George Hill graduates from IUPUI one day before start of Eastern Conference finals

You’re never too old graduate.

One day after Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn completed his Bachelors degree from UNLV, and one day before his Cleveland Cavaliers open the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics, George Hill graduated from Indiana University-Purdue University of Indianapolis. The veteran point guard was excused from practice Saturday and will meet the team in Boston, per Cleveland.com.

“I’m so excited to be a part of class of 2018,” Hill said before the ceremony. “We did it Jags. Let’s get this day started.”

Hill attended IUPUI from 2004 to 2008…

Hill, born in Indianapolis, Indiana, turned down offers from bigger schools to stay near his family at IUPUI and immediately became an important contributor, scoring 10.7 points per game as a freshman. As a sophomore, he upped that number to 18.9, and the Jaguars finished tied atop the Summit League standings. He missed much of his junior season due to injury and redshirted. As a redshirt junior, he led the Jaguars to within one game of the NCAA tournament, averaging 21.5 points per game. He was the 2008 Summit League Player of the Year and an AP honorable mention All-America selection that year as well. Despite having one year of eligibility left, Hill went pro and was drafted in the first round by the San Antonio Spurs.

Hill has had a very solid NBA career since…

A dogged defender his entire career, Hill played for the Spurs for three seasons before being dealt to his hometown Indiana Pacers. He stayed in Indiana for five years before the Pacers dealt him to Utah. After one year with the Jazz, he played for the Sacramento Kings until near this year’s trade deadline, when the Cavaliers added him in a three-team trade with the Jazz also involved.

With Cleveland, George has taken on a key role as one of the team’s best defenders for a group that had struggled on that end. He’s averaging 9.8 points and 2.5 assists for the Cavaliers this postseason.

He was selected as a student speaker at IUPUI’s graduation

Hill took to the podium and had some wise words for his fellow graduates at Lucas Oil Stadium:

The 32-year-old earned a degree from the School of Liberal Arts.

The Cavaliers face the Celtics on Sunday afternoon…

Hill may have finished school, but he has another assignment starting tomorrow: The Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics. He’ll likely be tasked with slowing down Boston’s Terry Rozier, who has had a breakout postseason so far. That he’ll be doing it as a college graduate is a really cool story, and props to the Cavaliers for excusing him from practice so he could celebrate with his fellow graduates.

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