What Blake Hinson's Return Means for Pitt

PITTSBURGH -- Jeff Capel and the Pitt Panthers received perhaps the best news of the offseason this week when star forward Blake Hinson announced that he would exit the NBA's Early Entry draft process and return for a final season in Oakland.

In Hinson, the Panthers are retaining not just their leading scorer and rebounder from a season ago, but an infinitely confident clutch player and crucial veteran leader. Routinely, when Pitt needed a lift from a dire situation, Hinson was there with the deepest of 3-pointers or a shot of relentless faith in themselves. His value cannot be understated for a team that was on the verge of having to reinvent itself completely in 2023.

The on-court value is what stands out most prominently about Hinson. Led the Panthers in scoring (15.3 points per game) and rebounding (6.0 boards per game) while making 38% of his 3-pointers and 50% of his 2-point shots (a fact which went underrated) last season.

He provided muscle on the inside for a team that struggled to rebound consistently and his deep 3-pint range expanded driving lanes for the offense. Hinson was a high-usage but efficient offensive player while playing nearly 80% of the team's minutes. What's more, 93.8% of his 97 triples (the third-most in a single season in program history) came off an assist, making him just as valuable a partner for new point guards Dior Johnson and Jaland Lowe as they are for him.

Hinson also demonstrated maturity and serenity in the face of disaster that lifted his team out of difficult spots.

He nailed a contested 3-pointer inside of 1:30 against North Carolina, which put them ahead in a game that would announce Pitt as a contender in the ACC. He scored the winning put-back that capped an eight-point comeback inside of two minutes and a win against ranked Miami in January. Then he sparked another furious rally with miraculous shots in the closing minutes of the defacto ACC Championship game against the Hurricanes in March. And against Mississippi State, in the program's first NCAA Tournament game in seven years, he hit a game-tying triple from the center court logo in the second half that sent his teammates into a frenzy and left his head coach in disbelief.

There are further intangible factors make Hinson an even more important cog in the machine that is Pitt basketball in 2023-24. Few players during Capel's tenure have had more faith in their own team than Hinson/. That manifested itself not just in the deep triples he attempted and made routinely but in the joy and faith in his teammates that he exuded during press conferences and games.

He is as much an emotional leader as he is a basketball leader. There is a clear personal attachment to the Panthers program for Hinson, who said last season was transformative for him personally. Hinson hadn't played real basketball in two years but Pitt took a chance on him and he repaid the favor with his own loyalty.

This will only become more important for Pitt as they navigate the immense turnover that this offseason has left behind. Four seniors who made up 80% of the team's leading scorers are gone, leaving a desperate need for leadership and production.

When Hinson was still in the draft process, Pitt was on the verge of losing its best 3-point shooter and the only upperclassman who had played major minutes on last season's NCAA Tournament squad. With him back in the fold, the Panthers have a clear head.

Hinson's return gives them security as the new season approaches and a connection between the coaching staff and this new core that will decide whether last year was a flash in the pan or a sign of a brighter future ahead.

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