Totino-Grace’s Malachi Hill has breakout spring on one of Minnesota’s top AAU basketball teams

Totino-Grace’s Malachi Hill is ready to step out of the shadow of his athletic siblings who played basketball at the college and pro levels before him.

The youngest of seven children who created one of the most successful basketball families in Minnesota, Hill feels like his time in the spotlight is coming.

“I’ve just soaked in the experience from all of them,” Hill said. “We all have that mentality and killer instinct.”

After starting at point guard for one of the state’s top teams last season, the 5-11 sophomore is showcasing even more confidence and physical maturity to match the natural intensity he brings to the court.

Hill is establishing himself as a player to watch nationally in the Class of 2027 after noteworthy performances for Howard Pulley’s 16-and-under team on the Nike circuit this spring.

“All my sisters and brother competed at a high level, so I’ve been trying to compete at an even higher level,” Hill said. “I was young coming into Totino-Grace and playing with great players the last two years. Now I’m controlling the team even better and seeing the floor different.”

Hill’s closest sister, Jade, is graduating after playing four years as the starting point guard at St. Thomas. Jade and Malachi drew inspiration from their older siblings, including P.J. and Tayler, who both starred at Ohio State.

With five Division I basketball players in the family, Malachi hopes to follow that path. His first D-I offer came from Cal-State Bakersfield last fall. He’s received recent interest from Purdue, Iowa State, Virginia Tech, St. Thomas, North Dakota State and South Dakota State, among others.

“His [three-point shot] has gotten way better,” said Paul Hill, Malachi’s father and Howard Pulley 16U coach. “He’s a floor general. His whole game has increased all the way around. I didn’t expect him to do what he did this year. The year before he didn’t play all that much [as a freshman], but without him this year there were a lot of games they would’ve lost.”

In the 2026 class, the biggest names at point guard are East Ridge’s Cedric Tomes, a Gophers recruit, and Hopkins’ Jayden Moore.

Malachi Hill is separating himself in Minnesota’s 2027 class after adding 30 pounds of muscle since his freshman year, when he helped Totino-Grace win a state championship. This past season as a sophomore, he went from a key reserve to the second-leading scorer for the Eagles.

On the AAU circuit, the talented playmaker has elevated from facilitator to scorer. His offensive responsibilities increased after Cretin-Derham Hall sophomore Ty Schlagel moved up to play for Howard Pulley’s best 17U Nike EYBL team this spring and summer.

Schlagel, the state’s No. 1-ranked player in the Class of 2027, played with Hill, the No. 3-ranked player in the class, at the 13U and 14U levels. There were growing pains without that tandem this spring, but two weeks ago, Malachi put up 24 points, seven rebounds and four assists in a win against Brad Beal Elite. Last weekend in Kansas City, he twice scored 20 points, one of those instances against five-star guard Davion Thompson who plays for Chicago MeanStreets.

“Ty brought a lot of scoring and attention,” Malachi Hill said. “More scoring is something I’ve had to pick up, and being more of a leader and holding my teammates accountable.”

Pulley’s 16U roster this season also includes prospects such as Prior Lake’s Kobby Sambrew, Stillwater’s A.J. Taban, Chaska’s Tyler Forrest, Mahtomedi’s Willie Roelofs and Sauk-Rapids’ Izayah Cook. They’re considered the top 16U AAU team in the state by Prep Hoops Network, but recent injuries and illnesses forced them to drop out of this weekend’s Prep Hoops NHR State tournament being held at various school gyms across the metro.

“He’s one of those players who you can’t win without,” Howard Pulley founder Rene Pulley said of Malachi. “He’s brings that intensity and that extra high-level gear. He’s got that junkyard dog in him. He’s just got to work on his consistency moving forward.”

While some of his teammates took the week off to recover, Malachi Hill decided to schedule a workout Tuesday evening at H4 Sports Academy’s athletic performance facility in Edina.

His priority? Building consistency in a jump shot that already has shown major improvement this spring, along with the rest of his overall game.