Hill was born and raised in Los Angeles in the Westwood area. His father was emotionally detached and abusive. Growing up, Hill watched the UCLA basketball team around town before Pauley Pavilion was built, and dreamed of playing for them and Coach John Wooden. He went to high school at University High in West Los Angeles. A skilled shooter, Hill was the Western LeagueMost Valuable Player as a senior in 1968, when he was the city's second-leading scorer at 27.2 points per game. For the second straight year, he earned first-team All-City honors. He was considered one of the top prospects in the country.
College career
Hill attended UCLA, where he shared MVP honors on the freshman team with Henry Bibby, the squad's leading scorer. Hill won three straight National Collegiate Athletic Association championships as a member of the varsity squad under Wooden. However, the backup guard played sparingly, and took just 99 shots in those three years. UCLA had many talented players during that era, and many of those who ended up being reserves arguably would have started on other teams. Wooden chose not to play Hill much, believing that teammates such as Bibby and Kenny Booker were better players. However, Hill was convinced that his political views and outspoken nature were directly related to his lack of playing time. He clashed with Wooden over politics and the handling of reserve players, and the coach once suggested that he transfer schools. Given the poor relationship he had with his father, Hill craved for Wooden to be a father figure. Nonetheless, Hill came to feel neglected and believed that Wooden did not like him. He graduated in 1972 thinking he would never see Wooden again.
Professional career
Hill had a brief stint playing professionally in Israel, before returning to the U.S. and coaching junior college for a few years in Southern California. He discovered that coaching did not suit him, and entered the entertainment industry when he was 28. He became an accomplished movie and television executive with Columbia Pictures Television, and established his own production company. From 1991 though 1996, Hill was the president of CBS Productions, leading the development and production of programming owned by the network. He oversaw some of the most successful primetime shows of the decade, including Touched by an Angel; Caroline in the City; Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman; Walker, Texas Ranger; Dave's World; and Rescue 911. With other romantic comedy options in the works, CBS' programming department passed on Caroline In the City. However, Hill was convinced it was a hit program, and found a buyer for the show in NBC. It was the first series that NBC had bought from a rival network, as well as the first one that CBS had sold to a competitor. Hill called NBC's decision "the most important statement CBS Productions has ever made about our legitimacy in this business." In 1996, Hill asked to be released from his CBS contract to join MCA Inc., but his boss—CBS Entertainment President Leslie Moonves—refused. However, Hill left CBS the following year. From 1997 until 2000, he was president of programming for Channel One News, where he produced award-winning news programming for an audience of eight million American teens. After 25 years had passed since he last saw Wooden, Hill was reminded of his former coach while playing golf. Hill's playing partner advised him to "Don't hurry, get your balance", which evoked a Wooden maxim of "Be quick, but don't hurry." Realizing that the coach's teachings had subconsciously guided his life and career, Hill was inspired to contact Wooden, and they developed a close friendship. "Once we were away from basketball, from my thinking I should play more, I could see did care about me," Hill said. He co-wrote Be Quick—But Don't Hurry! Finding Success in the Teachings of a Lifetime with Wooden. The bestseller details how Hill applied his experience as a player under Wooden to achieve success in his career as a television executive. His goal was to demonstrate the relevance of Wooden's coaching style to the business world. The book also delves into his personal relationship with Wooden as his coach and mentor. After publishing the book, Hill became a motivational speaker on leadership and life coaching.
