Arkansas point guard commit Justice Hill will return to the gridiron when Little Rock Christian takes on Warren at War Memorial Stadium on Tuesday.
“I’ve been playing football before I was playing basketball since I was like 3,” Hill said. “Dad put a football in my hands when I was born, so I’ve been around it so long, and I love the game.”
Fitz Hill, Justice's father, is a former college football coach who spent a combined 12 seasons as an Arkansas assistant before serving as head coach at San Jose State from 2001-2004.
Justice Hill, 5-10, 160 pounds, skipped his sophomore year of football to concentrate on basketball. He completed 54 of 77 passes for 1,267 yards and 19 touchdowns, and rushed 62 times for 897 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Warriors’ ninth-grade team. He started at cornerback for the varsity during the playoffs in 2015.
Sitting out last year was tough.
“It was pretty hard, but I knew it was going to help me in basketball season,” Hill said. “It was for a good cause, but yeah, it was tough sometimes knowing I could help.”
New Warriors Coach Eric Cohu approached Hill about a return to football.
“I found it interesting, and I just wanted to go back out there and help the team,” he said. “I’m starting at corner, and I have a quarterback and wide receiver package.”
Hill, who plans to enroll at Arkansas in January 2019, isn’t concerned about the possibility of injury affecting his basketball career.
“You always think about that stuff, but I walk with God, so I’m not worried about it,” Hill said.
He sees football helping him on the basketball court.
“Physicality — most of all helping me get physical on the court and more flexibility and stuff like that,” said Hill, who played for the 17-under Arkansas Hawks during the spring and summer. “The only thing I need to worry about is my jump shot and staying in shape.”
Despite his lack of size, Hill is known to be fearless going to the basket, and he believes the physical play of football will only enhance his approach to basketball.
“You have to be fearless at 5-10," he said. "At best, you have be fearless going in there, and there’s not a lot of people under 6-3 on the circuit, so you have to be like that.”