Sooners-ex is game to serve her nation
10:42 PM CST on Saturday, November 14, 2009
Five years ago, Caton Hill was heading into her senior season at Oklahoma, where she'd finish as one of the most prolific basketball players in Sooner history.
Four years ago, she joined the Army, like her father and uncle before her, to serve her country and pay for medical school.
Last week she woke up in Savannah, Ga., to a Veterans Day parade rolling past her hotel window.
"And I'm right in the middle of it."
Probably sooner than she could have imagined.
On Friday, Hill was deployed to Afghanistan, where she'll serve a year as the primary doctor for 350 helicopter pilots on combat duty.
Before shipping out, she packed her gear and tried to explain in a conference call how the only basketball player in OU history, male or female, to record 1,500 points, 1,000 rebounds and 200 steals came to the conclusion that this is how her promising life should turn out.
Other than her father and uncle and brother, who's also in the Army, most people don't understand. They tell her they hope she has a nice trip. They ask if she'll be home for Christmas.
They don't get it. Maybe they don't want to.
Just the other day, she told a former OU teammate, Steph Simon, that she was having trouble packing. Simon told her to roll it up tight and stuff it in a duffel, like they did in basketball.
Only she never needed a shovel in an arena.
"I have stuff to pack that is just unbelievable," Hill said. "I mean, it's stuff like chemical warfare gear and, you know, you want that around."
Yes, you do. You want a lot of things in a war zone. Protective gear. Pros who know their jobs. A safe place.
A two-foot stuffed Yoda she bought at Target.
"It's awesome," she said. "It makes me happy when I look at him."
The serious stuff she has down. They taught her what an IED can do to flesh and bone, how a bullet moves once it invades its target, how to recognize brain trauma from an explosion.
Her father told her to listen to the noncommissioned officers, watch the calories in C-rations and, if everyone's running one way, don't run the opposite.
Her mother tells herself that her daughter is simply away at college for a year.
Hill knows it's far more serious than that. It's a job, a dangerous one, and she's glad to do it.
"I wanted to join because I think that not only am I taking care of soldiers," she said, "but going and taking care of people that are fighting for you is one of the most honorable things you can do."
Her coach at Oklahoma, Sherri Coale, wasn't surprised. She said it reflects the traits – intelligence, attention to detail, perseverance and indomitable will – that made Hill such a valuable player.
"And we couldn't be more proud," Coale said, speaking for more than just OU, too.
■ Aaron Rodgers may have been sacked 37 times, tops in the league, but let's not put all blame on Green Bay's line. Quarterbacks must work quickly, too. Rodgers' 103.3 rating is high for a QB sacked at least twice as often as most of his peers. Especially when some are his fault.
■ From the looks of it, my 8-8 prediction for Cowboys is not looking too good. At this point, it'd better not.
■ Even if the Cubs picked up the check on Milton Bradley , the Rangers should pass. He had his best season as a Ranger, but Rudy Jaramillo doesn't work here anymore. And when a host of minor complaints kept him off the field much of the second half of that season, it didn't endear him to teammates.
■ The NFL fined the Bengals' Chad Ochocinco $20,000 for offering an official a dollar to influence a replay, calling the prank a "bribe." If NFL authorities really think one of their officials could be bought for a buck, they need to pay them better.
■ Guess you noticed that Tony Romo turned his cap around last week. What gives? Maybe it's a concession to the same person holding him to the promise that he won't cut his hair as long as the Cowboys are winning.
■ Just as pesky Bruce Bowen exits Spurs, in comes Keith Bogans, who helped hold Mavs perimeter shooters to 12-of-39 from the field the other night. Bogans vows to "annoy" opponents. Great. Gregg Popovich gets what he needs.
■ Question: With Jay Cutler's 17 interceptions leading the league and his QB rating a miserable 76, does the trade to Chicago from Denver for Kyle Orton (88.2, four interceptions) still seem so lopsided?
■ Fort Worth high school athletes from the '40s and '50s are invited to Angelo's on Nov. 30 at 11:30 a.m., when lunch will be Dutch treat and lies will be the order of the day. For more information, contact James Brewer at 817-281-0608.
■ Here's a second on Mavs' move to shut down Josh Howard no matter what he says. His limp speaks louder.
■ Random cultural question: Even if the Mayans really did predict the world will end in 2012 – and historians say they did no such thing – couldn't they have predicted their own imminent demise?