Winston Hill, sophomore forward and Columbia, SC, native has been persistent. The summer before Hill’s sophomore year at FMU, he underwent shoulder surgery and struggled through six months of healing and rehab.

Despite Hill’s surgery, he came back to school ready to take on the coming basketball season.

Hill has led the team in scoring more than six times during the season, was PBC player of the week on Dec.16-22 and NCAA national player of the week on Jan. 27-Feb. 3.

During the season, Hill also suffered from an ankle injury, but that didn’t stop him either. He still stayed on top leading the team in scoring in over three games on a swollen ankle.

“When my team needs me, I know I have to step up and perform,” Hill said.

Hill has had a love for basketball since he was four years old.

“I started playing when I was four,” Hill said. “My parents signed me to play in the 5-6 age group.”

Hill said he had been playing basketball with older kids all his life and it had prepared him to play high-level basketball in high-school and college.

Hill shared that he had a lot of offers and that caused him to commit late, but he soon realized his niche was here at FMU.

Hill mentioned that he knew this school was best for his basketball career.

“I knew that I could come here and play right away,” Hill said. “The offense was really good for my skill set.”

Although Hill is a phenomenal athlete and came to FMU because of the basketball program, he also values school.

“I talked to a couple of my friends and they told me that it wasn’t going to be easy,” Hill said. “I knew it was a good school and I was up for the challenge.”

Hill said his faith plays a big role in his life.

“I’ll be honest,” Hill said. “I wasn’t as close to God as I needed to be in high school, but my brother encouraged me to get closer and start reading the Bible. I did and now I know whatever I do God is watching over me and whatever happens God wants it to happen.”

Hill said he lives by the scripture Psalm 23:4. He also said he is a very family-oriented person and enjoys spending time with his family.

Hill expressed that his biggest inspiration is his grandfather.

“He calls me after every game and during the week just to check on me,” Hill said. “I don’t know what I would do without him.”

Hill has had some great moments and life-long experiences as an FMU basketball player.

“My favorite experience here so far was [the game] against North Georgia,” Hill said. “When the game was tied with only five seconds left, I got the ball and hit a game-winner with one second left.”

In order to prepare for every game, Hill said he follows through with his pregame routine.

“I always drink a bottle of Gatorade and listen to music that gets my head in the right mindset,” Hill said.

Stepping up and making his path to success, Hill explained that he is working to be the greatest player to ever play at FMU.