From Detroit Pistons guard Ben Gordon to Rutgers players Jonathan Mitchell and Mike Coburn to West Virginia sophomore Kevin Jones, Mount Vernon High School coach Bob Cimmino has turned out one star after another.
The next in that line is junior point guard Jabarie Hinds.
The 6-foot, 166-pound Hinds is ranked No. 18 among point guards in the Class of 2011 and No. 77 overall.
He’s averaging 25 points, 4.5 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals for a team that is 12-5 and plays its final regular season game Monday.
“He’ll be a point guard that understands the flow of the game. He’ll get the ball to the players he’s supposed to get it to. He can score when he needs to score and he loves to play defense,” Cimmino said when asked to describe what Hinds will contribute at the next level.
It’s still early but Cimmino says half a dozen schools are working the hardest on landing Hinds.
“The people into him the most are Louisville, Virginia, Wake Forest, St. John’s, UNLV and Seton Hall,” Cimmino said.
Cimmino said, Seton Hall, in particular has “done a lot of work.”
Cimmino and Hinds attended the Pirates’ victory over Pittsburgh Jan. 24 at the Prudential Center.
“I don’t know if I’ve seen a better arena. It’s gorgeous,” Cimmino said.
Cimmino said Hinds planned to play the spring AAU season before cutting down his list in the summer.
“He definitely hasn’t tipped his cards,” Cimmino said. “He keeping it close to his vest. I want him to do the spring season and then we’ll get together in early July and get a list of five or six schools and focus on setting up visits later in the summer.”
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LS / February 9, 2010
St. John’s only stays on the list if Norm gets canned. The day the school announces that it will retain Norm is when Hinds will cut them.
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