Amir Hinton, a junior at Division II school Shaw University, has confirmed to Jonathan Givony of ESPN.com that he’ll declare for the 2019 draft and hire an agent, forgoing his final season of college eligibility. Steven J. Gaither of HBCU Gameday indicated last week that Hinton would likely go pro.
“I think the timing is perfect for me,” Hinton told Givony. “I will be hiring an agent. I am ready. I am going to try and be a lottery pick.”
Hinton, who is the 49th-ranked prospect on Givony’s big board at ESPN.com, may have a hard time achieving his goal of becoming a lottery pick, but if he’s drafted at all, it will be an impressive feat. As Givony notes, no Division II player has been selected in the NBA draft since 2005.
A 6’5″ guard, Hinton led all Division II players in 2018/19 with 29.4 points per game and earned CIAA Player of the Year honors. According to Givony, NBA scouts are intrigued by Hinton’s “combination of size, athleticism and shot-making ability.”
As Givony relays, Shaw head coach Joel Hopkins said that 12 NBA scouts were at Hinton’s final game this past Saturday, and that all 30 NBA clubs have seen the youngster play at least once this season.
Well, he’s right. This is the draft for a Div II junior to come out in. Every mock draft I’ve seen has a lottery with many players that are not either college FR or international players of the similar age. In that environment, a kid from nowhere could get a real look; maybe not the lottery, but who knows, once the basketball merits (vs pedigree) take over.
As a 6-5 wing, might be a “Shaw”-ty.
Haha seriously, he would prefer to be ball-dominant down the middle & draw fouls. 22
Philly> Raleigh hist.black college
I know it lower level basketball but anyone who can put up 29 game deserve to be look at