In only his second season, Tyson Hinz is well on his way to becoming another star of Carleton’s illustrious basketball program. The sophomore has become the main threat for the top-ranked team in the nation.
But almost two years ago, things came close to turning out very differently.
After his final year at St. Matthew High School in Orleans, the highly-coveted recruit had a tough decision to make. On one hand, he had the option to follow in the footsteps of his parents.
Both Will and Susan Hinz are members of the basketball alumni at McGill University. On the other, the chance to reunite with Ravens head coach Dave Smart, who is also the president of the Ottawa Guardsmen basketball club, where Hinz played during his high school years. In the end, Hinz says there were a few factors that convinced him to stay in the nation’s capital.
“Winning is very important to me. I play to win, and Carleton had the edge in that aspect,” he said. “The players here care more about each other and the game than other schools, and the coaching staff is the best there is.”
Ravens fans are now reaping the rewards of this decision.
Hinz has been dominant so far this season. His team-leading 17.6 points per game put him joint-sixth in Ontario University Athletics (OUA) scoring, while he also leads the Ravens with 5.6 rebounds per game. Playing more minutes than anyone on the team, and shooting 56.2 per cent from the field, Hinz is a major reason why Carleton currently holds a perfect 14-0 record.
But Smart maintains that the team as a whole have been instrumental in Hinz’s success this season.
“His teammates have given him an opportunity to play within his natural role,” Smart said in an e-mail. “I don’t think he has been dominant. I think he has done a lot of the things his team has asked him to do.
One of those things includes matching-up against some of the best big men in the country. The 6’6” forward has ensured that the Ravens have a strong presence in the paint each time they hit the court.
With Kevin McCleery completing his fifth and final season with the Ravens last year, his departure for professional basketball in the Netherlands left big shoes to fill. It also meant that his team-leading 16.8 points per game needed to be replaced.
Hinz has stepped up and excelled under the added responsibility. He says having an entire season under his belt has given him the confidence to fill the void left by McCleery.
“I’m definitely feeling more and more comfortable in my role this year,” he said. “With much more experience and more games played, it just feels a little more natural than your first year.”
Hinz says the bitterness of defeat acted as the motivation for his improvement this season. After a disappointing 86-82 semi-final loss at the hands of the eventual champion University of Saskatchewan Huskies last year, he knew there was work to be done in the off-season.
Despite registering impressive rookie totals of 11.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, the Ottawa native was in no mood to rest on his laurels. Shortly after the season came to an end, Hinz hit the weight room.
“In the Saskatchewan game last year, their big men really bullied us down in the post,” he said. “So I knew that I needed to gain some weight and get stronger to hold my own against those big guys."
Hinz and his fellow teammates surely hope this type of work ethic results in yet another national championship later this year.
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