The Salt Lake Community College men’s basketball team experienced a banner season under first-year head coach Kyle Taylor.
The Bruins (29-4) rode a 15-game winning streak into a No. 4 seed in the NJCAA National Tournament. But just as SLCC aimed to bring home the program’s first national championship since 2016, the NJCAA canceled its postseason tournament due to coronavirus concerns. And thus, the Bruins’ season was over, unceremoniously incomplete.
Despite the cancellation of postseason games, Bruin redshirt freshman point guard Justice Hill took home a collection of regular season honors.
In just one season with the Bruins, Hill became an NJCAA First Team All-American and the Region 18 Player of the Year.
“It’s an incredible honor and I give all the glory to God. The team and I worked hard for this and I’m glad to see all that hard work pay off,” Hill told SLCC Athletics after his All-American selection.
Averaging 13.8 points and 4.1 assists, Hill started 32 of 33 games for SLCC, leading the team to a Region 18 championship and the first undefeated conference regular season in program history.
“I’m excited for Justice to receive this type of recognition. His hard work this year and throughout his career put him in a position to succeed. He had an incredible season,” Taylor said.
The unfinished business at nationals left Hill with feelings of disappointment.
“I just wish we could have carried momentum into the tournament. I’m confident we had the right pieces for a championship,” Hill said.
Last month, Hill signed with Murray State University in Kentucky, where he will compete for a starting position this fall.
