Daryll Hill missed his fifth game of the season last night with a knee injury that started out as no big deal and now leaves the St. John’s guard unsure when he’ll take the court again this season.
It is a frustration injury, this roughing up of the cartilage behind the kneecap. According to trainer Ron Linfonte, surgery is a last-ditch resort and there is no guarantee it will correct the problem.
It worked for Jason Kidd. It didn’t for Allan Houston.
In Hill’s case, the only recourse is rest, rehab and hope that the searing pain subsides and Hill can do what he does best – defend like a demon and play an unselfish brand of point guard that’s hard to find these days.
Before the start of this season, it was a foregone conclusion that Hill would give the Red Storm (7-5 overall, 0-1 in the Big East), which played Georgetown (9-2, 1-0) at the Garden last night, everything he had in his junior season and then almost surely go pro.
But now there’s this annoying knee injury. Now he’s spent five games on the bench and no one can say when he’ll don that No. 3 jersey. Hill acknowledged Saturday that he’s had to consider the possibility his future won’t include basketball.
“Yeah, sometimes but I don’t think about it that much,” he said. “I’m confident that what (rehab) I’m doing, my knee’s getting better.”
Hill said he has a 2.75 GPA in sports management. He said when his playing days are done he wants to be a sports broadcaster. Hill doesn’t get a shot at ESPNville if he isn’t pulling a 2.75, but a lot of ballplayers today don’t think that far ahead.
They see their own highlight film and think they are the Invincible One. In all probability, Hill returns sooner than later and still has a shot at that pro career. But if not, he’s been very professional about his college education.
“I want him to be able to do that,” St. John’s coach Norm Roberts said of Hill playing professionally. “I want him to be able to live out his dream. Sometimes that may not happen and you got to be ready for the other and we’re trying to prepare them for the other if that does happen. But we also want to give him every opportunity to live out his dream.”
enn.robbins@nypost.com