Pitt's Blake Hinson Adds to Enormous Legacy
PITTSBURGH -- Jeff Capel first knew he was in for something special when Blake Hinson pulled up for a bad shot. His superstar forward was tired, standing 35 feet from the basket and fired up a 3-pointer that would drive any coach crazy. But like he's learned over two years of coaching Hinson, bad shots are how he gets hot.
"I kind of turned because it was a bad shot," The Pitt head coach said. "I turned and, like, yelled, like, ‘What is he doing?’ Then I heard the crowd’s reaction. I was just laughing and smiling. That’s when I knew that, alright, he’s feeling it tonight."
To say Hinson was feeling it is a massive understatement. He scored 41 points, the most of his career and the third most in Pitt history, on 9-13 shooting from 3-point range. He was unguardable, delivering a capstone performance to a sensational season. There's more work to do, but this game will live on in program history as Hinson builds an increasingly massive legacy as a Panther.
But this track wasn't predetermined or even expected. Hinson was a good player, but nowhere near the superstar he has become, when he arrived at Pitt. He scored at Ole Miss, but did most of his damage in the midrange or while driving. He wasn't nearly as efficient and the totals were nowhere close to as gaudy. After sitting for two seasons with a medical issue following his transfer to Iowa State, he came to Pittsburgh as an unknown commodity.
Capel quickly saw what Hinson was capable of when he stepped onto the practice court at the Petersen Events Center and gave Hinson the freedom he needed to become a star.
"I remember in practice, it may have been one of our first practices, and he passed up a shot. He passed up a three. And I told him, ‘Don’t pass up three’s. If you have an open shot, shoot the basketball,’" Capel said "And I don’t think I’ve had to say that to him again."
Hinson has taken that trust that his coaches have instilled in him and ran with it. He led the Panthers in scoring and rebounding last season, as they reached their first NCAA Tournament in seven years. This season, he's taken his game to another level.
He entered the night having averaged 18.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while making 46.4% of his 3-pointers and 52.3% of his total field goals over the last seven games. Now, after a historic night against Louisville, Hinson is averaging a career-high 19.2 points per game on 42.9% shooting from 3-point range.
Hinson added leadership to his plate this season as well, taking on the role of spiritual and emotional focal point for a team that believes so much in its culture but lost four seniors who built it. The culture emanates from him now, his belief in the program and what it's capable of. Hinson's passion for Pitt is so palpable that it infects his teammates and every building he plays in.
"We love it," forward Zack Austin said after Hinson's career night. "We’re a family here, so as soon as somebody goes off like that, it just gets us going."
Hinson said earlier this week that Pitt changed his life but on this night, it was the Panthers and their fans who got to share their appreciation for him. He accepted Pitt when this program was at it's lowest and they did the same for him. It's a debt he feels he has to repay every day, but as his head coach will tell you, Hinson's done much more than carry his own weight.
"He has the respect of everyone, all of his teammates. Not just respect; they revere him, because of the type of guy that he is. He’s an unbelievable teammate," Capel said. "He’s so positive, he’s so encouraging, he wants them to succeed and he wants us to win. He’s grateful, he’s appreciative. He’s someone that’s been a joy for all of us, all of us in our basketball program to be around since he stepped foot on campus."
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