Norristown Teen, Rising Basketball Star Who Died In 2003, Honored At Local Park

NORRISTOWN, PA — A new facility in Norristown will pay homage to a local teenager and rising basketball star whose life was tragically cut short decades ago.

Robert Hill IV was playing a game of two-on-two with friends almost exactly 22 years ago, in Oct. 2003, when he collapsed. He died shortly thereafter, from what later was determined to be an undiagnosed cardio myopathy.

Friends, family, and local officials said Hill was a role model in his school and community with a big future ahead of him, both as an athlete and a leader.

“Rob’s death was sudden and shocking,” State Rep. Greg Scott said in a statement. “He was a great person with plans for a bright future. He wanted to make his mom proud and do good for his community. Many students at our school looked up to him as a positive role model. He deserves to be remembered at the place he loved so much.”

Scott attended Norristown Area High School with Hill at the time of his death.

A special dedication ceremony was held last weekend at the courts, renamed in Hill's honor, at Simmons Park on E. Oak Street.

In addition to the renaming, officials also installed a memorial plaque to honor Hill and an accessible automated external defibrillator (AED), in case of any future sudden cardiac arrests.

Scott is also advocating for new legislation, House Bill 1943, which would require heart electrocardiograms as part of routine physicals for high school athletes.

Roughly 1 in 70 high schools across the state experiences a sudden cardiac arrest event every year, and it's a leading cause of death in student-athletes in Pennsylvania and nationwide, according to Pennsylvania Department of Education statistics.