Pitt's Blake Hinson amazes even his father, the basketball coach who's seen his act before

When the basketball settled in the cords — after a long flight from the hands that propelled it — Denny Hinson was so amazed by what his son, Blake, had done, he didn’t know what to do.

So Denny hugged his wife, Shandris, who covered her mouth to keep from screaming right there in the couple’s living room outside Orlando, Fla.

A year after Blake Hinson’s 3-pointer in a dramatic moment late in Pitt’s 60-59 victory against Mississippi State in the 2023 NCAA Tournament First Four, Denny Hinson is still amazed.

But he admits he shouldn’t be surprised.

He has seen his son perform many similar feats going all the way back to when he coached him as a freshman at Deltona (Fla.) High School.

Still, Pitt was leading by only three at the time, and a miss from just past midcourt might have given Mississippi State the impetus it needed to win the game.

But Blake Hinson never stops amazing his dad. Even though, Denny is almost apologetic in his amazement.

“You never put it past him, the shots he thinks he can make,” Denny Hinson said Tuesday morning while driving to Mid-Florida Academy in Casselberry, Fla., where he is now basketball coach.

“I don’t know why I was amazed. In that situation, it was huge. I was amazed at the confidence he has. I used to talk to him a lot about ‘Let me get you a better shot.’ What happens is he puts in so much work and he’s such a gym rat that he’s made that shot before. That’s why he’s so comfortable taking it.

“People think, ‘Where did he get the nerve to take that shot?’ Well, he lived in the gym, so he makes those shots and he knows he can.”

Hinson’s courageous and masterful 3-point shooting has put Pitt in position — with a strong finish — to earn a second consecutive NCAA Tournament berth. That’s something the program hasn’t accomplished since the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons, Pitt’s last in the Big East and first in the ACC.

After Hinson hit nine 3-pointers — tying a school record he set earlier this season — and scored 41 points against Louisville on Saturday, he led the Panthers into Wake Forest on Tuesday night in an attempt to extend their five-game winning streak.

In an era when shooting from beyond the arc (23 feet, 9 inches from the basket) is treasured as a quick way to build leads and dismantle deficits, Hinson has become one of the nation’s top artisans of the 3-pointer. After Monday, he was fifth in the nation in total makes (91, 11 short of Ashton Gibbs’ 13-year-old Pitt single-season record) and 19th in attempts (212). He is one of only 35 players nationwide with a long-range percentage better than 40% (42.9%, which ranks 13th).

He needs only 23 points to reach 1,600 for his four-year career (including two seasons at Ole Miss) after reaching 1,029 as a Pitt player. After scoring 68 points in two games last week, Hinson earned Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week recognition from the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.

That’s a load of honors, but perhaps he could have been nearly as successful playing football.

Even Jim Harbaugh noticed

How did Hinson get to this point? First, he had to say no to Jim Harbaugh.

When Hinson was in eighth grade at Warner Christian Academy in South Daytona, Fla., Michigan’s first-year football coach sent an assistant to Florida to make a scholarship offer to Hinson, who at the time was a not-yet 15-year-old wide receiver.

“He lit it up, football-wise,” Denny Hinson said. “I don’t know his stats, but he had crazy stats as an eighth grader and he got offered by everybody in the state. Miami and Florida State, they both offered him for both sports as an eighth grader.”

At 6-foot-5, 205 pounds, he was recruited as a tight end.

“They were always thinking he would grow into his body like he did (6-8, 230),” Denny said.

A year later, Hinson started for his dad’s basketball team at Deltona, joining his older brother, Evan (later a two-sport performer at South Carolina), on a team that reached the state playoffs.

“I was able to coach both boys at the state tournament. It was on my bucket list, one of the proudest moments I ever had,” Denny said.

The next season, Hinson averaged 29.3 points as a sophomore before enrolling at Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kan., the following year.

“Awesome program and awesome team, just full of big-time players,” Denny said. “That was the beginning of Blake really having a chance to be successful in college. There was no more football, and it really taught him how to play with other elite high school players.”

Hinson and his father remain devoted Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans, but basketball won Blake’s heart.

“No regrets. He never looked back,” Denny said. “I never heard him talk about missing football. He’s just a fan.”

After Sunrise, Hinson was recruited by several basketball schools, including Pitt. He chose Ole Miss, started 31 games and averaged 8.3 points as a freshman on a team that went to the NCAA Tournament.

Hinson was no stranger to playing with older teammates, something he had done as a child while following around his brother.

“He is the baby boy, so he kind of got dragged around and always was able to compete against older athletes,” Denny said. “He played up, so he had to get out there and scrap.”

With a big personality that immediately endeared him to his new Pitt teammates last season, Hinson has fit in at every stop, his dad said.

“His personality and game are built on intensity and enthusiasm,” he said. “He’s a lovely kid. He’s got a great spirit about him, and he’s very conscious of the people around him and their feelings and what they’re contributing.”

The road to Pitt

After two seasons at Ole Miss, Hinson decided to transfer to Iowa State, where one of the assistants, a Florida native, previously had tried to recruit him.

“He was just kind of looking for something different,” Denny said.

But he sat out the next two seasons (2020-21 and 2021-22) after an injury and coaching change at Iowa State. He stayed sharp by playing pick-up games at a Florida health club.

Eventually, Denny’s contacts in the coaching profession led him to Pitt’s Jeff Capel and his brother, Jason.

“Pitt recruited him some when he was in high school. We were very familiar with the Capels,” Denny said. “Pitt offered him everything he wanted in a school in a great conference, a great city, great coach.”

But Pitt was coming off an 11-21 record in 2021-22.

“I know they hadn’t done as well the year before he got there,” Denny said. “It didn’t turn him off at all. It intrigued him to think they would need him. The allure of them needing him at a great school like Pitt, he decided that’s what he wanted.

“He shut (his recruitment) down right away. He had other visits scheduled, talking to other schools. Once he went there, after the first day, he said, ‘Dad, I really want to be here.’ ”

Hinson’s presence in his first season at Pitt helped lead to 24 victories, including two in the NCAA Tournament. Denny wasn’t surprised.

“At the end of the day, not to be corny about it, Blake’s a winner,” he said. “If you check his history and his resume as a player, he’s been around and part of a lot of winning.”

That includes Deltona (state tournament), Sunrise (multiple championships), Ole Miss and Pitt (NCAA Tournament).

What about the next level?

When Denny Hinson, the basketball coach, was asked about his son’s chances to reach the NBA, he was quick to say, “If they bring him into camp and he gets a legitimate shot, I would not count him out. He will compete.

“Whatever they ask him to do, he will do it, and I think he can do a lot of different things. People are just starting to see that he’s more than just a catch-and-shoot 3-point shooter. He kind of got into that role last year because I think that’s what was needed.

“(This year), they need a guy who can post up, a guy who can rebound, a guy who can lead. I think he’s showing his versatility by doing that.”

Whatever the next month brings, Denny Hinson said his son’s time at Pitt has been well-spent.

“I’m walking around (Pitt’s campus) with him,” Denny said, “and people are coming up to him all the time and telling him how much they enjoy the way he plays.”

Even if he never makes another 3-pointer, time well-spent, indeed.