Former UCLA forward Jalen Hill has died, Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times reports. Josh Giles, Hill’s former high school coach, confirmed the news to Bolch.
“To hear something like this is next-level devastating,” Giles said.
According to Jeff Goodman, Hill went missing while in Costa Rica and there are limited details surrounding his death.
Hill spent four years with the Bruins from 2017 to 2021, redshirting his first year but playing in the next three. His best season came in the 2019-20 campaign, when he started in 25 games for UCLA and averaged nine 9.0 points and 6.9 rebounds a game. In total, he averaged 6.5 points and 6.4 rebounds for the Bruins over 77 games.
Midway through his final season with UCLA in 2021, Hill stepped away from the game to take a break. He would later retire from basketball, citing a healthier lifestyle both physically and mentally without the game after battling both anxiety and depression.
While Hill missed UCLA’s run to the Final Four that year, he didn’t have any regrets about stepping away. He explained that he learned a lot from the transition away from the game and how to have a healthier lifestyle.
“Focus on the good things,” Hill said, via Bolch, “because when you get into a situation where you are anxious or you are going through mental health problems, you tend to focus on only that and that’s pretty much the only thing that you’re going to get because that’s the only thing that your mind is focused on.
“So, instead, try to focus on the small things and you don’t have to lie to yourself, just be aware of the fact that what you’re going through is what you’re going through, but saying that the next day is going to be better and that’s not a lie at all — but instead of just saying it, knowing it, knowing that the next day is going to be better, knowing that whichever opportunity you’re going to get next is going to be a successful one.”
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