In April, the Bonnies gained the commitment of 6’3” guard Jonah Hinton, a Chicago native who attended Naperville Central where he won conference player of the year. Hinton redshirted his freshman season at Northwest Missouri State, a D2 powerhouse who has won four national championships since 2017. After his freshman season, he transferred to Panola College, a JUCO in Texas, where he averaged 14.2 points, 3.2 assists, and 2.1 rebounds with an impressive 39.7% from beyond the arc.
I talked to Jonah about his past success, the upcoming season, and a lot more about how the offseason has been going for the Bonnies. We got into how he sees the game like chess for passing and shot selection.
How did you get into basketball, and how did you become the player you are now?
“I got into basketball around the age of 4. My mom and my dad got me a hoop when I was younger and that’s kind of how I got started. And as I got older I got into more training and doing things that would help me develop my game. The player I am today is basically from all the gyms that I’ve been in and all the trainers I’ve been with; just them putting different pieces and parts into my game. Just taking what I learn from them and applying it. So I think I have a lot of variety in my game from different trainers, and that’s kind of what made me what I am today.”
What did that training look like growing up? What was your routine?
“I mean, at a younger age I wouldn’t say I was in the gym as much as I am now. But it was a thing where I was going like once a day. I’m from Illinois so I would go to the city, Chicago, and train there and then I would play a lot out where I used to live in Crete. It just consisted of me playing 1 on 1 against my peers, and a lot of ball handling at a young age; less focus on my shot but a lot more finishing at the rim. As I got older I kind of implemented my shot a lot more.”
Talking about 1 on 1s, anyone that follows some of the players on Instagram has seen the 1 on 1s between the teammates. Do you want to talk about those?
“I’s just trying to make each other better. I think we have a really good team and we have a lot of talented players, so it’s always a fight everyday. Melvin (Council) goes live almost every time we play, so it’s a lot of trash talk, but it’s all love at the end of the day and it’s been fun. So far, I think Melvin has the most wins, but that’s soon to change.”
How have the summer workouts been going?
“It’s been good. We started off in our first 5 weeks just working out because we didn’t have everyone here. Then when we came back for our second session we started practicing a lot more for the first 3 weeks, kind of just putting in the basic offense and what’s expected when we come back. These last 2 weeks have been working out like we did the first 5 weeks. It’s really just been a time to bond with my teammates and kind of get to know each other, hangout, understand our strengths and weaknesses, what certain people get pushed by, and stuff like that. At the end of the day we’re trying to make the tournament and we’re trying to win our conference. That’s what we had our mind on going throughout the ten weeks that we’ve been here, and that’s what’s going to be on our mind when we get back.”
What do you think the strengths are this season for the team?
“I would say our strength this season is probably the different backgrounds that we have in winning. We have a lot of people where, at their previous school, either went to March Madness or did really good at their JUCO, won the championship at their JUCO or were really good in high school. We have a variety of people that come from different places and they all bring different aspects of winning, what’s important to them, what they’ve seen, and what was successful at their last spot. So I think that’s what’s going to make us good this year.”
Do you think your experience in the JUCO tournament will help you be a leader on this team?
“For sure; again, JUCO is like a dog eat dog world. Nobody wants to be in JUCO. Everybody’s trying to make it out of JUCO. Just being around that group of guys and understanding it’s hard to lead people in that area just because everybody has what they want to do. It’s a lot of, 'I need to do this, I need to do that.' Being able to help lead my team and take us to the tournament, and be able to hone everybody in on one accord was really important for me. I think that’s contributed to my leadership, how I approach different things, and how I uplift people and try to bring positive energy every day.”
Panola had 5 guys transfer to D1 schools this offseason. How would you say your time there helped you develop as a player?
“I would say it helped me a lot as far as mental toughness. Obviously everyone’s going to have their own opinion, their own viewpoint from different aspects. Being able to take what people say if it’s good, and if it’s not, in one ear and out the other. I think I did well with that at JUCO; being able to take the information that’s good for me and dispose of the stuff that may not necessarily be true or things that won’t allow me to be me.”
How would you describe your time in the transfer portal visiting schools like App State and Central Michigan along with St. Bonaventure?
“It was very overwhelming. I got a lot of my calls and stuff during the season. So not only was I focusing on getting my team to Hutch, I had to navigate through class and through phone calls. It was a lot to manage but luckily I had a great support staff. My parents, my trainers, and my coaches were there to help me figure out how to navigate with the coaches, and how to pick a time I can talk to people and pick a time where I got to focus on myself. It was a lot, but I think I made the right choice in the end.”
