Court named after legendary hoops coach Steve Hill

As Steve Hill sat surrounded by friends and family on Ridgway Secondary School’s bleachers Saturday, overwhelming pride washed over him once he saw how many supporters packed the gymnasium to honor him.

Yet as the 82-year-old local hoops legend approached the plaque bearing his name, his focus shifted to ensuring the sheet covering it came off smoothly.

“I was hoping it would come down. I didn’t know what was going to happen,” Hill said with a grin. “I thought I was going to have to have my wife help me.”

However, that sheet indeed came off smoothly as he revealed the newly christened Steve Hill Court in front of hundreds of former players, students and other community members. In the end, their support and dedication, especially on that day, meant more than the many accolades and awards he’s accumulated throughout the years.

“All the honors over the years, you can’t just say, ‘Oh boy, the National Coach of the Year for boys’ basketball, which was one heck of an honor. Or the [Colorado High School Activities Association basketball] Hall of Fame. It’s just the whole thing, you know? And you can see the people that came back that all played here,” Hill said. “It’s just amazing.”

Hill led Ridgway Secondary School’s boys’ and girls’ basketball teams from 1964 to 1998 and exited retirement twice from 2003 to 2005 and 2010 to 2016 when the Demons needed a basketball coach. Over the course of his 42-year career, Hill compiled a 835-490 record over 1,325 games — a 63% overall winning percentage.

During that time, his boys’ teams went 524-309, winning two state championships and 18 league titles, while his girls’ teams went 311-181, winning two state championships and 12 league titles.

Hill is believed to be the third-winningest overall high school basketball coach, 10th-winningest boys basketball coach and 25th-winningest girls basketball coach in CHSAA history, though the organization hasn’t updated its website to include his post-retirement victories. Between 1994 and 1996, his teams also set a state record with 73 consecutive wins.

Hill was named the National High School Athletic Coaches Association’s Boys Basketball Coach of the Year in 1999 and entered the Colorado High School Activities Association Hall of Fame in 2000.

While the ceremony focused on his achievements on the hardwood, those who spoke focused on what Hill meant to his players, the school and the town, on and off the court.

Superintendent Susan Lacy recalled the time he volunteered to serve as a substitute shop teacher after she fired the previous shop teacher while she was Ridgway Secondary School’s principal.

Before Hill stepped in, cans of flammable liquids were stored beside wood piles and other equipment. After he stepped in, the space was nearly spotless.

“[The shop] was literally a time bomb waiting to happen, that it was something quite dangerous,” Lacy said. “He cleaned up that shop like I’d never seen. And I would walk in there and his students were building and creating and fixing things at a level that was beyond anything I’d ever seen before.”

Others raved about his sense of humor and wit. His wife, Diane, remembered when Denver-based reporters followed his teams around the state in the 1990s with serious questions in tow. Whenever he had the opportunity to answer them, he would first reply with nonsense simply to gauge their replies.

Most of the memories concentrated on Hill’s hard-nosed approach to coaching and his determination to ensure his players and students met their full potential.

Vickie Williams, a former basketball player who graduated in 1988, remembers plenty of moments during her time playing for Hill, but one interaction in particular stands out. After breaking a finger at a 90-degree angle, Hill told Williams she needed to “suck it up” because he needed her for the next game. Despite the pain, she persevered.

“I’ve been in education for more than 20 years and never met a coach that had that impact not only on his kids, but the school and the community. He definitely deserves (to have the court named after him),” Williams said.

She said she thinks the dedication ceremony should’ve taken place as soon as the gym was built, but it was still nice to see Hill recognized for his passion and loyalty to the school.

“It’s past due because when you think of Ridgway and basketball and the court, you don’t think of the Demons, you think of Coach Hill,” she said. “His love and passion to ensure we had a successful program was above and beyond what most coaches do. Most come in for several years, make their mark and leave. He was the heart and the soul of the program.”

Despite her admiration for Hill as a coach, Williams said he had an “aura” beyond just basketball and spoke to his ability to bring players’ families together and instill an unbeatable work ethic in players and students alike.

“Whether they were on the court or in the bleachers, everyone wanted to be a part of it,” Williams said.

Athletic and Activities Director Shawnn Row said the school decided to name the court after Hill when he and his daughter Tracy couldn’t attend the school’s “Night of Champions” event last year. The school hosted that event to honor past state champions and showcase the renovated gymnasium.

After that event, Jane Harrington, a former student and player under Hill, contacted Ridgway School District about naming the court after Hill. Harrington then gathered letters of recommendation to support the renaming, which primarily focused on what Hill meant to his former players, students and colleagues.

“Coaches and school people who have extraordinary careers and work in the same district for such a long time have a gym or floor or something like that named after them,” Row said. “Like I said during my speech, it’s not necessarily the records. Everyone I talked to just had these amazing stories about how much he helped them grow into a young man or young woman.”

“Some people are blessed to have strong, positive influences in their family, and while I am not disparaging my relations, I found myself looking to men outside of my family as role models. It may be that not every young man needs a ‘Coach’ in their life, but I certainly did,” former Ridgway basketball player Jim Smith wrote in his letter. “Steve Hill taught me grit, honor and focus, which has been a part of my character since.” Daniel Schmidt is a journalist with Report for America, a national service program which helps boost reporting resources in underserved areas. To make a tax-deductible donation to fund his work, contact erin@ouraynews. com.