It made me a better player': Iowa State's Blake Hinson eager to play basketball after season on the sideline - desmoinesregister.com

Show Caption

Blake Hinson looked almost ebullient when asked a simple, yet often fraught question. 

How's your health? 

"I feel better than ever," said the Iowa State men's basketball junior who sat out last season due to an undisclosed illness. "I feel great. One-hundred percent. 

"I'm clear. I'm ready to go."

That's certainly good news for the Cyclones, who are looking to rebuild from a season that saw them go 2-22 overall and 0-18 in the Big 12 and ended with the firing of sixth-year coach Steve Prohm. Hinson, a 6-foot-7, 235-pound forward, would have almost certainly been a help, but instead was forced to watch from the sideline because he was dealing with a continuing medical condition that was unrelated to the coronavirus.

"Just had to do things best for me," Hinson said, "but now I'm here feeling better than ever, looking better than ever and ready to go. 

"It's going to be difficult to sit out. This is what I love. It was obviously difficult, but I made the best out of it, in my opinion. I think it's going to show."

More: Iowa State releases men's basketball non-conference schedule

More: Examining the 'creative' contract provisions of T.J. Otzelberger's deal to lead Iowa State basketball

More: Eli King-Tamin Lipsey combo could be 'the greatest recruiting tool' for Iowa State basketball

Hinson averaged 10.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game in 31.3 minutes per game as a sophomore at Ole Miss before transferring to Iowa State in June 2020.

"He's kind of like a pit bull, is going to do the hard, tough stuff," teammate Gabe Kalscheur said. "He's also very skilled as well. He's a strong combo-big, guard, whatever you want to call him. He's a leader as well. He's a big leader.  

"Everyone sees him as the guy that does the dirty work, but also has a leader mentality as well."

While recruited to Ames by Prohm and his staff, Hinson will now look to help new coach T.J. Otzelberger begin the rebuild at Hilton Coliseum. 

"He's been a huge spark for us," Otzelberger said. "He gives us somebody that has that mismatch ability. He's got a high level of intensity, makes shots, rebounds, gets to the foul line.  

"I've been very encouraged from what we've seen from Blake up to this point."

Hinson is part of a critical group of players for Otzelberger that could go a long way in improving the performance on the court. Last season, Iowa State often deployed lineups without size or shooting on the wing or at the power forward position. Now, the Cyclones have four players – Hinson, Javan Johnson, Tristan Enaruna and Aljaz Kunc – that stand 6-6 to 6-8 and whom the Cyclones believe can stretch the floor with their shooting. 

That group's value, though, may be even greater on the defensive end, where their versatility will allow the Cyclones to switch more matchups. 

"We're going to start by building our team on the defensive end of the floor," Otzelberger said. "The guys we feel like give us the best chance to get a stop will likely find (themselves) on the court more." 

More: As 'Zoom recruiting' ends, how T.J. Otzelberger plans to establish Iowa State with top basketball targets

More: How T.J. Otzelberger remade Iowa State's roster — and its basketball future — in weeks

For Hinson, the time away was difficult, but not unproductive. 

"I've always appreciated the game, but being away from the game makes you appreciate it more," he said. "Everything happens for a reason and what I'm doing now is because of sitting out and because of watching and learning from a fan's perspective almost.  

"Seeing what you think should happen instead of being in the moment — I think it made me a better player."

Travis Hines covers Iowa State University sports for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune. Contact him at thines@amestrib.com or (515) 284-8000. Follow him at @TravisHines21.

Adblock test (Why?)