T1B

Posted: **Thu Mar 03, 2005 3:55 pm**

Hill receives top Academic All-American honor
Thursday, March 03, 2005
By Steve Grinczel

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Michigan State senior guard Chris Hill's hard work in the classroom has paid off.

On Wednesday, Hill was named ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American of the Year, succeeding former Connecticut standout Emeka Okafor, who received the honor last season. Hill also was named first-team Academic All-American for the second consecutive year.

"Being named Academic All-American of the Year is an unbelievable honor," Hill said before MSU's win against Northwestern on Wednesday. "I probably won't be able to appreciate what it means until years later when I look back at my college career. When I came to Michigan State my goal was to become an Academic All-American. It wasn't until last year that I even knew there was a single person honored.

"I have to give a lot of credit to my parents for instilling the work ethic and discipline in me, both academically and athletically. They taught me the importance of setting goals and keeping sight on them through ups and downs."

Hill, a Finance major with a 3.75 grade point average, was a third-team Academic All-American as a sophomore.

"As I told my team, you don't have the opportunity to coach or play with someone who has accomplished a top honor very often," said Spartan coach Tom Izzo. "We are very proud of what Chris has accomplished on the court, but even prouder of what he's been able to accomplish in the classroom." = Class.

Other members of the first team are Southern Methodist's Eric Castro, Will Emerson of Mercer, Johannes Herber of West Virginia and Southwest Missouri State's Derek Winans.

Hill is the only Spartan to be honored more than once. MSU's other basketball Academic All-Americans are: Ralph Simpson (1970), Greg Kelser (1979) and Matt Steigenga (1990).

Not bad for a sucky land grant U. grad. huh?

Wonder what some of our OTHER fine fans in here can show in these areas? After all, isn't college about learning, and graduating with a degree, to prepare you for the afterlife?

This Saturday, Michigan State holds its "Senior Day" game @ the Breslin Center. Honors go to:

Tim Bograkos, Flint Central HS; a former Walk On.
Anthony Hamo, Flint Powers High School.
Kelvin Torbert, Flint Northwestern HS. (Noticing a trend here?!)
Alan Anderson, Might be teams MVP
and Mr. Chris Hill.

The last Senior ^ introduced, and may just recieve a VERY long standing ovation from one of the classiest programs and fans around anywhere.

Posted: **Thu Mar 03, 2005 4:06 pm**

Congratulations to Chris Hill. He is a very classy kid.

Posted: **Thu Mar 03, 2005 4:59 pm**

Welcome.

Posted: **Thu Mar 03, 2005 9:06 pm**

Congrats to Hill and the other seniors but that class didn't win a Big Ten title in any of their four years. Considering how weak the conference has been of late, that's a disappointment for the calibre of a program like Michigan State.

Posted: **Thu Mar 03, 2005 9:10 pm**

Nobody gives a fuck. Academics? Your team is sub-par this year, so you're pimping academics? "Classy" move, Babs...

the_ouskull

Posted: **Fri Mar 04, 2005 12:36 am**

I'd trade a couple GPA points for actually being able to make some shots in the second half.

Posted: **Fri Mar 04, 2005 3:24 am**

the_ouskull wrote:Nobody gives a fuck. Academics? Your team is sub-par this year, so you're pimping academics? "Classy" move, Babs...

the_ouskull

I'm with you on this one. I'd like to say that I actually care that these kids get an education but I'd be lying.

There's a bunch of players from the Ivy League that are laughing their asses off that someone was honored for only getting a 3.75 at a second tier school like MSU.

Posted: **Fri Mar 04, 2005 4:00 am**

Let's not forget the ATHLETIC scholarship that he's on either...

the_ouskull

Posted: **Fri Mar 04, 2005 8:44 pm**

BlindRef wrote:I'd trade a couple GPA points for actually being able to make some shots in the second half.

RACK!

Posted: **Sat Mar 05, 2005 1:15 am**

Jealous fucks.

Name me some of your 3A's.

Shitheads.

Isn't that what it's supposed to be about.
Excelling on the floor as well as the classroom.
Ever take any Serious Finance classes.

Dipshits.

I consider myself at least a 130 IQ, and I can hardly understand half the fuckers on Bloomberg Channel.
So, if this cat scores in the A- range on his work, he gets my vote.

And this cheap ass shit about "2nd tier", and
"sub-par"........

My ass.

Posted: **Sat Mar 05, 2005 3:51 am**

Believe the Heupel wrote:
MSUFAN wrote: I consider myself at least a 130 IQ,

:roll:

Well, for that matter I consider myself the King of fucking Spain.

If Babs has a 130 IQ, mine must be around 220. When do I get my own column in Parade magazine?

Posted: **Sat Mar 05, 2005 3:56 am**

Believe the Heupel wrote:I consider myself the King of fucking Spain.

What was hunting with Bob Knight like???

Posted: **Sat Mar 05, 2005 4:00 am**

MSUFAN wrote:Isn't that what it's supposed to be about.
Excelling on the floor as well as the classroom.
Ever take any Serious Finance classes.

