The return of Brian Hill was once as big of a deal to the Orlando Magic and their fans as the return of Grant Hill is now.

All right, so any NBA preseason game tends to be a deal which ranks right down there with the release of "Joe Dirt" on DVD. But the coach with the most victories and the most class in Magic history -- although Doc Rivers is giving Hill a run for honors in both categories -- did not go unnoticed Wednesday night.

The 53-year-old Hill has joined the staff of the Charlotte Hornets as an assistant to Paul Silas, who thoroughly outcoached Pat Riley during the first round of the playoffs against the Miami Heat. In a strange twist of fate, Hill now finds himself in the same city where he coached his last game with the Magic while they left him twisting in the wind in February 1997.