Jacqueline Wallace/The Rider Photo
Karina Rodriguez | THE RIDER
UTRGV Athletics held a memorial for the late UTRGV Men’s Basketball coach, Lew Hill, who continues to unite the team.
Hill, who joined UTRGV on March 31, 2016, died on Feb. 7 at his residence after coaching his final game at age 55. Jonah Goldberg, senior associate athletic director for communications, said that Hill had a rare heart condition called amyloidosis.
The family and friends who spoke at the memorial all wanted it to be clear that the memorial was not to mourn Coach Hill but to celebrate his life.
Throughout the ceremony, friends and family from New York, Oklahoma and Africa spoke to honor the late Hill and offer their condolences to the family members.
Among the audience sat his wife, Renee, and children Elle, Lewis Jr., Asya, Sierra and Erica, along with extended family members and friends.
The UTRGV Men’s Basketball Team and some former athletes also were present at the memorial to join in the celebration of Hill’s life.
Redshirt sophomore Jamal Gaines said he was glad to be around Hill’s family.
“Honestly, it means a lot just being able to be there with his family [at the memorial],” Gaines said.
Guard and graduate student Nick Mora described Hill’s legacy at UTRGV.
“I think it was treating people with respect [and] loving everybody no matter who they are or what they do, you know,” Mora said. “[He was always] giving people second chances because he knows that a lot of people may need them. He sees the best in everybody.”
At the memorial, family members of Coach Hill were wearing black masks that said “Peace & Love,” which was Hill’s motto, along with No. 3–his number during his basketball career.
Sophomore forward Connor Raines said his favorite part of the memorial is when the team got to speak about Hill.
“My favorite part about the memorial was by far when our whole team went up to speak about Coach as a whole,” Raines said. “I just felt as if we kind of came together. This is a really tough time for us, but it’s brought us closer as a team and closer as a family.”
