Jo Hill
HISTORY MAKERS
JO HILL
Jo (Joanne) Hill is a legend of the North Adelaide Basketball Club having achieved what most players can only dream of, successfully playing in State Championships, National Championships, World Championships (Junior & Senior) and Olympic games. Her list of achievements is nothing short of amazing.
Born in Murray Bridge, Jo was a sporting “wiz” as a heptathlete, specialising in javelin and high-jump, (good enough to be selected for the Pan-Pacific Games), but like many country kids, played most sports including netball, tennis, softball, football and gymnastics but believe it or not did not touch a basketball until she played for North !!
Her North Adelaide connection started in 1989 as a junior, under the tutelage of Lee Prettejohn, but her potential was spotted immediately and she progressed very quickly to be part of the immortal NABC Women’s National League Championship team in 1990, as a seventeen year old.
In her career she has played more than 250 (and counting) Premier League games for North Adelaide, 351 Women’s National League games (NABC, Australian Institute of Sport, Adelaide Lightning, Canberra Capitals, Townsville Fire), 62 games for Australian Junior teams, and between 50 and 100 games for the Opals (records are unfortunately not exact). Each of these is worthy of a story in itself.
Her list of Championships is impossible to match, with 6 Premier League titles, 5 Women’s National Basketball League titles (1 with NABC; and 4 with Adelaide Lightning), World Youth Championship Gold Medallist with the Gems in Korea (1993), Women’s World Championship Bronze Medallist in Germany (1998), and arguably her greatest achievement - a Silver Medalist with the Opals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
On a professional level, Jo has played for Tarbes (France) from 2000 to 2003, for Leon (Spain) from 2004 to 2005, for Estudiantes (Spain) from 2005 to 2006 and for Extrugasa (Spain) from 2006 to 2008.
Jo will always say it is about the team, but her personal achievements are also amazing, when, if you can believe it, she recently won her twelth (that’s 12th), Merv Harris Trophy as the Most Valuable Player for our Senior Women’s team in 2017! She also won the Halls Medal as the Fairest & Most Brilliant Player for the Women’s Premier League in 1994. In the WNBL, Jo was selected as an All Star 5 Member in 1999-2000, and has won the Player’s Player Trophy for both the Canberra Capitals and the Townsville Fire.
For her contribution and dedication to the game over many years, Jo is a Life Member of both the WNBL and of course North Adelaide.
Jo’s significant part in the history of the North Adelaide Basketball Club was rightly recognised, with the naming of the number one court at Hillcrest in her honour in 2014.
After some 28 years of playing, everyone at Hillcrest is hopeful there is one more left in the legs, so Jo can continue to amaze with the Rockets for 2018.
Player Profile:
Born: June 19, 1973, Murray Bridge
Height: 182cm
Position: Guard/Forward
SA Club: North Adelaide
WNBL Clubs: North Adelaide Rockets 1989-1991; AIS 1992-93; Adelaide Lightning 1994-2000; Canberra Capitals 2003-04; Townsville Fire 2009-2011; Adelaide Lightning 2011-2014.
Overseas Clubs: Tarbes (France) 2000-03; Leon (Spain) 2004-05; Estudiantes (Spain) 2005-06; Extrugasa (Spain) 2006-08.
Australian Gems (Junior National Team) – from 1990-1993
Australian Opals (Senior National Team) from 1994-2003
Career Highlights:
FIBA Women’s Youth World Championship 1993 – Gold Medal
FIBA Women’s World Championship 1998 - Bronze Medal
Olympic Games 2000 – Silver Medal
351 WNBL games with NABC, Canberra, AIS, Townsville Fire, Adelaide Lightning
WNBL Championships: (5) North Adelaide 1990; Adelaide Lightning 1994-95-96, 1998
WNBL Grand Final MVP 1998
WNBL All-Star Five 1999-2000
WNBL Life Member
Over 250 games for North Adelaide in the Premier League.
Halls Medal (Premier League Fairest & Most Brilliant) 1994
12 time Merv Harris trophy for NABC Women’s Most Valuable Player.
Life Member of NABC
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