A 1995 episode of the hit FOX television sitcom "Living Single" has some moments that are rather questionable in hindsight.
The guest star for the episode was basketball's GRANT HENRY Hill of the NBA and Duke University Blue Devils fame. Hill was the third overall selection in the 1994 NBA draft. He was selected by the Detroit Pistons. But could there be an intricate code in the teams Hill has played for? His firs
t stop, Detroit, is associated with the automobile industry, which links to the "car cult" theme. The theme is linked to America's dependence on foreign oil from the Middle East. After seven seasons in Detroit, Hill landed as a free agent with the Orlando Magic. Orlando is associated with the DISN
EY corporation , which in turn links to vanilla, "family" entertainment. The multimedia, merchandising and theme park conglomerate covets its wholesome image and at the time of the team switch in 2000, various public relations machines were still promoting the bland, dishwater dull, professionally u
naccomplished Hill as the "future" and "savior" of the NBA. His arrival in Central Florida--the land of Mickey Mouse--was deemed a perfect fit for the squeaky clean image that had been cultivated for him. Along with the teams other new acquisition, forward Tracy McGrady, Orlando would become associ
ated with NBA titles for years to come--according to the pundits. Well, away from the court, the casual observer could only hope that a rash of school girl sexual assaults wouldn't follow Hill from Detroit to Orlando. Who could forget then Detroit mayor DENNIS Archer appearing on NBC's "Today" show
during Hill's final season with the Pistons, to enlist the public's help in solving the crimes. And while Archer appeared to speak in cryptic, esoteric, "knowing" tones during that 1999 "Today" show interview, it has nothing to do with Grant Henry Hill being outed as the devil in this episode of
"Living Single" or Detroit being known for "Devil's Night" fires. The "Devil's Night" tradition dates prior to World War II and began as menial acts of vandalism resulting in minor property damage. But in the 1970s, the annual miscreant observance--which occurs on the eve of Halloween--expanded to
arson, usually designed to destroy buildings. For the record: The worst Devil's Night since 1986 coincided with Grant Henry Hill's arrival in Detroit for his rookie season in 1994. A total of 182 fires were set in the city, resulting in the torching of over 100 buildings, the death of a 1-year-old
girl and the arrest of over 300 teenagers for curfew violations. That compares to 215 fires set in 1986. But the worst Devil's Night occurred in 1984, when 297 fires were set. In 1994, Detroit Fire Chief Archie Ward said of Devil's Night: "This goes back to one of our worst nights since I have b
een on the job,". Fire Chief ARCHIE WARD is unrelated to Hill having played in the 1994 NCAA men's basketball Final Four in CHARLOTTE, NC. Hill's Duke Blue Devils lost in the final to the Arkansas Razorbacks, 76-72. Breaking down the name ARCHIE WARD: ARCHIE could evoke thoughts of America's favorit
e TV bigot, ARCHIE Bunker on "All In The Family". Archie lived at 704 HOUSEr Street and 704 matches the telephone area code for Charlotte in 1994, while HOUSEr begins HOUSE, linking to the "homeless vs. mortgage" theme. In this episode, titled "On The Rebound", there's a telling moment in the gymn
asium scene when Khadijah (Queen Latifah / Dana Owens) enters the darkened lair to find Hill has set up a candlelit dinner. Her first words upon seeing the scene: "What the devil?". Hills words: "care to join me Ms. JAMES?" Originally airing on September 14, 1995, "On The Rebound" was the third ep
isode of the show's third season and the 57th overall. But turning away from ham & hack sitcom acting and back to basketball:
Just as it was in Detroit, Hill's time in Orlando was marked by frequent season-ending injuries and the continuation of Hill's inability to lead an of his NBA teams past the first round of the playoffs. His latest failure was as a reserve on the NBA Phoenix Suns, who closed out the 2007-2008 s
eason with a first round playoff loss to the San Antonio Spurs, who won their best of seven series 4 games to 1. At the time of the 1994 draft, Hill was being called "the next Michael Jordan" by a fawning, sycophantic sports media that was eager to anoint the next big thing. But their exuberant for
ecasts and lofty expectations were deflected by Hill, who routinely said he just wanted to be "the first Grant Hill". And after 14 mediocre seasons in the league with three teams and still no appearances in the 2nd round of the playoffs, is it time to ponder whether he was even "the first Grant Hil
l"?

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