Rutgers Basketball Hires Fred Hill as Associate Head Coach
Apr 07 | Men's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, NJ - Rutgers University has named New Jersey native Fred Hill Associate Head Men's Basketball Coach, it was announced today by Scarlet Knight head basketball coach Gary Waters.
Hill has spent the past four seasons as an assistant coach at Villanova University, the past two seasons serving in the capacity of associate head coach. During his stint at Villanova, Hill played a major part in the recruitment of Villanova's highly-acclaimed recruiting classes of 2002 and 2003 while also playing a key role in on-court teaching and in-game strategy. This past season, Villanova reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
'I am very pleased to add Fred Hill to the Rutgers basketball family' said Waters. 'Fred is truly one of the finest and hardest-working assistant coaches in the nation. He has two decades of deep relationships with countless high school and AAU coaches in the metropolitan area and across the country. His passion for Rutgers University is obvious and I am elated that he has elected to join our staff.
'Fred is an outstanding teacher of the game of basketball, a great coach and an individual who truly cares for the student-athletes he coaches,' Waters added. 'While Fred has a well-deserved reputation as an excellent recruiter, he brings so much more to our program and is an extremely well-rounded basketball coach. Overall, he is a fantastic fit for our program.'
Prior to his four seasons at Villanova, Hill served three seasons as an assistant coach at Seton Hall University, where he was part of the staff that helped steer the Pirates to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in 2000 and secure the top-ranked recruiting class in the nation that year. Hill has been ranked as one of the top assistant coaches in the nation by several publications in recent years.
'It is an honor and a privilege to return home to New Jersey and coach at Rutgers University,' said Hill. 'Gary Waters is a true gentleman, a man in the profession who has the unique combination of being not only very well-liked in the business, but also deeply respected by his peers. I cannot wait to come on board and begin exchanging ideas with him as well as the other members of the staff. I am excited about the vision that Bob Mulcahy and Gary share for the future of Rutgers basketball.
'To have the opportunity to work in the same athletic department at my home state University where my father coaches (his father Fred is the long-time, highly-successful Scarlet Knight head baseball coach) and where I have always desired to work, is truly special and hard to put into words,' Hill added. 'I have taken positives from all of the coaches I have worked under, most recently Jay Wright at Villanova, who has been a mentor and a true friend.'
Prior to his stint at Villanova, Hill served seven years as an assistant coach at Fairleigh Dickinson University, serving his final three seasons as associate head coach. In Hills's final three seasons at FDU, the Knights were 23-7 and captured the Northeast Conference title.
A New Jersey native, Hill is a 1977 graduate of Verona High School and a 1981 graduate of Montclair State College, where he was an All-Conference guard as senior on a team that reached the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Hill has also served as an assistant coach at the University of Maine (1988-91), Marquette University (1986-88), Rider College (1983-86) and Lehigh University (1982-83). His first college coaching position was at Montclair State (1981-82).
In addition to his father Fred Hill, Sr., his uncle Brian Hill is a former NBA head coach who is currently an assistant coach with the New Jersey Nets.
