Chris Hill came to MSU hoping to fill the offensive void left by former Spartans such as Mateen Cleaves and Jason Richardson.

Though he has garnered numerous individual awards on his quest, one goal remains unfulfilled.

"The first thing we want to do that we haven't done since I've been here is win a Big Ten Championship," the junior guard said. "Then we want to go to the Final Four because we haven't done that. Our final goal is to win a national championship."

Emerging as one of the dynamic forces for the 2003 men's basketball team, Hill, an Indianapolis native, is expected to be a scoring machine, powering the Spartans' offense while providing versatility and depth at the point guard position.

Last year, Hill led the team in assists (128), steals (51) and scoring - averaging 13.7 points overall and 11.7 points in Big Ten games.

Off the court, he succeeded as well. Hill became just the fourth player in MSU history to earn Academic All-American honors, holding down a 3.9 grade point average as a member of MSU's Honors College.

"He's kind of like the All-American kid," senior center Jason Andreas said. "He does his job in the classroom and he does the job on the court athletically. Those two things in itself are almost impossible to do in this day and age."

Head coach Tom Izzo possibly will use Hill as a multidimensional player, rotating him through positions wherever the team needs him.

ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas said Hill will control most of the Spartans' offense and MSU's top-five ranking could hinge on his play.

"Chris Hill is a great shooter," Bilas said. "He's very versatile and can shoot the ball anywhere. He's very consistent and I'm a big believer in his ability.

"He's best when he's throwing off the ball and he's an outstanding scorer when he really concentrates on scoring. He has the capability to go off on you."

Last year, Hill's popularity among fans grew along with his ability.

He was voted Second-Team All-Big Ten and shared team MVP honors with junior Alan Anderson, voted by both the media and his teammates.

Hill said losing upperclassmen early in his college career , such as former Spartans Marcus Taylor and Erazem Lorbek, forced him to step up at an young age and provide direction the team needed.

"We have had to (grow up) and it has been difficult because coming in, guys that were supposed to be here