Hill's quotes following his being selected by the Spurs

On his initial reaction...

"My main reaction was that I finally made it. My childhood dream was to play in the NBA and just to know I was a step away from it finally coming true - it was just a blessing to be a part of."

On being picked by the Spurs...

"I knew the Spurs were going to be it. I went to two workouts with them. If I wasn't gone at 26, that I would stick in that spot there with them. It's a great opportunity and things happen for a reason. I'm ready to go in and start working right away."

On the guaranteed two-year contract that comes with being a First Round pick...

"That means a lot. That was our goal before I entered my name in the draft, was to be a first rounder. There were a lot of people who doubted me and said that I couldn't be a first rounder. That was one thing that motivated me to push on and be a first rounder."

On joining the Spurs and playing with Tony Parker...

"Playing with (Tony) Parker is always a good thing, I mean, he's a great guard. And then, you can't just say Parker because you have a great organization and one of the game's great teams in San Antonio. It's a learning process, I'm ready to go in and take my time and learn from the vets they've got in there like Mike Finley, Robert Horry, (Manu) Ginobili and all them. They're just great players. I'm ready to go in, see what my role is and make the best of it."

On what he needs to improve on...

"There's not just one thing you need to improve on as an NBA player. Just transitioning to the NBA is a major improvement that every player is going to have to have."

On advice he's received along the way...

"Just stay doing what I'm doing. They say don't ever change yourself for anybody. They said what got me there was just being myself and staying poised at all times."

On being able to play the 1 and 2...

"A lot of teams look for that combo guard like a Monta Ellis or a Devin Harris or players like that. I think it played a big role because I can play the one or two. It's good to have a guard that can switch from the two to the one."

On coming from Indianapolis...

"It's always a privilege to come from that click of like the Greg Odens and the Mike Conleys and Courtney Lee who just got drafted today and Stanley Burrell. You just have great players here in Indiana and it does put us on the map, that we do produce great athletes. And, it puts us on the map that I come from IPS (Indianapolis Public Schools) and I represent IPS well. I mean people are going to look at you funny because you're an IPS student and you have that IPS stereotype, but at the same time, good things can happen to an IPS student."

On coming from Indiana and IUPUI...

"It's always good to be in with the Josh McRoberts and Greg Oden thing, but coming from IUPUI is a different scenario. Coming from IUPUI is a big difference than coming from Duke or North Carolina. You've got to push yourself a lot harder and your circle's got to be a lot tighter. But, coming from IUPUI, I got to experience a lot of things. I got to play the post, I got to guard threes. Coming from IUPUI made a difference. It didn't matter if I was a IUPUI player or a Duke player. I think I'm that type of player that likes to prove himself. A lot of people are going to think what they want to think, but a guy, Carlos Knox, that played at IUPUI always told me that you can't think about anything and pray about everything. I took that to heart and stopped worrying about what people think."

On playing for Coach Hunter...

"He's been a great influence. His biggest thing was letting me play my game. He let me play the one, he let me play the two, he gave me the green light, although I didn't exploit my green light to the (Carlos) Knox ability (laughing). I think it helped me that we had a great staff like Don Carlisle and Matt Crenshaw, who were former players that helped me to become a better player and it really paid off."

http://www.iupuijags.com/news/2008/6/26/MBB_0626085013.aspx