Arkansas hoops commit Justice Hill makes official this weekend

Little Rock Christian's Justice Hill (3) attempts a layup past Sylvan Hills' Jamal Johnson (35) during a game at Maumelle High School on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2017.

— Dr. Fitzgerald Hill is a man of many titles, and certainly one of them is that he’s a football man.

Hill was an assistant football coach at Arkansas under Jack Crowe, Danny Ford and Houston Nutt from 1992-2000 and went on to be the head coach at San Jose State (2001-04).

So it was with great glee he received the news when his son, Justice — a 2019 prospect who committed to Arkansas’ basketball program back in spring of his freshman season in 2016 — told him that he had decided to play football again for Little Rock Chrisitian after taking a year off from the gridiron.

“As a father, it has been very enjoyable to wake up on Friday morning and know that I am going to get to watch him play that night and that he has a good surrounding cast and that we have a chance to have a very good football season,” Hill said.

It’s gone well with the younger Hill splitting time between several spots last season on the gridiron and settling in as the full-time quarterback this season.

That has resulted in football offers from Auburn, Howard and others, and an offer from Razorback head football coach Chad Morris to join his program while also playing basketball at Arkansas.

But Justice Hill — who is taking his official visit to Arkansas’ basketball program this weekend and will then enroll at the school in January and practice with the basketball team — recently let his dad know his main athletic goal in college.

“Justice’s heart is in basketball,” Hill said. “Even though I am a football guy, I realize that. … He has told me that he wants to be the best point guard ever in the history of Arkansas.

“I told him that he should get out some tapes of (former Razorback and NBA point guard) Lee Mayberry — who was finished playing before he was born — because that is the gold standard right now.

“But that tells you where his heart and his head are. He’s planning to come to Arkansas and do great things with his team and individually.

“He has talked to Lee and (former Razorback Kareem Reid) and he is inspired by them.”

The Hills hosted Arkansas head coach Mike Anderson and Razorback assistant coach Melvin Watkins on Sept. 10.

“It was really, really good,” Fitz Hill said. “I always enjoy visiting with Coach Anderson, and our relationship goes back many, many years. It was great to host him in our house and talk about the future and his excitement about the young men he has recruited and continues to recruit. It was a great visit.”

Justice Hill, who led his team to a 4-0 mark before missing last week’s 56-14 loss to Pulaski Academy, could also take four football official visits in football with Memphis, Miami, Mississippi State and Georgetown being considered.

“It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I don’t think most people realize the relationships you build on the visits are incredible and can go on for years to come,” Fitz Hill said.

“The only basketball visit he is taking is Arkansas because that is where he is committed. The football is a development process for him and if they are offering him visits, he is interested in taking them. With the graduate transfer rules, he could play three or four years of basketball and if that is a situation he wanted to look at (transferring), he could in year four or five.

“He will be an early enrollee and he could possibly graduate in three-and-a-half years. He already has six hours of college credit and is enrolling in January, so he could graduate in three years.”

“It just really is a fallback plan should something happen down the line.”

Hill could play both basketball and football at Arkansas at the same time or play football down the line with the Razorbacks, or somewhere else.

“If he continues to improve and that is something that the coaches want him to take a look at coming out for four or five days of practice, then that is something he might do,” Hill said.

“But I also know that he (Justice) wouldn’t want to go out and take a chance of tearing up a knee. So if they wanted to get him out there in shorts or something and evaluate him and see where he stands with the current talent, that might be something he would look at doing.

“It would be tough, but I think that people understand the picture clears up for him as the future goes on, but his No. 1 thing is basketball.

“As I said, he told me that he wants to be the best point guard ever at Arkansas and that is where he wants to put his time.”

Arkansas football assistant Barry Lunney Jr. has been keeping his eye on Hill.

“Coach Lunney keeps in contact with Justice,” Hill said. “He could play that fourth year at Arkansas as well. I love everything about Coach Morris and Coach Lunney, who I coached and then who coached with me (at San Jose State).”

The Hills visited with Morris and strength and conditioning coach Truman Carroll, who made a great impression on them.

“His weight coach did a great job on Justice on the visit in showing him how they would allow him to train for two sports,” Hill said. “He realizes there is a specific program for him because he doesn’t want to get bulky.

“He doesn’t lift weights. He really sticks to plyometrics as a basketball player.”