On Monday afternoon, the ACC announced that Pitt basketball star Blake Hinson was the ACC Player of the Week after his massive performances this past week.
Hinson delivered 27 points in the Panthers’ first win of the week, a huge ranked victory over No. 21 Virginia on the road.
He then added a career-high 41 points in Pitt’s rout of Louisville on Saturday night. Hinson hit nine of his 13 three-point attempts in the win, tying his own record for most three pointers in a game by a Panther.
Since Saturday’s win, Hinson has received lots of national attention. He was named player of the week by ESPN and praised by 247 Sports and other outlets as well for his elite performance. Hinson also earned Naismith Player of the Week honors, another award on a national scale.
“Blake is the same every day,” Jeff Capel said on Monday, when asked how Hinson handles the attention. “That’s one of the beautiful things about him. He’s already been in this morning and gotten his workout in that he does on the court. He is the same every day. He’s just about being a really good teammate, being locked in on what we’re trying to do and help us win, try to be a leader — not try to be — he is a leader for our program, especially the young guys. And a great example of how to work and how to be a great teammate. He doesn’t get caught up in that stuff, I don’t think he really pays attention to it. I’ve never heard him talk about it, I really haven’t heard the guys talk about it, he just plays the game and takes the day that’s in front of him and tries to make the best of that day.”
Torches UVA for 27 in a big road win, drops 41 on Louisville. I mean, duh. This was as big of a no-brainer as Larry Fitzgerald winning the Heisman in 2003. Oh wait.