Jaron Hill  has be a varsity player for Hammonton basketball since his sophomore year but looking to take his game to a even higher level.

Hill’s love for basketball started a little later in childhood.

”I actually started getting into basketball towards the end of 8th grade. I’ve never actually took the sport seriously until then. The only reason I took it seriously is because my cousins told me to play.”

Hill’s family played a major part in him playing basketball, but no one played bigger role than his grandmother.

”The one person who inspires me to play basketball would have to   my grandmother since she was the one that gave me the idea to play,” he said.

Hill, like rest of his teammates, is a team player, and he loves it.

“I like being a part of a team sport because you get to see the people around you grow so much from the time you started,” he said. “When playing a team sport like basketball, you get to go so many places. During the offseason when AAU is going on, I go places like New York, North Jersey, and more. Most importantly, a team sport can help you become a better person off and on the court.”

Hill is not just one-way player but can do many things on the court .

”If someone had to describe me on the court with one word, it would be unpredictable. I’m a positionless player. I’m capable of playing all 5 positions on the floor, with being able to shoot, drive and post up.”

He had a tough start to the season but then made improvements.

In the first four games, he only averaged eight points game, but in the last 8 games, he averaged 16 points and had career high of 32 points vs Bridgeton on February 20. This was significant because after only having 5 points in the first match up against Bridgeton and also went 15 for 20 ( 75%) from free throw line.

“The one thing I always do after a good game, tell my grandma about the entire game. She’s the reason I play, so I want her to be able to experience the same things I do.

Jaron Hill also scored 25 points vs Vineland to help Hammonton win the public west division title, but no one was more happy with his performance than his grandma.

”The one thing I always do after a good game, tell my grandma about the entire game. She’s the reason I play, so I want her to be able to experience the same things I do.’.

Hill knows what it feels like to be under pressure. In their tenth game of the season, Hammonton was only up two points to Vineland (54-52)  when he knocked down two free throws with 28.2 seconds remaining in the game and would knock down two more 7.5 seconds remaining help Hammonton win the Division title.

”When I’m under pressure, I always tell myself that I’m the best player on the floor. And that nobody on this court can guard me. The reason I say this to myself is that is because it’s true. No matter who’s in front of me.”

Player attitude, Hill explained, plays big part in the game no matter the role one plays on the team

”Attitude is something that matters a lot on the court. No matter how good you are, a bad attitude will take you nowhere’.’

Players do different things to prepare themselves mentally for games. Hill has his way on how he prepared himself.

”One thing I do to mentally prepare for a game is listen to my favorite artist Lil Uzi Vert. Before warmups, that’s all I listen to. That’s what I do to mentally lock in for the game.”

Player can some times find them self doing to much on the court Hill has found himself  doing to much on the court as well.

”When a player is doing too much, it’s when he/she is doing something on the court that they don’t usually do, or playing out of their role. It damages the team by giving the opposing team more offensive possessions,” he said. “I’ve been in this situation a lot of times. As a sophomore, I took shots that weren’t the best. I contested 3 pointers, and also contested layups. But now, I’ve worked on my game so much that those ‘contested’ shots are now as easy as an open one.”

Hill, only a junior, looks to take his game to even higher height next year after scoring 181 total points on the season average 12 points a game and helping Hammonton win it’s first Division 13 years (2008).

In a non-pandemic year, this also would have put Hammonton back in the postseason for the first time since 17-18 season as the 9 seed vs Southern in the Group 4 playoffs (if there was a postseason). This  helped Hammonton achieve its first winning season in nine years.