||
| 1981–82 | Lehigh | 9–17 | 3–13 | T–5th(West) | |||||
| 1982–83 | Lehigh | 10–16 | 2–11 | 5th(West) | |||||
| Lehigh: | 75–131 | 30–78 | |||||||
| Total: | 75–131 | ||||||||
| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
| Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando | 1993–94 | 82 | 50 | 32 | .610 | 2nd in Atlantic | 3 | 0 | 3 | .000 | Lost inFirst round |
| Orlando | 1994–95 | 82 | 57 | 25 | .695 | 1st in Atlantic | 21 | 11 | 10 | .524 | Lost inNBA Finals |
| Orlando | 1995–96 | 82 | 60 | 22 | .732 | 1st in Atlantic | 12 | 7 | 5 | .583 | Lost inConf. Finals |
| Orlando | 1996–97 | 49 | 24 | 25 | .490 | (fired) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Vancouver | 1997–98 | 82 | 19 | 63 | .232 | 6th in Midwest | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Vancouver | 1998–99 | 50 | 8 | 42 | .160 | 7th in Midwest | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Vancouver | 1999–2000 | 22 | 4 | 18 | .182 | (fired) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Orlando | 2005–06 | 82 | 36 | 46 | .439 | 3rd in Southeast | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Orlando | 2006–07 | 82 | 40 | 42 | .488 | 3rd in Southeast | 4 | 0 | 4 | .000 | Lost inFirst round |
| Career | 673 | 298 | 315 | .486 | 40 | 18 | 22 | .450 |
Hill, a graduate ofJohn F. Kennedy College inNebraska, has two adult children, Kimberly and Christopher. His daughter was diagnosed withcystic fibrosis at 5 years old and, as a result, Hill has supported cystic fibrosis research by holding fundraisers and speaking to crowds about the disease. He and his wife Kay live inOrlando, Florida, where they have remained even after his original departure from theOrlando Magic.