Another one of head coach Carol Owens' first hires was former Huskie E.C. Hill. Owens immediately named Hill and Molly Murray as the cornerstones of her coaching staff.

"Hiring E.C., a Huskie Hall of Famer, was simply a no-brainer," Owens said. "As I considered head coaching opportunities and the prospect of assembling a staff, I knew they'd be my first two choices. They will complement each other and myself well. E.C. and Molly are hard workers and have great ties to the Chicago area."

Like Owens (a 1995 inductee), Hill is an NIU Athletics Hall of Famer (a 2004 inductee) and her name can be found throughout the Northern Illinois women's basketball record book. She helped lead the Huskies to three straight NCAA Tournament berths under NIU hall of Fame coach Jane Albright.

"I've known E.C. since high school," Owens said. "I've watched her play at Whitney Young and kept in touch with her during her pro career. One of Chicago's great players, she has tremendous contacts and will help us bridge the gap between NIU and Chicago. Her experience playing in the WNBA will be great in helping develop our guards."

Hill played professional basketball for the New England Blizzard (1996-99) and Chicago Condors (1998-99) in the ABL; the Charlotte Sting (2000), Phoenix Mercury (2001), Los Angeles Sparks (2001), and Orlando Miracle (2002) in the WNBA; Chicago Blaze in the NWBL, as well as in Athens, Greece.

Before embarking on her pro career, Hill was a standout at NIU. She was named First-Team United States Basketball Writers Association All-America, Kodak District Four All-America, preseason Street and Smith's and Basketball Times All-America, Mid-Continent Conference Player of the Year, First-Team All-Mid-Con, and All-Mid-Con Tournament on Jane Albright's 25-6 NCAA Tourney squad that won the 1993-94 Mid-Con regular-season title with an 18-0 record, led the league and ranked 16th nationally in scoring (22.0 ppg.).

A two-time Northern Illinois MVP (1992-93, 1993-94), Hill was named the North Star Conference Newcomer of the Year with a 14.2 points per game average in 1991-92. Hill graduated from Northern Illinois in 1995 with a degree in communications.