UTC freshman Morgan Hill looks for an open teammate at the Chattem Basketball Practice Facility on Sept. 27.Morgan Hill is working to make the on-court adjustment from high school to college basketball.
Yet the bigger adjustment for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga freshman had nothing to do with athletics.
The three-time Minneapolis City Conference player of the year and 2018 finalist for Minnesota Miss Basketball made the longest journey of the four UTC women's basketball newcomers this season. It's not as though there were no connections between Hill and the UTC program, however: Her sister Tayler, currently a member of the WNBA's Washington Mystics, played for former Mocs head coach Jim Foster when he was at Ohio State.
Morgan Hill came from Minneapolis to play for the UTC Mocs, who will tip off their first season under head coach Katie Burrows next month.Morgan said it was first-year Mocs head coach Katie Burrows, though, who made contact and helped facilitate the move down South.
"My recruiting was kind of weird," Hill said prior to Wednesday's practice. "I had some offers, but I didn't commit, so they backed away. UTC came up to the games, saw me play and said they wanted me, so that's how I got here."
The biggest adjustment for Hill coming to Chattanooga - albeit an easy one - was the adjustment to the weather. The high in Chattanooga on Wednesday was 68 degrees.
In Minneapolis? It was 48.
But there were on-court adjustments after joining the Mocs, some of which she struggled with early. Now, with the season opener against NCAA Division II member Lee University less than three weeks away, she thinks she can carve out a role to aid the Mocs, who are young but expected to be talented.
"When I get my opportunity, I believe I can make it," Hill said. "With my driving skills, my drive and kick, and my ability to attack the basket, draw fouls and get to the free-throw line, I'll be able to help.
"This summer was hard to adjust to the speed of the game and the strength of the girls. It was hard getting in the flow and getting into the next level of Division I college basketball. High school was very slow, wasn't too fast, but here it's like bam, bam, bam. Now I'm much better that I'm getting used to everything."
Including some warmer weather.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.