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Darrun Hilliard

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Darrun Hilliard
Hilliard in 2022
Free Agent
PositionShooting guard / small forward
Personal information
Born (1993-04-13) April 13, 1993 (age 31)
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High schoolLiberty (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania)
CollegeVillanova (2011–2015)
NBA draft2015: 2nd round, 38th overall pick
Selected by the Detroit Pistons
Playing career2015–present
Career history
2015–2017Detroit Pistons
2015; 2017→Grand Rapids Drive
2017–2018San Antonio Spurs
2017–2018→Austin Spurs
2018–2019Baskonia
2019–2021CSKA Moscow
2021–2022FC Bayern Munich
2022–2023Maccabi Tel Aviv
2023–2024Pınar Karşıyaka
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  United States
FIBA AmeriCup
Gold medal – first place 2017 Argentina

Darrun Hilliard II (born April 13, 1993) is an American professional basketball player who last played for Pınar Karşıyaka of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL).

Hilliard attended Liberty High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where he was a two-time Associated Press first-team selection. As a high school senior, he averaged 19.7 points per game. Hilliard committed to play college basketball for the Villanova Wildcats and coach Jay Wright. He showed steady improvement every year, going from 4.8 points per game as a freshman to 14.3 points per game as a senior as he helped Villanova reach the NCAA Tournament in three straight seasons. As a senior, he was named to the first-team All-Big East and was honored as Big 5 Player of the Year.

Early life

[edit]

Hilliard was born on April 13, 1993, to Charlene Jenkins and Darrun Hilliard.[1] His mother is a representative for an insurance company.[2] His father played basketball at the high school level and first introduced his son to the sport when he was five years old. The younger Hilliard also played football growing up, but preferred basketball.[3] His favorite NBA player was Allen Iverson.[4] He used to bike to Philadelphia Eagles practices as a kid.[5]

High school career

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Hilliard attended Liberty High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where he was a two-time Associated Press first-team selection.[2] Despite eating, writing, and throwing a football right handed, Hilliard shoots left-handed. As a freshman, he measured 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m). His parents split up after his freshman year, and he developed a unique bond with Liberty assistant coach Mike Bachman.[6] As a junior, he averaged 18 points and six rebounds per game and shot 52 percent from the field. Hilliard led the Hurricanes to PIAA state semifinals, where Liberty lost to Penn Wood. In the loss to Penn Wood, Hilliard had 26 points. He was named The Morning Call player of the year as a junior.[7] In addition, he was selected to the First Team Class AAAA.[8]

Hilliard averaged 19.7 points per game as a senior.[1] He was named Express-Times player of the year after leading the Hurricanes to the second round of the PIAA playoffs. Hilliard scored 1,413 points in his high school career, finishing second in Liberty High School history.[3] He committed to Villanova in November 2010.[9] When Hilliard informed his mother he was receiving a full scholarship to Villanova, she did not understand and was trying to figure how much she would have to pay for her son's education.[2]

College career

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Freshman

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Villanova coach Jay Wright considered redshirting Hilliard in his freshman season, but Wright decided against it after a rash of injuries to his players.[9] He had 13 points in back-to-back games against Penn and Missouri in December 2011.[10][11] As a freshman, Hilliard averaged 4.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 18.1 minutes per game in 29 games and shot 29.2 percent from behind the three-point arc. During the season, he reached out to his family and friends to see if he made the right decision to come to Villanova. He said, "Freshman year was probably my toughest year of basketball", due to difficulties in adjusting to a new coach and teammates.[9] He described himself as a mentally unstable 17-year-old.[5]

Sophomore

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In his sophomore season (2012–13), he averaged 11.4 points in just under 30 minutes a game. This proved to be his breakout season and he would go on to start all 34 games that year.[1] He helped Villanova defeat a few top-five teams that season. In a comeback win over #5 Louisville on January 22, he made a three-point play after making a steal at halfcourt which helped spark the rally.[12] In a 75–71 overtime victory over #3 Syracuse on January 26, 2013, he had 25 points and six assists in 38 minutes.[13] As a result of his play against Syracuse, Hilliard was honored as Big East Player of the Week and Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week.[14] He also helped them beat then #5 Georgetown on March 6 by the score of 67–57. In that game, he had 14 points and three steals.[15]

Villanova enjoyed a 20–14 season after a down year and reached the NCAA tournament where they were seeded ninth and matched up with eight seed North Carolina in the first round. Hilliard had a strong showing in a 78–71 loss to North Carolina, scoring 18 points.[16]

Junior

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Hilliard improved in most offensive categories in the 2013–14 season, his junior year. He averaged 14.3 points per game that season and improved his three-point shooting percentage to 41.4 percent (up from 31.5 percent the year before). He made 70 three-pointers that year out of 169 attempts.[1] Hilliard scored 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting against Marquette in a 94–85 victory on January 25, 2014.[17] In an 82–79 win over Providence, he hit a crucial 3-pointer with a minute left in overtime.[18] In a 73–56 win over Marquette on March 2 at the Wells Fargo Center, he established a new career high with 26 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field.[4]

