Carleton Ravens men’s basketball star and student-athlete Tyson Hinz is on a roll when it comes to winning sports awards. In the past year, he’s won the Ontario University Athletics male athlete of the year award and has also been named Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Final Eight tournament MVP and CIS player of the year.
His most recent award was the Border Ladner Gervais (BLG) male athlete of the year award, which was presented to him May 16 in Vancouver. Hinz, who just finished his second year, received a $10,000 postgraduate scholarship and a custom-made sculptured fossil-stone trophy for being named the victor.
The award was created by the BLG law firm to keep in mind the “importance of athletics at Canadian universities and at the same time, showcase the great student athletes we produce in Canada,” according to the BLG website. The group has hosted these awards since 1993 and has drawn athletes from 51 of the 54 CIS universities.
The award was presented by Doug Mitchell, national co-chair of BLG. Mitchell announced Hinz the winner, along with female athlete of the year, University of Windsor basketball player Jessica Clemençon.
“CIS is very proud of all the finalists and we congratulate Jessica and Tyson on winning these prestigious awards,” said Marg McGregor, chief executive officer of CIS, in a press release.
Tyson won the award over eight other nominees, selected based on athletics, leadership, and sportsmanship.
The Hinz family also has a history of success in sports. Both his parents played varsity basketball with McGill University in Montreal. His father, Will Hinz, was the leading point scorer in McGill Redmen history until 2004-05. Tyson’s grandfather is also in the Newfoundland Basketball Hall of Fame, according to the CIS.
“I knew coming in that I got to play with the best,” said Elliot Thompson, who plays guard on the men’s basketball team. “Tyson has developed his game over the past years. He’s still young, too, and he’s only going to go up from here.”