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BY CY PETERS

I officiated many games over thirty years, and not many players had the will to win like Cloudland’s Grady Hill. Hill was a member of the ‘Landers mid 70’s teams and was very successful for Coach Dallas Williams.

Hill was a great outside shooter, and if you tried to guard him, he would take you to the basket.

He is Cloudland’s second all-time leading scorer behind Big Sam Rogers, who led the Highlanders to their first basketball state tournament appearance back in 1968.

The 68’ ‘Landers won their first game in beating Frayser 64-55. Rogers scored 23 points, teammate Junior Holden scored 30.

Cloudland lost their second game to Nashville Stratford 66-48. Big Sam scored 18 and Holden scored 19. Rogers finished his high school career with 1823 points.

Grady holds the best one-year average with 25.0 points per game, and his final point tally was 1587 during his four years.

He broke the single-game scoring record by tossing in 46 his senior year. Grady started playing for longtime Hampton mentor Jerry White and played his final three years for Dallas Williams.

Hill scored 722 points his senior season. He led the Watauga Conference in scoring in the 1973-74 season.

He was named the school’s MVP as a junior-selected all-conference and on many all-tournament teams. Hill was selected All-State his senior year along with All-Conference and taking his second MVP award.

For his dedication, he was awarded a scholarship to Lee’s McRae College in Banner Elk.

Grady Hill only got better after playing school sports. He won a wheel-barrel full of awards and was named one of the best industrial league and church league players in East Tennessee.

He won MVP awards in Elizabethton, Johnson City, and Bluff City. Hill was inducted into the Carter County Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.