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RE: Nimrod Hilliard- grad transfer PG
(04-15-2014 03:32 PM)michaelf Wrote: (04-15-2014 03:25 PM)HoopDreams Wrote: From Lamar.
6-0
Averaged 14 ppg, 5 assists, 4 rbs.
Shot 45 FG, 35 3PT, 74 FT
I thought you were being funny about this name, who in the world would name their child NIMROD, until I read the orgins of his name, interesting story:
Quote:Be honest.
It's the name.
That's the first thing that jumps out about Nimrod Hilliard IV.
It's OK to chuckle a little, raise your eyebrows -it all comes with the territory.
But watch Lamar's embattled leading scorer for a few minutes and the name quickly becomes an afterthought to his silky moves in the lane and acrobatic reverse layups.
"You hear stuff, especially on away games, but I just think it's funny," Hilliard said. "I like my name, I wouldn't change it for the world. My son will have the same name. I take pride in it."
The short answer of why Hilliard shares a first name with slang for "idiot" originates with his great grandfather - the original Nimrod Hilliard.
But the deeper answer goes back thousands of years, to Genesis 10:8 and 9.
"Cush fathered Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Therefore it is said, 'Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord.'"
So therein lies the true, original Nimrod.
Hilliard's first experience taking flack for his name as a Cardinal came around the time of Lamar's season opener at Butler. He said Butler fans found his Instagram account, which is public, and started commenting on his pictures with some jokes aimed at his first name.
"I don't take it personally," said Hilliard with a smile.
Maybe that's because the junior guard got some revenge that night by leading all scorers on both teams with 23 points.
Hilliard's success in his Lamar debut was a long time coming after a roller-coaster career that dates back to high school. It was a journey that his father, who was at that Butler game, knew all too well.
"Butler's a big school with a lot of good players. For him to go in there and score 23 on them, it was amazing to see," Nimrod Hilliard III said. "It was like watching him in high school again."
Hilliard attended Madison East High School in Wisconsin from 2007-11. In his junior year,
Hilliard signed to play college basketball for South Dakota. But unbeknownst to him at the time, Hilliard would receive the state's highest basketball honor the following season.
"The thing that messed me up is I signed really early," Hilliard said. "I signed in the early signing period of my junior year and that kind of set me back. I didn't know I would get Mr. Basketball and have the season that I did (in my senior year). Bigger schools called after that, but it was too late, I had already signed."
Hilliard said he and the South Dakota coaches did not see eye-to-eye on game strategy. The quick 6-foot, 154-pound guard said he wanted to play up-tempo and fly down the court, while his college coaches preferred a slower style.
At South Dakota, Hilliard played in 18 games (started six), averaged 14 minutes and 2.6 points per game, and transferred out at the end of the year.
He found a temporary home at Jacksonville College (Texas) where he - by his own admission - grew up.
"I think Jacksonville made him more humble," Hilliard III said.
Perhaps the stop at junior college was a necessary step to mold Hilliard into the player and person who has emerged as a floor general in his first season at Lamar.
"That's exactly why I came here," Hilliard said. "Coach (Pat) Knight said he wanted to put the ball in my hands and lead."
With Southland Conference play four weeks away, Hilliard is second in the conference for assists per game (5.4) and 10th in scoring (14.9 points per game).
After playing for two different teams in two years, Hilliard has finally found some stability in his playing career.
"It makes him feel more at home and it makes him play better," his father said.
Like his son, Nimrod Hilliard III said he was teased some because of the unique first name they both hold.
"When I was younger, a little," Hilliard III said. "But I was a lot bigger than everybody else, so not really too much."
Michaelf, we've had some douzies around here too. One lady loved Jello so she name one of her son's Orangelo, on name Lemongelo. Another lady named her son Shi-Thead. written out ********. True names. Wow. Would love to see Wolo get ahold of these.
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