ATLANTA — Jordan Hill made a quiet debut in college basketball as an unheralded recruit at Arizona.
His debut on the NBA stage during the NBA draft was anything but quiet. The Knicks fans at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden booed Hill when he was selected with the eighth pick.
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"It's how they feel," Hill said shortly after shaking NBA commissioner David Stern's hand.
Knicks fans had been hoping to land one of the draft's premier point guards. Spanish star Ricky Rubio and Davidson shooting star Stephon Curry were highest on their wish list.
Instead they get arguably the draft's toughest player. The youngest of three siblings, Hill's mother, Carol, died from breast cancer when he was just 3. He had four residences and six primary caregivers before finishing high school.
If there's any player out there with the skin thick enough to deal with the rigors of being a pro athlete in the world's most intense media market, it's Hill, a former student at metro Atlanta's North Springs High School.
"This is great for him," said Keith Ivy, Hill's legal guardian when he was in high school who was by his side Thursday night. "The way he is and the way he works to improve, he's really going to surprise a lot of people. They'll fall in love with Jordan when they see him in action."
Hill said he's ready to work for the Knicks, whose starting power forward, former Florida star David Lee, is a restricted free agent this summer.
"I know this is the toughest place to play in the world," Hill said.
Knicks president Donnie Walsh felt Hill was more than worthy of that top-10 pick.
"I think we were lucky to get a player of this caliber," Walsh said. "He's a big man that can run the floor and block shots."
As far as the booing from the fans, draft analyst Mark Jackson, a longtime NBA point guard who is a New York native and a former Knick, had some sobering words for Hill.
"Jordan Hill will be fine," he said. "But you're not the first (guy to be booed by these fans), and you certainly won't be the last."
Sekou Smith writes for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
