My parents now live in Southern California. They moved west a few years ago to help my sister. Jim and Gail are the wheels for my two young nephews. My folks are rubbing elbows and spending my inheritance. Their list of celebrities is quite impressive. They were backstage hanging out with Dana Carvey this past weekend. GARTH! They are having a blast. A great place to visit. West Hollywood.

Jensen joined them a few summers back. He went to a UCLA basketball camp. I wrote a story about my son playing hoops in Pauley Pavilion. We took many photos. I got to sit high in the rafters. Pauley is incredible. It is the Taj Mahal. The Mecca. The UCLA Bruins. Lew Alcindor, Bill Walton, and Coach John Wooden. A beautiful venue. Home to several concerts and large events. The history is too long to list.

Jim and Gail headed over to Pauley this past Tuesday. The Bruins hosted the University of San Diego in an exhibition. One final tune-up before the regular season. My parents were there to support and see a local. Davion Hill is a redshirt junior guard for the Toreros. Both have followed Hill since he was a youngster. They know him well. Davion made me look good back when I was coaching. He was a stud. Unbelievable athlete.

Hill got the start in Los Angeles. My folks got some great pictures in pregame warmups. The UCLA Bruins are the real deal. They are currently ranked in the top 20. San Diego is young. But they have some swagger. The Toreros were down six at the half but ended up losing. Davion didn’t have his best. No worries. The kid picked up two early fouls, and he tweaked an ankle. Hill only scored 2 in very limited minutes. Davion will be just fine. My pops shared a few pics of Davion on the big screen when his name was called. I remembered that look in player introductions. Goosebumps.

I had the privilege of coaching Davion for three years at St. John Neumann. Hill was the man. He helped us win three straight district crowns. An ALL-STATER all four years. The school’s all-time leading scorer. I still marvel at Davion’s junior season. That was my final year. He scored 783 points. Davion was named the 2022 PIAA Class A Player of the Year. He was an animal in the playoffs. Davion averaged 29.2 points and 10.3 rebounds during our impressive run. It was incredible. He went for 31 and grabbed 19 boards against Linville Hill. Davion then dropped 39 and played stellar defense against Pottsville Nativity in the Final Four. The Knights faced an outstanding Bishop Canevin squad in the State Final. They were tremendous. Several Division 1 players. They threw everything at him. Davion still scored 30 points. He was the best player on the floor. I love watching the old footage. He was special.

Davion is in his third year of college. He came to San Diego after a great season at Ball State. The landscape has changed. Davion entertained several offers after entering the portal. NIL is the king. Hill led the Cardinals in scoring and was second in both rebounds and assists. Davion averaged 14.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.7 assists. Davion’s first year was at Northwest Florida State. He played 27 games. Hill averaged 14.9 points and 5.2 rebounds in 22.7 minutes per clip. I expect big things from him in 2026.

I used to joke with Davion and call him “Hollywood.” It was out of respect. He was big time. You could tell he had it at an early age. I reached out a few days after. My parents were in the nosebleeds, and they didn’t get a chance for a chest bump. Davion comes from good stock. His older brothers helped pave the way. David is the man, and Alize continues to do his thing. Hill is writing his own chapter. I look forward to reading his script. The circle of basketball runs deep. I loved seeing the photos from my parents. The last time they saw Davion play was in the 2022 State Championship. Yes. They flew in just for that game. My last. And they just watched our guy “Hollywood” get the start in West Hollywood, CA. Cheers.