Feb. 26, 2007
ST. LOUIS -
As part of the Centennial Celebration, the Missouri Valley Conference, the nation's second-oldest NCAA Division I conference, has been naming all-centennial teams for each of the Valley's sponsored sports. On Monday, the league office released the Valley's "50 Greatest Players," including former Illinois State standout Rico Hill.
Hill, a two-time all-Valley first team selection, was the league's 1998 Player of the Year and was awarded the Most Valuable Player award after the 1997 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. The Chicago, Ill., native played three seasons for the Redbirds and ranks No. 10 in school history for career scoring with 1,408 points.
As a sophomore, Hill averaged 18.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game to help lead the Redbirds to both the regular season and conference tournament championships. Hill and the Redbirds repeated the feat during the 1997-98 season, as Hill averaged 18.4 points and 7.5 boards per contest en route to being named the league's top player.
Joining Hill on the 50-man team were the Valley's "starting five" of Larry Bird (Indiana State), Hersey Hawkins (Bradley), Ed Macauley (St. Louis), Xavier McDaniel (Wichita State) and Oscar Robertson (Cincinnati).
The list was determined through an on-line fan vote, in-arena ballots and a centennial committee. A total of 7,871 votes were cast for men's basketball. Illinois State's most decorated player of all-time, Doug Collins, received a number of write-in votes, but only players who competed in the league were eligible.
