Daryll Hill was reduced to being a cheerleader again last night.
Instead of being clad in his usually red and white, the star guard found himself planted in the middle of the team’s bench wearing a dark blue sweater vest over a shirt and tie during St. John’s 63-45 win over Stony Brook at Carnesecca Arena. But he did not have his injured left knee to blame.
Hill was suspended Wednesday for one game by coach Norm Roberts for violation of a team rule the occured Tuesday. Robert also said he was informed about the violation between 3:00 and 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday and what occurred was not basketball related. He would not name the person who told him of the violation.
“All my players are held to the same standard, be if it’s a walk-on or a scholarship player,” Roberts said.
This is the second game Hill has missed this season. He sat out the team’s 64-51 loss to Hofstra on Nov. 29 because of a knee injury.
Hill, who is averaging 15.3 points per game so far this season, sat down with Roberts for a “quiet discussion" before the game. Roberts said that Hill recognized his mistake and understood the punishment.
“He was fine,” the second-year coach said. “He made sure he was dressed on the bench and he was there with the team. He was cheering the whole time.”
This was also the second time Hill, one of the team’s captains, has been disciplined for breaking a team rule. He was held out of the starting lineup in the Red Storm’s 79-73 loss to Boston College last season for missing a team meeting. Ryan Williams, Hill’s former Cardozo High School teammate started in his place on Wednesday. Williams also took Hill’s spot in the starting lineup against the Eagles last season.
“We have to play the same way every game regardless of who’s playing,” sophomore guard Eugene Lawrence said.
“I’m always disappointed somebody doesn’t take care of what they need to take care of,” Roberts added. “But that may be on the court, that maybe in the classroom, that maybe outside of here.”
NOTES
St. John’s will play its first road game of the season Dec. 10 against Virginia Tech. The Red Storm defeat the Hokies, 75-65, last season at Carnesecca Arena, but have not won any road games since a Nov. 29, 2003 win over Stony Brook.
“It will be something new for our guys to go somewhere else where the crowd is not for you and you’re not in your comfort zone,” Roberts said.
With 3:30 minutes left to play in the game, the fire alarms in Carnesecca Arena were activated. Public Safety officers began to tell fans to begin exiting the arena. Some fans did, but others stayed after officials quickly told them they could remain in the building. The alarms were triggered by a mechanical malfuncation, according to Public Safety officals.
