George Hill was a no-show at practice because he had finished a previous job.
The Cleveland Cavaliers guard missed practice Saturday in order to in order to attend his college graduation. Hill participated in Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis’s commencement ceremony, receiving his diploma in liberal arts. He also delivered an address as one of two student speakers.
Hill, 32, attended IUPUI between 2004-2008, but his NBA commitments delayed him from completing his degree.
“It’s not about how long it took me, it’s about finishing the job,” Hill told The Indianapolis Star’s Matthew VanTryon. “It was definitely hard. There were a lot of papers I had to write toward the end of this year, tests I had to take, trying to find time in between practice and games to get those things done. It was tough, but I was so focused on getting it done because I put it off for so long.”
Hill is the first person in his family to graduate from college, and the Cavs fully supported to his decision to travel to Indianapolis, Ind., while they remained in Cleveland finalizing preparations for their Eastern Conference Finals series against the Boston Celtics.
“All of them said how it was a great accomplishment to graduate,” Hill said. “They understood. Yes we’re in the Eastern Conference finals right now, but they understood the magnitude of this. It’s always a big accomplishment to graduate from a university. They let me have this day.”
Game 1 of the Cavs vs. Celtics series will take place Sunday afternoon at TD Garden.
Hill is expected to start for the Cavs, and no one should be surprised if he’s still grinning from ear to ear at tipoff.