Villanova compiled a 29–5 record and won the Big East regular season championship and Battle for Atlantis title despite not being ranked in the preseason.[19] In the 2014 NCAA tournament, Hilliard scored 16 points to help Villanova get past Milwaukee.[20] Villanova lost to eventual national champion Connecticut in the Round of 32, with Hilliard adding 13 points in the 77–65 loss.[21] He was an honorable mention all-Big East selection at the conclusion of the regular season.[22] He shared Big East Most Improved Player award with teammate Daniel Ochefu.[23] Hilliard joined teammate Ryan Arcidiacono on the All-Big 5 Second Team.[24]

Senior

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He is the leader of our team, on and off the court. Defensively he can guard small forwards, guards. He always hits big shots for us. Teams are leaning to him a lot more and he's creating shots for his teammates. The way he's handled everything unselfishly and done everything for the team, he's put winning first ahead of individual accomplishments. I'm thrilled that he's a candidate for player of the year and I'd love for him to get it.

 — Jay Wright[25]

Coming into the 2014–15 season, Hilliard was named to the Preseason Second Team All-Big East.[26] He averaged 14.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game as a senior.[1] Villanova was ranked in the top ten for most of the season thanks to a balanced offense. Hilliard scored 23 points on December 20 in an overtime victory over Syracuse, hitting 9-of-17 shots. He hit two free throws to give the Wildcats the first lead of the game in overtime before being kicked in the face and tested for concussion-like symptoms.[27] Against Creighton on January 25, 2015, he scored 24 points and made 6-of-10 three-pointers in a 71–50 victory at home.[28] On February 14, in a 78–75 victory over Butler, Hilliard scored a career-high 31 points and also set a career high with 8 three-pointers made out of 13 attempts. He also hit the game-winning three-pointer with 1.5 seconds to play in the game. Eight of his nine field goals in that game were three-pointers, and his eight rebounds were one short of a career-high.[29] He averaged 18.7 points during a nine-game stretch that included the Butler game.[25]

Hilliard led the Wildcats to a 33–3 season. His final game at Villanova was a 71–68 upset at the hands of N.C. State in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32, despite contributing 27 points. Hilliard finished his Villanova career with 1,511 points, 18th highest in school history; 400 rebounds; and 176 steals.[5] Hilliard was a 2014–15 Men's All-District II Team selection by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.[30] The Sporting News selected him to be a Second Team All-American.[31] Hilliard was one of three players, along with LaDontae Henton and Kris Dunn, to be unanimously named to the All Big East First Team.[26] He was named to the First Team All-District V by the National Association of Basketball Coaches,[32] and was named Big 5 Player of the Year.[33] After the season, he was invited to the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament.[34]

Professional career

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Detroit Pistons (2015–2017)

[edit]

Prior to the 2015 NBA draft, Hilliard signed with James Dunleavy as his agent. He was listed in the 55–70 range among NBA draft prospects by several media agencies.[35] On June 25, 2015, Hilliard was selected 38th overall by the Detroit Pistons in the second round of the draft.[36][37] Hilliard attributed the decision to a productive workout with the team.[38] After averaging 9.4 points per game in Orlando Summer League play, on July 20, Hilliard signed a three-year deal with the Pistons, with one year being guaranteed.[39][40] Coach Stan Van Gundy praised Hilliard's shooting prowess, despite a poor showing in the Summer League.[41]

He broke his nose during training camp after engaging in a pickup game. The injury required surgery and he needed to wear a mask.[42] On November 23, he made his NBA debut in a 109–88 loss against the Milwaukee Bucks, recording two points and three rebounds in 12 minutes.[43] During his rookie season, he received multiple assignments to the Grand Rapids Drive, the Pistons' D-League affiliate.[44]

On June 30, 2016, Hilliard was ruled out of the 2016 NBA Summer League after he suffered a stress fracture of the lower back.[45] During the 2016–17 season, Hilliard had multiple assignments with the Grand Rapids Drive.[46]

On June 28, 2017, Hilliard was traded to the Houston Rockets for cash considerations,[47] then immediately got traded to the Los Angeles Clippers as part of the trade that sent Chris Paul to Houston.[48] A day later, he was waived by the Clippers.[49]

San Antonio Spurs (2017–2018)

[edit]

On September 11, 2017, Hilliard signed a two-way contract with the San Antonio Spurs, meaning he would be available to split playing time between San Antonio and their NBA G League affiliate, the Austin Spurs.[50] On February 23, 2018, in his first game in the G League in a month, Hilliard contributed 31 points, five assists, one rebound and one steal in a 134–123 loss to the Texas Legends.[51] He had 22 points, four rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block in a win against the Reno Bighorns on March 10. He posted 21.2 points per game for Austin.[52]

