Georgia reconnecting Houston natives Justin Hill, Noah Thomasson

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Athens, Georgia is the site of a reconnection this basketball season between Justin Hill and Noah Thomasson. The two natives of Houston, Texas who played AAU basketball together growing up represented Georgia at SEC Tipoff on Wednesday, and the hope of all involved with the Bulldog program is that their previous winning ways translate over to the team and program they’re a part of in 2023.

Both Hill and Thomasson joined the Georgia program by way of the transfer portal. However, their story starts long before then in Fort Bend County with Total Package basketball. Separated by a year in age, they crossed over for a season before Hill, the younger of the two, decided to play up. That’s around the time that they joined forces again with the Gulf Coast Blue Chips and truly started to build a connection.

“He’s always been athletic,” Thomasson said of Hill. “He’s listed at 6-feet tall but I’ll say he’s 5-11 on a good day. He’s always been able to dunk though. In 8th grade he was dunking a tennis ball, and I was like, ‘That’s insane.’ His athletic ability, the way he could score and shoot, he’s doing that now. You can see the work that he’s put in since then.”

Hill had praise for Thomasson too. His ability to score – and do so with his left hand – stood out to Hill.

“Lefty, he can shoot it, he can dribble. I used to like the way he dribbled and stuff, like lefty. I wished I was left-handed back then. So, yeah, he really knows how to score, pass it. He makes winning plays.”

Hill and Thomasson went their separate ways to start their college careers. Thomasson began at Houston Christian in 2019-20. After a stop at Butler Community College in 2020-21, he returned to Division I at Niagara, where he spent the last two seasons. In a combined 85 outings at the Division I level, Thomasson has posted 50 double-figure scoring nights and averaged 12.1 points per game with as many as 19.5 for a single season in 2022-23. As for Hill, he helped Longwood to the NCAA Tournament in 2021-22, his last of two seasons with the Lancers. He led them in scoring (14.2 points per game) and assists (4.2 assists per game) before transferring to Georgia prior to last season where he was one of just three players to appear in all 32 games for the Bulldogs.

A part of Mike White’s first team at Georgia, Hill got a feel for what the program had the potential to do. That’s why he reached out when his hometown buddy Thomasson entered the transfer portal back in the spring.

“Georgia was on it. They were one of the first schools to reach out to me, and I could tell that they wanted me,” Thomasson said. “When I realized that they were interested in me I called him quick. ‘What’s it like down there? Tell me what it is. What’s your goals for next season. When I get on my visit, I want you to host me.'”

The visit went well, and Thomasson announced his commitment shortly after. Then, it was time to get to work, both with each other and the other new teammates on Georgia’s roster.

Hill, Thomasson and the rest of the Bulldogs went to Italy over the summer where they played three games. It isn’t just the games that have helped Georgia so far but the practices that came with the opportunity to play too. In those, and the ones so far this preseason, both Houston natives have stood out as leaders to head coach Mike White.

“We need great chemistry from them. They were bitty ball teammates, and we need to see similar chemistry – a little bit higher level of play than when those guys were with each other 15 years ago,” White said. “The decision to bring them, a little bit of old, a little bit of new, the fact that they’re friendly with one another and backcourt mates. More than anything though it’s a gesture to those guys that we need leadership from them. We need them to represent us, not only as a team but as a program.”

“I think Noah has rubbed off a little bit,” he added when asked about Hill’s improved leadership, something all three representatives of the program mentioned on Wednesday. “I think Noah’s got elite leadership qualities, and he’s representing our program with some of those SEC leadership opportunities … He’s got great characteristics along those lines, and I think it’s rubbed off with some of the other guys, returners, especially the young guys. But Justin’s grown. He’s been more consistent daily in practice. He’s strung together a bunch of good practices, learned how to pick his spots and when to be vocal and when to lead by example.”

White wants to continue to see that leadership rub off on others. He – along with the players themselves – is also hopeful that the winning ways of their previous stops can carry over.

“It’s big. Winning, it trickles down throughout the entire team,” Thomasson said. “You look at guys like Justin, he’s been to the tournament, RJ Melendez has been to the tournament, Jalen Deloach has been to the tournament, RJ Sunahara won a National Championship at the D2 level, even our freshmen won a lot in high school. I think that’s so big because winning traits and habits have started to trickle down throughout the team.”

“Just winning, putting on for our city,” he added about what he’s looking forward to most about playing with Hill again. “We’re both from Fort Bend County in Houston, Texas. We’re trying to do whatever we can to show guys back in our town that they can do whatever they want to do.”

Hill completely agreed. While he was without a doubt the quieter of the two on Wednesday in Birmingham, there’s also no doubt he’s focused on the same things Thomasson is.

“It’s been really fun, you know? We almost grew up together, basically, in Houston. To come up like this and this setting, you know, we didn’t just get here. We had to go through obstacles, so it’s been really fun and it’s been a blessing,” Hill said. “We’ve both gotten way better since back then. Yeah, he’s a really good scorer, leader. He doesn’t really get phased when things are going wrong, so I can’t wait to play.”

“I think he brings leadership because he’s one of the older guys just like me, and I think he’s going to bring a lot of scoring,” he added.

Hill, Thomasson and Georgia get their season underway officially on November 6th in Las Vegas when they take on Oregon. The Bulldogs will however have an opportunity to suit up against an opponent other than themselves before then though, hosting Eastern Kentucky for an exhibition on October 30th. Tipoff time is set for 6:30 p.m. ET at Stegeman Coliseum with all proceeds from the event going to benefit the American Red Cross’ disaster relief efforts, with a focus on those impacted in South Georgia by Hurricane Idalia.