2013 seniors: David Hinton, the junkyard dog

David Hinton is from a different era: before HAVOC!, before VCU was regularly on national television, and before the Rams were expected to go to the NCAA Tournament.

April 11, 2013; 9:29 AM • by Aaron Williams

Three VCU basketball careers ended in Auburn Hills, MI on March 23rd. Troy Daniels, David Hinton, and Darius Theus didn’t rock the recruiting world when they came to VCU, but the three of them played during the most successful four-year span in VCU history. They leave behind incredible legacies including the VCU record for wins at 111, a Final Four, a 7-3 record in three NCAA appearances, and a CBI title.

David Hinton is from a different era: before HAVOC!, before VCU made regular national television appearances, and before the Rams were expected to go to the NCAA Tournament.

Hinton came to VCU as a recruited walk-on while Anthony Grant was still head coach. So much has been written about his work ethic and selflessness, but there is a larger dimension to the story of David Hinton: when coach called his name, Hinton came to play.

On the average night David Hinton usually only saw the court if the Rams led by 20 or if VCU was in extreme foul trouble. Despite having limited opportunities to gain experience playing in front of thousands of fans or on national television, Hinton was always able to enter the game and play confidently even if he had seen less than five minutes on the court in the prior month. That’s a skill.

In 2010, Hinton played eight total minutes in two games before his duties were requested against UCLA in the preseason NIT tipoff. Hinton only played six minutes, but he scored four points on 2-2 shooting and blocked a shot in Madison Square garden. UCLA and Madison Square Garden join Michael Jordan and James Naismith as the four things that belong on the Mount Rushmore of basketball. That’s confidence.

One year later Hinton’s name was called again on the big stage because Juvonte Reddic was in foul trouble. Hinton played the most convincing statless five minutes in VCU history. In 300 seconds of action, Hinton drew two charges from the Shocker’s best player, center Garrett Stutz.

Stutz, a 255 pound 7-footer was the Missouri Valley Conference’s most improved player, but Hinton didn’t hesitate planting his feet as a player bigger than DJ Haley made aggressive plays…twice. Hinton ended up on the ground, but Stutz ended up on the bench.

Over the past few years, VCU dealt with the decommittment of Carl Hall, the departure of Toby Veal, and the departure of DJ Haley. Even if he didn’t always see the court, David Hinton was always ready to enter the game with a “junkyard dog attitude” no matter the name on the opponent’s jerseys, or the size of his defensive assignment, or the reputation of the venue.

Game Statistics

Year	GP-GS	Min.	PPG	ORPG	DRPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TPG	FPG	A/TO
2012-13	25-1	5.0	0.7	0.4	0.6	1.0	0.1	0.1	0.2	0.2	0.6	0.6-1
2011-12	22-0	2.8	0.2	0.05	0.27	0.32	0.0	0.05	0.05	0.05	FPG	0-1
2010-11	19-0	3.5	0.6	0.0	0.16	0.16	0.05	0.11	0.16	0.11	0.42	0.5-1
2009-10	9-0	3.0	0.22	0.11	0.56	0.7	0.11	0.0	0.0	.33	0.11	0.33-1

Shooting Statistics

Year	FG-FGA	FG%	2FG-FGA	2FG%	3FG-FGA	3FG%	FTM-FTA	FT%	PPS	eFG%	TS%
2012-13	8-19	.421	8-19	.421	0-0	.0	2-3	.666	.95	.421	.440
2011-12	2-5	.400	2-5	.400	0-0	.0	1-3	.333	1	.400	.396
2010-11	5-8	.625	5-8	.625	0-0	.0	2-8	.250	1.5	.625	.521
2009-10	1-6	.167	1-6	.167	0-0	.0	0-2	.0	.333	.167	.145