Pitt Teammates Praise Blake Hinson's Extra Effort

Blake Hinson is doing more than just score for the Pitt Panthers.

PITTSBURGH -- Blake Hinson is very plainly the Pitt Panthers' best player. He is the oldest, most experienced veteran on the squad and at 21.6 points per game, he not only leads the team in scoring but ranks seventh in all of Division I. 

But Hisnon, known for his efficient scoring in volume, isn't afraid to do the dirty work too. He's constantly diving for loose balls and putting his body on the line, even in buy game blowouts like the Panthers' last 36-point win over SC State, and his teammates notice and value those contributions. 

“No doubt, that's leadership. That's what he embodies," freshman point guard Jaland Lowe said. "He's going to put himself on the line and expects us to put ourselves on the line for everybody else. That's just who Blake is. He's a leader. He shows by example. And that's exactly what he did.”

Those kinds of plays where he's getting on the floor and making hustle plays to help his team give Hinson's voice more weight when he feels he needs to deliver a hard truth to this young Pitt team, like when he said following the Canisius game that they need to give a better, more consistent effort rebounding.  

“Try. Try. We had a hard time mustering up some effort this whole game, really," Hinson said. "Towards the end, we did get some effort, but that’s just because — it’s kind of like when you’ve got that assignment due at 12 and it’s 11:45 and then you’re like ‘Oh, let’s do it.’ But that doesn’t win games. So we’ve got to make sure the time and the clock doesn’t pressure us into playing hard.”

Hinson is in line to earn All-ACC and All-American honors this season and could earn National Player of the Year consideration if he stays on his current torrid scoring pace, but that doesn't mean he's above doing the little things and making effort plays the team needs. 

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