Hinson lands largest recruiting class

By Demario Smith-Phipps

Barry Hinson and the men’s basketball staff acquired the largest SIU recruiting class in more than a decade.

One of five team prospects include Melrose High School’s point guard K.C. Goodwin from Memphis. Goodwin averaged 14 points last season and helped lead his team to a 29-6 record.

Forward Jordan Martin from Hazelwood Central High School is a 6-foot-8 interior player who averaged 3.1 blocks and 8.8 rebounds in his senior season.

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From Mundelein High School, just north of Chicago, forward Sean O’Brien is a 6-foot-7 skilled wingman who averaged 15 points and four assists as a junior last season. He was also named All-Area and All-Conference by the Daily Herald.

Hinson and the crew were also able to land two junior college shooting guards in Mike Balogun and Hunter Gibson.

Balogun is a sophomore at West Hills Community College in California. Balogun was named to the Central Valley Conference All-Freshman team last season.

He shot 33.3 percent from 3-point distance and accounted for 73 assists as a freshman. Balogun is from Staten Island, N.Y., and played at Curtis High School.

Gibson is also a sophomore and plays for Three Rivers Community College. He averaged 11.8 points per game as a freshman in 2011 but redshirted the 2012 season because of a knee injury. He led Oklahoma’s Putnam City High School to a state championship his senior season.

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