Why did you ultimately pick St. Bonaventure?
“When I came on my visit, it was a great vibe. Everything that I wanted in a school as far as it being kind of tucked off, not a whole bunch of people, a spot where everybody gets in the gym. That’s what they push, for everybody to be a pro. The first day I was here on my visit, that night I got in, we got in the gym, it just felt like love. I hung out with the team that next night and I just saw how they connected, and just how close the team was, how they were like a family. That kind of ultimately made me end up choosing St. Bonaventure.”
How would you describe your parents as a part of your basketball career?
“My parents are who got me into playing basketball. Without them I wouldn’t be where I am today. Just as far as the support that they have for me, encouraging me even on my bad days, rocking with me. Those are the people that have been there for me. They send me stuff almost every day, especially when I’m away at school. This is my third school now, so just encouraging me, sending me motivational stuff while I’m down at school because it’s rough being away from home. They keep me composed.”
How would you describe yourself as a player?
“I would say I’m moreso a doer than a teller. I’m not very loud on the court unless I need to be. I kind of try to lead by example in a way, because I don’t do a ton of talking unless I have to. I’m a player who, when things go wrong, I want people to look to. I’m a player that I feel can keep myself composed when shit hits the fan and it’s like, 'who are we going to look to? who’s going to keep us composed and everybody all on one accord?' Because everybody can be together and communicate when things are going well, but who’s going to be there when things go wrong? I feel like at my last JUCO is where I picked that up, and I’m going to apply it here.”
You’re a scoring guard who shot nearly 40% from three and averaged over 3 assists a game. Do you model your game after a particular NBA player?
“I would say I model my game after a lot of different people. The main people I would say are Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, and Jrue Holiday. I watch a lot of film on those guys; how they get their shots off within the offense and how they pick their spots. As far as shooting the three, some of the looks I get are from watching film, and looking at those guys and seeing how to set my guy up on a ball screen, and how to come off of this action. The way I move on the court is with a lot of pace so I definitely have a lot of CP3 that I looked at. Just being able to play with pace because I think that’s one of the advantages I have; being able to make quick decisions, changing from one speed to another. Those are kind of the guys that I model my game after the most.”
Can you go into your shot selection?
“I don’t want to be a guy that takes a whole bunch of shots. I want to be a guy that’s efficient with his looks. My shots are things that I work on, things that I’ve been training since I was little. I try to break it up into three’s, mid range, and layups. This year I’m going to definitely try to get to the rim a lot more. If there’s more length then I’ll definitely get to my mid range a lot more. It depends on who I’m playing and what coverage they’re playing. There’s a lot that goes into the preparation of the game. Based on how they’re playing, their defense is what I'm going to look to try to get.”
You mentioned Jrue Holiday who is a big defensive guy, how would you describe your defense?
“I would say since college it’s been a lot better. Going to Northwest, all they preach really is defense, and we work on that everyday. We did 1 on 1s before every practice. My defense has gotten a lot better, but it’s definitely something that can always be worked on because there’s always somebody that’s going to be faster, or stronger. So I can definitely still work on my quickness and reading things, there’s videos on Jrue Holiday and his defense. I would say overall I’m a pretty good defender.”
What do you want to work on most this upcoming season?
“What I’m working on most is my in-between game. Just being more efficient in the mid range. My three if I can keep it where it’s at 40% I think that’s pretty good. Being more efficient in the mid range because I'm not going to be able to always get to the rim especially now coming to the A10 obviously I understand the bigs are a lot bigger, and people are a lot more athletic. So getting to that mid range and being efficient in there is going to be key for me this season.”
You seem to be a well rounded player, do you have an underrated part of your game?
“My passing ability. When I play I’m not necessarily making the read that’s going to get the shot, but I’m looking at what’s going to set the next guy up for the shot. Looking at the defense and how they help. I understand when I pass the ball, for instance I’m coming off a ball screen, there's a lift guy or there’s a guy in the corner, and there’s a guy on the wing. I understand that in order for us to get a clean look, that seeing that guy's going to help at the guy that I’m going to pass the ball to that could be an assist, but just making it easy for him to make a one more, and have an easy shot. My ability to read the game and understand is definitely underrated.”
Do you have anything you want fans to know about you as a person or player?
“I would say as a person I’m kind of quiet, but once you get to know me and start up a conversation. I’m definitely very friendly. I’m not going to joke in anyone’s face or anything like that. I’m pretty cool and easy to talk to. Other than that I play video games a lot. You can catch me on there, or you can catch me in the gym.”
very interesting, will read more of your work