Thursday, November 17, 2005

Basketball Preview Part III: Meet Louis Hinnant


On a team of overlooked and underrated guys, Louis Hinnant still manages to fade into the background. His game is far from flashy and his presence is unassuming, yet he is a vital part of Boston College’s recent success.


Hinnant does exactly what a point guard should do -- distribute and avoid mistakes. His assist to turnover ratio has been impressive and improved each year (from 1.9 as a freshman to 2.6 last season). He is a pretty good perimeter shooter, but usually our third or fourth option on offense. He’s been over 70% from the line the last two seasons. His three-point shooting percentage fell last year after reaching 46% as a sophomore (but we don’t rely on the three).


His weaknesses? Although Louis' defense is solid and he is good for a steal a game, he sometimes gets burned on rotations around the perimeter (look at the Notre Dame game from last year). He also seems to have one lingering injury a year that slows him for a few games. And while good for a clutch basket here and there, he cannot provide the scoring spark that Watson used to provide.


Hinnant is a key part to this season. It is nearly impossible to win a conference championship (or an NCAA title) without good guard play. Hinnant is not a first-team All America candidate, but he doesn’t make mistake and makes his teammates better. With Hailey and Watson gone, the team is going to need his steady presence even more in order to have a successful season.

No comments: