HARDWICK – Head coach Aaron Hill cemented himself as one of the all-time greats in Vermont high school sports history last week, reaching 400 career wins with his Hazen Union boys’ basketball program.
Hard work pays off. That old adage still holds water in 2023 and it was proven again last week after the Wildcats dominated Randolph 83-42 at home for Hill’s 400th career win. Hill became the eighth boys’ basketball coach in state history to reach that milestone, and the scary thing is, he hasn’t turned 50 yet.
With the Wildcats win over Hardwood on Friday night, Hill is now 401-138 in his 24 years on the sidelines, good enough for the second-best winning percentage of any coach in the 400-club.
Hill graduated from Hazen in ’92 after playing multiple years on the varsity squad as a double-digit scorer. After graduating from UVM, he joined Steve Pratt’s coaching staff for their ’96 state title run. Hill officially took over the Wildcat program in ’99, winning his first Division III state title as a head coach, and the rest as they say is history. Hill has built a basketball powerhouse in Hardwick that other coaches around the state try to emulate. His Wildcats have reached the Barre Auditorium 14 times, the state title game 10 times, hanging six state championship banners along the way.
“I wasn’t as successful as I would’ve liked to be as a player, but I was dedicated and that is when I really started to love the game. Hazen’s basketball program really turned a corner under Steve, and I feel lucky that he let me be a part of that at such a young age. I learned a lot under him, and it was amazing to watch all the things that ‘96 team had to overcome to win that state title. That team believed in themselves more than anything else that season and I learned that once you have that belief as a coach, as a player, as a team, and as a community, anything is possible. I also learned a lot from Coach Bob Rowe from Peoples Academy and Coach Dan Hudson at Hazen. Bob was very generous with his time when I was a young coach, and he had a big impact on me. Dan taught me so much about character building on and off the court. He instilled expectations in his kids not only as just players, but as human beings, and I have so much respect for him,” said Hill.
You don’t have to look very far to see the latest successful installment of Hill’s coaching tree, with Randy Lumsden’s 26-3 record to start his tenure running the Lady Cat program. Lumsden won a state title playing for Hill, scoring just under 1,000 career points in his career. He has nothing but high praise for his former coach and now colleague.
“I honestly feel like Aaron is the best coach in the state. If you think about the consistency that he’s built within his program, it’s incredible. You’re only guaranteed 21 games a year and that’s if teams don’t forfeit. Then you factor in the COVID year and he’s still averaging 16 wins per season over almost 25 years. Beyond being a great coach, he’s an even better person, not afraid to lead with tough love, and holding his players accountable for their decisions, while maintaining their respect at the same time. Not an easy thing to do in today’s world. The fact that Aaron didn’t even mention his approach to this great accomplishment shows that to him, it’s all about the kids,” said Lumsden.
Hill has already built something at Hazen and in the Hardwick community that we’ve never seen before. When he finally calls it a career, it may very well be something the state of Vermont has never seen before. After nearly a quarter century grinding to find ways to make his program better 365 days a year, he still loves the kids, he still loves the process, and the bad news for opposing head coaches.. he doesn’t see himself stopping anytime soon.
“I still love coaching. I’ll keep doing it until I’m too old or I just don’t connect with the kids anymore,” said Hill.
