Former Kingston High School standout player George Hill III was recently hired as the Buccaneers’ new boys head basketball coach.

He replaces K.T. Deam, who had been the coach the last few seasons. Both Hill and Deam were essential parts of the KHS teams that finished third in 2A state back-to-back years in the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons. Hill was a senior on the ‘10-‘11 team and Deam was on both teams that placed third at state.

“I think wins and losses take care of themselves, but if we can instill a positive culture of leadership and accountability and things, we’ll have more opportunities to be successful beyond basketball,” Hill said.

After Deam announced he was stepping down, Hill reached out to KHS athletic director Ed Call, expressing interest in the position. People in the Kingston community also encouraged Hill to apply for the position, citing his ability as a coach and personal trainer.

Hill was a captain during his time at KHS from 2007-2010 and is the only player in school history to go on to play division one basketball. He was a walk-on at Washington State University, but suffered an injury to his lumbar, ending his collegiate career. He later played professionally overseas.

He also has experience as a college basketball coach, coaching at United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck, ND. In his time coaching there, the team competed in NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) Nationals and gave the team their first win in the national tournament in school history.

Hill currently serves as the director of health and fitness for the Suquamish Tribe and trains players as well. He also previously served as the head coach of Chief Kitsap Academy.

“I probably trained 10 out of the last 12 league MVPs,” Hill said. “They’re all my kids.”

Some of the athletes Hill trained include Jonas La Tour, Cade Orness, and Harry Davies, all former North Kitsap basketball standouts. Bella Ramirez of Bainbridge, who was the Olympic League MVP this year, also trained with Hill.

Hill acknowledged the high level of competition that is currently present in the OL, with high-profile athletes like Jalen Davis of Bremerton and Ryan Rohrbacher of Bainbridge serving as some of the top athletes in the league.

Nonetheless, Hill wants to adjust the culture in the Kingston basketball program by prioritizing strength and conditioning as well as developing skill sets and familiarizing players with actions and schemes in order to help them increase their basketball IQ.

Hill’s training program largely consists of defensive conditioning and a large focus on balance, footwork, and plyometrics so the athletes can be light on their feet. Hill also wants to train his athletes to understand the pace and spacing of the game.

“I think just watching high school basketball last year, there’s just a lack of executing sets and things,” Hill said. “When I was playing, that was one of the key things that led to success, you know, valuing possessions and not turning the ball over and winning the rebounds.”