Gary Hill, top scorer in Utah prep basketball history, dies at age 67

Former BYU star Gary Hill, the most prolific scorer in Utah high school basketball history, died Saturday after a battle with cancer just two weeks before he was to turn 68 years old.

Hill was inducted into the State of Utah Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000 with a group that included Arnie Ferrin, Ladell Andersen and Billy McGill.

From the tiny central Utah town of Fayette, the 6-foot-4 Hill scored 2,283 points in his prep career at Gunnison Valley High (1959-63), a record that still stands.

A high-scoring forward, Hill was an important member of several of coach Stan Watts' BYU teams, playing for the Cougars from 1964-67. He was a member of BYU's 1966 National Invitational Tournament championship team.

At BYU, Hill played with Cougar greats such as John Fairchild, Neil Roberts, Dick Nemelka, Mike Gardner and Jeff Congdon.

After graduating from BYU in 1967, Hill played AAU ball briefly before a bad knee forced him to the sidelines. He worked as a sales representative for various companies for 28 years before suffering a heart attack in his Provo home in 1997.

Hill is survived by his wife, Cinda Kavachevich Hill. A memorial service will be held Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Edgemont 12th Ward Chapel, 350 E. 2950 North, Provo. His burial will be held at the Fayette City Cemetery at a later date.