Marty Hill heads into his third NLL training camp this weekend and his second with the Buffalo Bandits. From early on in his lacrosse career Marty has been a standout player . In 2007 and 2008 Marty and his older brother Stu who sits 4th in all time points for the Rebels lead their team to back to back Founder Cup victories. Marty is the 12th all time scorer but he is not just known for his scoring and defensive skills. He is also is a leader and was an assistant captain for the Junior A Six Nation Arrows. Also in one year at Herkimer Community College Marty was the captain and offensive MVP while playing midfield and long pole when needed. Shortly after he was drafted by the Knighthawks and since has played for the Six Nation Chiefs, Ohsweken Demons and Aces as well as the Iroquois Nationals. Marty has given those Founder Cup rings some company winning back to back Mann Cups and CLax Creators Cup and has a few Nation and Bowhunter Cups titles. I sat down with Mary for a Q&A on his career so far and his thoughts on becoming a Bandit.
What are your thoughts going into this first weekend of camp?
I’m pretty excited to open up camp. I have been working hard to recover from knee surgery and been waiting a long time to finally show the Bandits what I can do
It seems like every team you are on either wins the championship or comes very . Have you ever had a losing season and if so when?
When I first started out with the Jr B Rebels in 2005-2006 seasons we didn’t have a very good record.We had 2-3 different coaching changes. But when Stew Montour took over the team in 2007 the Rebels organization has changed a lot so I owe a lot of my winning seasons to him.
Besides Stew who else has been a big influence in your career so far?
My brother Stu. We played together for years on the Rebels, Demons, and tournament teams like the Aces. We have our battles on the bench or after the game and he is always the one pushing me and supportive of me making the jump to play Sr A and him playing Sr B I’ve always looked up to him because his a few years older than me
Would you say the Founders Cup championships mean the most being that you were both on the team together ?
Yeah I would say that winning back to back Founders Cup championships with my older brother will always be the championship that means the most to me and my family.
Does it make it more comfortable playing this weekend with a long time friend in Kedoh Hill and some of your other Chiefs teammates?
Yeah it makes a lot easier being around some buddies that I play with in the summer and I am familiar with the defense that Richie likes to play from being with the chiefs the last 3 years. Kedoh and I have been good long time friends on and off the floor being the same age we played together ever since we were little and we already planned to ride together into camp.
Last but not least who is someone you have not played with before that you’re looking forward to play alongside this year?
I would have to say I’m looking forward to play along with John Tavares. Been a fan of his since I was little and can’t wait to learn from him and hopefully helping him and the other lefties out with my transition game.
