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Jalen Hill, a former basketball standout at UCLA and Corona Centennial Excessive, has died.
The tragic information was confirmed by Hill’s highschool basketball coach Josh Giles, who coached Hill for 4 years. He was 22 years outdated.
Giles and Hill grew very shut throughout Hill’s time at Centennial.
“He lived on the identical block as I did. I’d decide him up and take him to highschool daily with (teammate) Sedrick Barefield,” Giles stated. “It will take 25 minutes to get to and from faculty daily, so we’d discuss within the automobile, and it was by no means about basketball.”
“We’d discuss politics, relationships, faith. He was a really curious, clever child. I liked him. He was one of the best,” Giles added.
Hill’s father, George Hill, posted a tribute on Instagram, additionally confirming Hill’s passing.
“Our hearts are shattered and utterly damaged to tell household and pals that our beloved son, Jalen, has handed away,” the publish reads. “Jalen went lacking whereas in Costa Rica and now we have not too long ago discovered of his passing. …”
No explanation for demise has been supplied, however Giles confirmed the information after exchanging textual content messages with George Hill.
“We all know Jalen has performed an element within the lives of so many individuals,” the household publish reads. “We additionally acknowledge the position that so lots of you could have performed in his. As we attempt to navigate this devastating time in our lives, we ask that you just please give us time to grieve. Preserve us in your ideas and prayers.”
Hill was clear about his wrestle with anxiousness and despair following a global shoplifting scandal. He and teammates Cody Riley and LiAngelo Ball had been detained after stealing objects from three shops in the course of the crew’s journey to China to play Georgia Tech in November 2017, resulting in season-long suspensions, and he shared his feelings with the Los Angeles Instances in April of 2021.
Hill performed his final recreation for the Bruins on Jan. 30, 2021, going scoreless in 11 minutes towards Oregon State. He by no means suited up once more as UCLA superior to the Ultimate 4.
“I’m similar to, nah, I must take this break,” Hill advised The Instances later that spring, citing the strain he had placed on himself to succeed. “It was a troublesome determination to make, however as soon as I knew what I needed to do, it wasn’t onerous, like I discovered, like, that is going to assist me.”
Hill – a 6-foot-10 middle recognized for his athletic rim safety – graduated from Centennial in 2017 after averaging 18.8 factors and 12.5 rebounds per recreation his senior yr.
He arrived in Westwood for his freshman yr that very same fall and redshirted the 2017-18 season earlier than occurring to play in 77 video games at UCLA via three seasons, tallying 40 begins averaging 6.5 factors, 6.4 rebounds and eight profession double-doubles.
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