Kirolbet Baskonia (2018–2019)

[edit]

On August 13, 2018, Hilliard signed a one-year deal with Kirolbet Baskonia of the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague.[53][54] He averaged 9.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.[55]

CSKA Moscow (2019–2021)

[edit]

On July 3, 2019, Hilliard signed a one-year deal with the Russian team CSKA Moscow of the VTB United League and the EuroLeague.[55] He scored 14 points in a win against his former team Baskonia on January 17, 2020.[56] On June 25, 2020, Hilliard extended the contract for one year. He scored a career-high 31 points on November 11, in a win against Baskonia.[57] During the 2020–21 season, he averaged 8.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. On June 18, 2021, Hilliard parted ways with the Russian powerhouse.[58]

Bayern Munich (2021–2022)

[edit]

On July 16, 2021, Hilliard signed with FC Bayern Munich of the Basketball Bundesliga.[59] During the 2021–22 season, he averaged 12.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game.[60]

Maccabi Tel Aviv (2022–2023)

[edit]

On June 26, 2022, Hilliard signed a one-year deal with Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Premier League and the EuroLeague.[61]

Pınar Karşıyaka (2023–2024)

[edit]

On September 1, 2023, he signed with Pınar Karşıyaka of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL).[62]

National team career

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Hilliard played with the senior United States national team at the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup, where he won a gold medal. He was named to the All-Tournament Team.

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  PIR  Performance Index Rating
 Bold  Career high

EuroLeague

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2018–19 Baskonia 34 11 20.5 .412 .322 .775 2.9 1.1 .7 .1 9.4 6.9
2019–20 CSKA Moscow 27 12 20.1 .404 .412 .796 2.4 1.2 .6 .1 10.6 7.1
2020–21 37 30 19.2 .441 .327 .857 2.0 1.1 .6 .2 8.7 5.9
Career 30 11 20.4 .408 .367 .785 2.6 1.1 .6 .1 10 7

NBA

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Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2015–16 Detroit 38 2 10.1 .397 .380 .725 1.2 .7 .2 .0 4.0
2016–17 Detroit 39 1 9.8 .373 .261 .750 .8 .8 .3 .1 3.3
2017–18 San Antonio 14 0 6.8 .263 .000 .857 .5 .8 .1 .0 1.1
Career 91 3 9.4 .377 .304 .747 .9 .8 .2 .0 3.2

