Leap of Faith

Amir Hinton, a 6'5" guard at Shaw University in Raleigh, appeared in FACES IN THE CROWD in the Dec. 17--24, 2018, issue after pouring in 44 points in a win over East Stroudsburg. Last month the Philly native announced he will skip his senior season and declare for the NBA draft in the hopes of becoming the first Division II player to be selected since 2005, when the Jazz used the 51st pick on Walsh University center Robert Whaley. Hinton, who led D-II in scoring with 29.4 points per game while averaging 4.9 rebounds and 4.0 assists, has appeared on some mock draft boards. (ESPN has him as the 69th-best prospect.) If he does get chosen, he won't be the first Shaw alum from Philadelphia to take a shot at the NBA: Ronald (Flip) Murray, a 6'3" guard, went 42nd to the Bucks in 2002 and played for eight seasons.