HINZ HEADED FOR PRO BALL IN IRELAND
BELOIT, WI
– Beloit College’s Josh Hinz,
the all-time leading scorer in Buccaneer Men’s Basketball history, has signed a
contract to play for DART Killester in the Irish
Super League. He leaves for Ireland on Wednesday, September 27.
“I’m excited but nervous,” said Hinz, a Fort Atkinson
native, as he took a break from preparing for his trip. “It’ll be a great
experience but it is a risk. After talking about it for a while with my
family and fiancé, I decided it was a risk worth taking.”
The two-time D3Hoops.com All-American rewrote the Buccaneer record book during
his senior season and throughout his stellar, four-year career. He scored 489
points and grabbed 202 rebounds during the 2005-06 season
to average 21.3 and 11.8, respectively. His scoring
average ranked 27th in the country at the NCAA Division III level
while his rebounding average was sixth best in the nation. He connected
on 179-of-328 shots for 55 percent and made 116-of-149 free throws for 78
percent. His 50-point, 36-rebound effort against Grinnell on February 4, 2006,
ranked fourth in scoring and first in rebounding for individual game-high
totals in 2005-06, and the 36-rebound effort tied the NCAA Division III
national record. He recorded 15 double-doubles during the 05-06 season.
During his four-year career, Hinz set Beloit College
records with 1,915 points, 713 field goals, 438 free throws, and 834 rebounds.
He connected on 55 percent of his shots from the floor and 80 percent of his
free throws. He averaged 20.8 points and 9.1 rebounds during his four years,
scored 50 or more points twice, 40 or more points three times, and netted 30 or
more points 15 times.
Hinz also was in the national spotlight twice during
his Beloit
tenure. After his 50-point, 36-rebound performance against Grinnell College
on February 4, 2006, he was interviewed, along with Head Coach Cecil
Youngblood, on ESPN2’s national “Cold Pizza” television show. About a
year earlier, on February 3, 2005, Hinz and the
Buccaneers defeated host Grinnell 86-85 on the first non-championship NCAA
Division III game telecast to a national audience. The ESPN2 telecast was
viewed by about one million basketball fans.
“This is a great opportunity for a really fine young man,” said
Youngblood. “They recognized his talent and I’m very happy for him that
he’s getting this opportunity. He had