Hinson: ‘I’m proud not to represent that flag anymore’
Ole Miss forward will transfer to Iowa State
Florida native Blake Hinson finished his prep basketball career in the Midwest, and it appears he’ll do the same in college.
Hinson, who entered the NCAA’S transfer portal last week, plans to transfer from Ole Miss to Iowa State.
The 6-foot-7 junior forward plans to apply for a waiver to gain immediate eligibility.
In a phone interview with The Daytona Beach News-journal, Hinson said there were factors beyond basketball that influenced his decision to leave.
“To make a general statement, it was time to go and leave Ole Miss,” Hinson said.
“I’m proud not to represent that flag anymore and to not be associated with anything representing the Confederacy.”
That flag refers to the state flag of Mississippi, which includes the emblem of the Confederate battle flag. Last week, Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey said that, until the emblem is removed, the conference would not hold championship events in Mississippi. The NCAA followed suit and banned all postseason activity from being played in the state, including baseball and softball regionals, until the flag is changed.
Asked if he personally had experienced any sort of racial abuse or injustice during his two years in Oxford, Hinson said: “Not that I can remember.”
Ole Miss’ nickname for its athletic teams is the Rebels. The Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning voted last week to relocate a Confederate statue, erected in 1906, from its current location near the university’s administration building.
A Confederate cemetery is located just to the south of Tad Smith Coliseum, the former home arena for the Ole Miss men’s and women’s basketball teams.
Hinson started 58 of 60 games in which he appeared for Mississippi, and averaged 10.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game in 2019-20.
The Rebels qualified for the NCAA tournament and won 20 games during Hinson’s freshman season but slumped to a a 15-17 record prior to the cancellation of this year’s season because of the coronavirus.
Should he gain immediate eligibility, Hinson hopes to turn around an Iowa State team that finished 12-20.
The Cyclones’ expected returning players combined to account for 44.4% of the available minutes, giving Hinson a chance to hit the ground running.
“I felt like it was the best option for me,” Hinson said.
“There wasn’t a real science that went into it. I looked into the schools and the play style, and I thought I fit best in Iowa State’s system.”
Hinson helped Deltona High reach its first Final Four in program history in 2015-16, and averaged an area-high 29.3 points per game as a junior.
He ended his prep career at Wichita Sunrise Christian in Kansas.