Not “Over The Hill” Yet
By Peter Argent
You could be forgiven that Jo Hill was a 23 year-old, watching her athleticism and competitiveness on the netball court at Redhill Oval in the North Eastern Netball Association last Saturday afternoon, April 29.
Actually while its impolite to talk about a girls age, Hill is 43 and will turn 44 in June.
She’s currently in her second year with the reigning premier, the Mintaro-Manoora Eagles in the North Eastern Netball Association competition, playing alongside niece Mackella Armfield, was potent and offensive in her role at Goal Defence.
Hill combining brilliantly with fellow defender, playing coach and Goal Keeper, Carly Bradley and team captain Carly Marshall at Wing Defence.
Not unexpectedly the Eagles won by 19 goals against the Brinkworth-Spalding-Redhill Tigers.
“She certainly made my job easy at Goal Keeper,” Bradley, in her return game after a season on the sidelines, said.
“She is such an incredible athlete. Jo actually retired form ABA basketball (now called Premier League) at the end of last season, but she has already made a come-back.
So this means after a game with us, she travels back to Adelaide plays with the Rockets.
For someone that was an Australian Olympian, she is so humble and coachable.
She provides such guidance and inspiration to our young players. She is the overall package. Netball isn’t her number one sport, but because of her determination, you sometimes reckon it is.”
Bradley also explained signs are really positive for the BSR Tigers in their return season at A1 level as they produced some tough netball at times and in the longer term have the nucleus of a highly competitive group.
Jo Hill has had an incredible career. She played for the Australia women’s national basketball team during the late 1990s and early 2000s, and competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, where she won a silver medal. She attended the Australian Institute of Sport in 1992-1993. Hill also represented Australia at the 1998 World Championship in Germany, where she won a bronze medal.
Back in 1993, nearly a quarter of a century ago Hill was a member of Australia’s first ever basketball gold medal winning team at the World Championships for Junior Women held in South Korea. While playing for the Australia Opals, Hill was known as a talented and versatile player, generally providing spark off the bench.
In the domestic Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) Hill played for North Adelaide, the Australian Institute of Sport, Adelaide Lightning, Canberra Capitals and Townsville Fire clocked up 351 matches, winning five championships and a Grand Final Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. Hill also played several seasons in France and Spain.
“I retired from the Rockets for the wrong reasons at the end of last year,” Hill continued.
Being an assistant coach at the (Adelaide) Lightning, rekindled my desire to play basketball again. Although I didn’t really need to, with some changes to my diet, I’ve dropped seven kilos. You’re a long time retired, so I want to make the most of it.”
A incite in Hill longevity is when Hill was donning the Australian colours in the Sydney Olympics, her team mate on that Saturday, 15-year-old Goal Attack Gracie Ross wasn’t even born.
Footnote – Hill did suggest if she was a little younger she would have a crack of AFLW.
I bet she’d make a cracking AFLW player too. Nice piece. Thanks for letting us know.
I have seen her many times with the Adelaide Lightning and she was a cracker player there. None of this surprises me.