Former Pitt Star Drops Career-High in G League

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers have a former star, who is having a great season in the G-League.

Forward Blake Hinson starred for the Santa Cruz Warriors, the G-League affiliate of the Golden State Warriors, in the 152-144 home win over the Stockton Kings, the G-League affiliate of the Sacramento Kings, on Feb. 13.

He scored a career-high 42 points, shooting 17-for-25 from the field, 68%, and 8-for-13 from 3-point range, 61.5%. He also grabbed 11 rebounds, finishing with a double-double.

Blake Hinson went OFF tonight for the @GLeagueWarriors, dropping a career-best 4⃣2⃣ points in a dominant performance against the Stockton Kings! He nailed eight from behind the arc and collected 11 rebounds to round out a legendary night! 👏 pic.twitter.com/y7HJblt1t1
— NBA G League (@nbagleague) February 14, 2025

Cameron Parker locked in on defense, took it away, and Blake Hinson finished in style! 😎@GLeagueWarriors are putting on a show! pic.twitter.com/8cxR8KXFel
— NBA G League (@nbagleague) February 14, 2025

Hinson has averaged 15.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 26.2 minutes played per game this season for Santa Cruz, with 18 games played and five starts. He is also shooting 40.4% from the field, 36.3% from 3-point range and 56.0% from the free throw line.

He recently had an exceptional game on Feb. 7, 29 points, shooting 11-for-20 from the field and 7-for-9 from 3-point range, plus grabbing 11 rebounds in the 119-103 home win over the Austin Spurs, the G-League affiliate of the San Antonio Spurs.

The Warriors signed Hinson back on Sept. 19 an exhibit 10 deal, which allows players to compete for a two-way deal in training camp. A two-way contract means that players with three years of experience or less receive one salary for playing in both the NBA and the NBA G-League. These contracts can last one or two seasons.

Golden State also waived Hinson on Oct. 22, but he would land with Santa Cruz, looking to get himself to the NBA eventually.

The Los Angeles Lakers signed Hinson to a two-way contract following the 2024 NBA Draft, but would waive him prior to the Warriors picking him up.

Hinson had some great performances in the NBA Summer League, dropping 25 points in his first start, making five 3-pointers, eight field goals and four free throws in the 107-81 blowout of the Chicago Bulls on July 20. He also dropped 14 points, with four 3-pointers, against the Atlanta Hawks on July 17.

One of his best games was in the opener of the California Summer League. He came off the bench and played in 19 minutes in the 108-94 loss to the Sacramento Kings on July 6, leading the Lakers with 17 points, shooting 5-for-7 from 3-point range and converting two free throws as well. He also grabbed three rebounds, made two assists to one turnover and added a steal.

Blake Hinson/Pitt Basketball Overview

Hinson hails from Deltona, Fla. where he played for his father, Denny Hinson, at Deltona High School. His play with his brother, Evan Hinson, helped Deltona make their first ever Final Four in Florida, as he averaged 29.3 points per game as a junior in 2016-17.

He also starred in football, playing at both wide receiver and tight end, and held numerous offers from ACC schools in Georgia Tech, Miami and North Carolina, SEC schools in Georgia and Florida, as well as Baylor, Michigan and SMU.

Hinson would transfer to Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kan., close to Wichita, focusing on basketball. He averaged 15.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game, respectively, and helped his team to win championships at three tournaments.

Rivals and ESPN ranked him a four-star in the Class of 2018, while 247Sports had him at a three-star. He would eventually choose to commit to Ole Miss, ahead of other schools like Clemson, Florida State and Georgia Tech in the ACC, Pac-12 schools in Washington and Washington State, plus Missouri, Illinois and Seton Hall.

Hinson spent two seasons at Ole Miss, starting all but two of the 60 games he played in. He averaged 9.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game, respectively, while shooting 40.0% from the field, 33.3% from 3-point range and 71.9% from the foul line.

He transferred to Iowa State ahead of the 2020-21 season and sat out its entirety, due to a medical condition not related to COVID-19. He chose to depart from the program prior to the 2021-22 season.

Hinson landed at Pitt for the 2022-23 season, which reignited his career and put him on the path to professional basketball.

He had an excellent season, starting 35 of 36 games, while averaging 31.6 minutes, a team-high 15.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game, respectively, while shooting 42.8% from the field, 38.0% from behind the arc and 67.9% from the foul line. His 3-point percentage was fifth best in the ACC.

His play earned him Second Team All-ACC honors. His work with other veterans including guards Nelly Cummings, Jamarius Burton and Greg Elliott, plus forward Nike Sibande got Pitt a 24-12 record, 12-8 in the ACC and their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2016.

Hinson would improve in his last season with the Panthers, starting all 33 games. He led the team with 33.7 minutes and 18.5 points per game, respectively and shooting 42.1% from 3-point range He also averaged 4.4 rebounds, while shooting 45.4% from the field and 66.9% from the field.

He finished the 2023-24 season leading the ACC in 3-point percentage and 3.3 3-pointers per game, third in points per game and 13th in shooting percentage. He earned First Team All-ACC honors for his efforts last season.

His 110 3-pointers this past season is the most in Pitt history, while his 97 3-pointers in the 2022-23 season rank fourth most.

Two of his best games for the team also came last season in a win in the road in the Backyard Brawl against West Virginia on Dec. 6 and at home against Louisville on Feb. 17.

He scored 29 points in the 80-63 victory over the Mountaineers, shooting 10-for-19 from the field and 9-for-15 from 3-point range.

Against the Cardinals, he would drop a career-high 41 points in the 86-59 blowout. He also shot 14-for-24 from the field and an impressive 9-for-13 from 3-point range. He scored 27 of his points in the first half, which tied the amount of points Louisville had themselves.

Those 41 points rank tied for third most in a game in Pitt history and the nine 3-pointers in both games rank as the most in a Pitt game ever.

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