KAMERON HILL OF AUSTIN COLLEGE, a sophomore guard on the Kangaroos' men's basketball team, has been selected the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Character and Community Male Student Athlete of the Week for the week beginning November 27, 2017.
The SCAC honors the efforts of student-athletes who excel in the field of athletics, and also serve their campus and community.
It’s a bit unusual for a sophomore to take an active leadership role on a college athletics team. However, that’s the position Hill has found himself in during his second year at Austin College, and it’s a role he’s embraced both on the court and away from basketball.
The second year member of the Kangaroo men’s basketball team, Hill found himself as one of the few returning players on a young and inexperienced team in 2017, and he’s been pushed into a much larger role than he had a year ago. So far this season he’s helped guide his team through tremendous adversity, and the team has responded with resilience and heart that’s certainly in no small part thanks to the leadership of not just the team’s only two seniors but also Hill.
It’s not the only leadership role that Hill has taken on since arriving at Austin College, either. Before he ever set foot on the court for the Kangaroos, head coach Rodney Wecker honed in on the Nocona, Texas native to represent the men’s basketball team as a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Council. Hill, in turn, jumped at the opportunity to become more actively involved with his fellow student-athletes and within the community.
He’s served as a mentor to area students, while also helping to spearhead the college’s efforts to provide relief for Hurricane Harvey victims. When members of the SAAC decided to help raise funds for those impacted in the Houston area, Hill was at the forefront of an effort to sell old Austin College jerseys for $1 apiece. Despite only selling for a couple of days, the Austin College SAAC raised more than $1,000 to contribute to the college’s overall Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. Naturally, Hill was there nearly the entire time, making sure as many jerseys were sold as possible.
Hill is hoping that such efforts are just the start of his involvement on campus and with the SAAC – and not just the Austin College SAAC, either. Last year he was chosen to be one of Austin College’s representatives at a gathering of SAAC members from around the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. Not only did that trip give him a chance to get to know his fellow student-athletes from around the conference, but it energized him and increased his desire to endeavor in community engagement opportunities.