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "4 – Darrun Hilliard". Villanova Wildcats. Villanova University. Archived from the original on September 18, 2015. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c Smallwood, John (May 11, 2013). "Villanova's Hilliard thinks every day should be Mother's Day". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Hinkel, Tom (March 29, 2011). "Liberty High School's Darrun Hilliard repeats as Boys Basketball Player of the Year". The Express-Times. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
  4. ^ a b "Villanova tops Marquette on Darrun Hilliard's career day". ESPN. Associated Press. March 2, 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  5. ^ a b c Frank, Reuben (March 23, 2015). "Darrun Hilliard on Villanova teammates: 'They saved my life'". Comcast SportsNet. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  6. ^ Jones, David (February 24, 2014). "Darrun Hilliard is Villanova's hidden engine in its 24–3 season". pennlive.com. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  7. ^ Groller, Keith (April 2, 2010). "Liberty's Darrun Hilliard is The Morning Call's boys player of the year". The Morning Call. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  8. ^ "Liberty High School's Darrun Hilliard named first team all-state; Chad Landis is Class AAAA co-coach of the year". The Express-Times. April 7, 2010. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
  9. ^ a b c Housenick, Tom (November 12, 2014). "It will be an emotional homecoming for Villanova's Darrun Hilliard, a Liberty High product". The Morning Call. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
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  20. ^ "Villanova prevails in rout as Milwaukee fades down stretch". ESPN. Associated Press. March 21, 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  21. ^ "Shabazz Napier scores 25 to lead No. 7 UConn past No. 2 Villanova". ESPN. Associated Press. March 23, 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  22. ^ Toohey, Terry (March 9, 2014). "Villanova senior James Bell named Big East first team all-conference". Main Line Media News. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  23. ^ Hinkel, Tom (March 18, 2015). "March Madness: Villanova basketball's Darrun Hilliard has high regard for Lafayette". The Express-Times. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  24. ^ Jensen, Mike (April 15, 2014). "Big Five Hall of Famers honored with current stars". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
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  26. ^ a b "MBB: All-BIG EAST Teams Announced". Big East Conference. March 8, 2015. Archived from the original on March 17, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  27. ^ "No. 7 Villanova stays undefeated with overtime win over Syracuse". ESPN. Associated Press. December 20, 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  28. ^ "Hilliard scores 24 to lead No. 4 Villanova over Creighton". ESPN. Associated Press. January 25, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  29. ^ "Darrun Hilliard hits clutch 3 as No. 6 Villanova rallies by No. 18 Butler". ESPN. Associated Press. February 26, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
  30. ^ "USBWA Names 2014–15 Men's All-District Teams". United States Basketball Writers Association. March 10, 2015. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  31. ^ Linton, Chance (March 9, 2015). "Sporting News releases 2014–2015 All-American Team". 247sports.com. Archived from the original on March 11, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  32. ^ "National Association of Basketball Coaches Announces: 2014–15 Division I All-District Teams and UPS All-District Coaches" (PDF). National Association of Basketball Coaches. March 27, 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 5, 2016. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  33. ^ O'Brien, Rick (March 25, 2015). "College Basketball: Lower Merion's B.J. Johnson transfers from Syracuse to La Salle". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on May 26, 2015. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
  34. ^ Bodner, Derek (April 10, 2015). "NBA draft prospects hope to get noticed at Portsmouth". USA Today. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
  35. ^ Miller, Stephen (June 24, 2015). "Liberty High product Darrun Hilliard hopeful as NBA Draft nears". The Morning Call. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
  36. ^ Farrell, Perry (June 25, 2015). "Pistons take Villanova SG Darrun Hilliard 38th in NBA draft". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  37. ^ "Villanova's Hilliard brings versatility, savvy, shooting to Pistons perimeter". NBA.com. June 26, 2015. Archived from the original on June 28, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  38. ^ Miller, Stephen (June 26, 2015). "Darrun Hilliard, Liberty High grad, ready for NBA life to start with Detroit Pistons". The Morning Call. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
  39. ^ "Detroit Pistons Sign Second-Round Pick Darrun Hilliard". NBA.com. July 20, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
  40. ^ Ellis, Vince (July 16, 2015). "Pistons agree to terms with second-rounder Hilliard". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
  41. ^ Langlois, Keith (August 5, 2015). "Darrun Hilliard catches the eyes of not only SVG but his new Pistons teammates". NBA.com. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  42. ^ McMann, Aaron (October 1, 2015). "Masked Darrun Hilliard willing to stretch the floor to earn Pistons roster spot". MLive. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
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  45. ^ "Darrun Hilliard suffers lower back stress fracture". InsideHoops.com. June 30, 2016. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
  46. ^ "2016–17 NBA Assignments". NBA.com. Archived from the original on January 26, 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  47. ^ "Detroit Pistons Trade Guard/Forward Darrun Hilliard To Houston Rockets". NBA.com. June 28, 2017. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
  48. ^ Ibarra, Joseph (June 28, 2017). "Press Release: L.A. Clippers Acquire Seven Players and Draft Pick, Including Beverley, Dekker, Harrell and Williams". NBA.com. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
  49. ^ "Darrun Hilliard: Waived by Clippers". cbssports.com. June 29, 2017. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
  50. ^ Julian, M. (September 11, 2017). "Spurs sign Darrun Hilliard to two-way contract". NBA.com. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  51. ^ "Spurs' Darrun Hilliard: Erupts for 31". CBS Sports. February 23, 2018. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  52. ^ "Darrun Hilliard: Scores 22 points in G League game". CBS Sports. March 10, 2018. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  53. ^ "Darrun Hilliard refuerza el perímetro azulgrana – Saski Baskonia". Saski Baskonia (in European Spanish). August 13, 2018. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  54. ^ "Baskonia lands perimeter help in Hilliard". EuroLeague.net. August 13, 2018. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  55. ^ a b Carchia, Emiliano (July 3, 2019). "CSKA Moscow signs Darrun Hilliard". Sportando. Archived from the original on December 9, 2021. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  56. ^ Lupo, Nicola (January 17, 2020). "James, Hilliard lead CSKA past Baskonia". Sportando. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  57. ^ Lupo, Nicola (November 12, 2020). "Darrun Hilliard scores 31 PTS, leads CSKA to victory over Baskonia". Sportando. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  58. ^ Tsakos, Alexandros (June 18, 2021). "CSKA Moscow extends contract of Nikita Kurbanov; parts ways with Darrun Hilliard". TalkBasket.net. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  59. ^ Maggi, Alessandro (July 16, 2021). "Darrun Hilliard signs with Bayern Munich". Sportando. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  60. ^ "Darrun Hilliard International Stats, San Antonio Spurs - RealGM". basketball.realgm.com.
  61. ^ "Maccabi adds veteran SG/SF Darrun Hilliard". Maccabi Tel Aviv Basketball Club. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  62. ^ "Karşıyaka'dan önemli hamle" (in Turkish). basketfaul. September 5, 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
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