You wouldn't mention that if the Spartans players weren't doing that well in the class room. If all of them were pulling C averages, you'd probably be downplaying academics. Sure, it's nice to hear about players doing well in school but I don't think the athletic department is too concerned over whether or not Joe Athlete is excelling in the class room as long as they are winning and making money...that's really what it's supposed to be about to them.

Posted: **Sat Mar 05, 2005 5:47 am**

a Spartan talking about academics is like Shawn Kempf talking about birth control.

Posted: **Sat Mar 05, 2005 4:46 pm**

Jealous fucks. Shitheads. Dipshits.

Sounds like you've yet to put your grandiose IQ to work. You should get on that before you die.

the_ouskull

Posted: **Sat Mar 05, 2005 7:00 pm**

Shoalzie wrote:
MSUFAN wrote:Isn't that what it's supposed to be about.
Excelling on the floor as well as the classroom.
Ever take any Serious Finance classes.

You wouldn't mention that if the Spartans players weren't doing that well in the class room. If all of them were pulling C averages, you'd probably be downplaying academics. Sure, it's nice to hear about players doing well in school but I don't think the athletic department is too concerned over whether or not Joe Athlete is excelling in the class room as long as they are winning and making money...that's really what it's supposed to be about to them.

^

^ Epic!

Like any U. worth it's ASS, wouldn't want 4 Hills a year recruited onto their squad! My God, you are ignorant. That's probably the BEST testament to your U. as there can be! A quality team, with quality players, who (OH!) just happen to be some of the top student/Athletes in the Nation!? What asshole would say an AD office wouldn't want that?!

Duke?
ND?
Stanford?
Cal?

I'll leave off Michigan since it seems one of their fans is making a mockery of himself, by claiming the AD wants wins, not graduates. He could never want BOTH, could he. :roll:

And at State, it's getting to be a tradition. Some of you other schools, I can't tell, cuzz no ones piped up about theirs over the years.

Typical.

Wow. :(

Enjoy SENIOR night at the Breslin Center, Chris! You have epitomized what College Athletics is supposed to be about.

Posted: **Sat Mar 05, 2005 10:49 pm**

Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of great student athletes...there's more athlete students. Keep in mind, Hill went to State on an athletic scholarship...they didn't recruit him because he found a cure for cancer. I wasn't saying there's anything wrong with an athlete that does well in the classroom but if coach can recruit a great player that happens to be solid off the court and in the classroom, it's a bonus.

Posted: **Sun Mar 06, 2005 12:06 am**

Yep. And some programs have far more bonuses than other fans like to give credit for.

Point well taken, though.

Good luck in the CCHA, ok?

Posted: **Sun Mar 06, 2005 11:48 am**

MSUFAN wrote:Good luck in the CCHA, ok?

Thanks, I'm fairly confident that Michigan will be able to hold their own...

On the subject of outgoing seniors...the Michigan icers lose a very good class of seniors. They won three regular season CCHA titles, two CCHA tournament titles, three appearances in the NCAA tournament, and two appearances in the Frozen Four. I remember seeing their very first games as freshman at the Cold War at Spartan Stadium.

RACK Nick Martens, Eric Werner, Brandon Rogers, Milan Gajic, Michael Woodford, David Moss, Charlie Henderson, Eric Nystrom, Jason Ryznar, and Reilly Olson on a great 4-year run! (Sorry, I don't know what their grades were

)

Posted: **Mon Mar 07, 2005 1:59 pm**

Finance is not a difficult major at MSU. There is some tough work, but it's usually filled with people who can't get into the Accounting program or don't want to sit for the CPA. You can do everything a finance major can with an accounting degree, but not vice versa.

Posted: **Mon Mar 07, 2005 2:37 pm**

MSU sounds like an old school DUKE fan! This is the crap they used to run back in the day before academic standards were a little tighter than they are now. I never did because like Shoalzie said, I really only cared about the "W's". I'll give the kid credit for doing well in the classroom because most of those guys don't give a rat's ass about their schoolwork. But I'd rather run smack about my team's on court accomplishments.

Posted: **Tue Mar 08, 2005 3:48 am**

I just figure that it bears recognition that a kid has the smarts to actually stay and get a degree. And if he picks an actual degree, unlike most all of your "Sports Management" Grads at UofM, and does 3.75 work there? - That's a HUGE rack. It shows he's smart, and realizes that even if he were to latch on to some Minor league Pro team, it's not going to last.

Lokk at it this way. MSU got what THEY wanted out of the kid. It's the LEAST they could do is to pay his college costs for it. And look how he honors that gift he recieved! By excelling as no other player has in the NATION! That is great pub for your U. also!
So, wether or not he was brought there to split atoms, or split zone defenses, I don't see the problem. (Other than you're just a jealous fucknob of a UM fan.)

A solid degree in a solid program gets you much further in life than you basic UM Athletics/Grad. Who ends up a fat, balding gym teacher at some Grade school, waring a faded out Maisy Raigy T-shirt with the name Blanchard on the back.

T1B

Spartans Sr. Chris Hill - Academic AA of the Year

Spartans Sr. Chris Hill - Academic AA of the Year