UNC Greensboro senior All-America candidate Kyle Hines has been ranked the 11th-best power forward in college basketball entering this season, according to CollegeHoops.net Top 25 rankings of each of the five positions.
Hines, a 6-6, 230 lbs. senior from Sicklerville, N.J. and a product of Timber Creek High, was the school's first-ever Conference Player of the Year and AP All-America Honorable Mention selection last season. He led the Southern Conference in scoring for the first 100 days last season, eventually finishing second in the league in scoring at 20.9 ppg. Hines narrowly missed becoming the first player to lead the Southern Conference in both scoring and rebounding since Aron Stewart of Richmond in the 1972-73 season. Hines’ 20.9 ppg was also the first time a Spartan averaged better than 20 points per game since Marvin Dawson did it in 1990-91. Along with his 9.0 rebounding average, he was just one of five players in the country to average 20 points and nine board per contest.
Last season, Hines was also named to Mid-Major All-American squads by College Insider.com and CollegeHoopsNet.com and CNN-SI’s All-Midmajor second team. Hines was also a United States Basketball Writers Association All-District selection and an NABC All-District second-team selection.
He enters this season with 1,591 career points - just 55 shy of Jay Joseph's school record - and 766 career rebounds - third at UNCG with 167 to go before Bruce Shaw's 35-year-old record of 933. Hines will have a chance to achieve the magical 2,000 points / 1,000 rebounds combo that less than 100 players in college basketball history have ever achieved.
Hines will open the season at Georgia Tech on November 9 with a 50-game streak of 10 or more points - easily a school record and believed to be the longest current streak in the nation. Last season, Hines opened the season with a 38-point performance in an overtime loss at Marshall - the most by a Spartan on opening day. He has scored in double figures in 82 of his 89 career games and has led the Spartans in scoring 46 times. He also holds UNCG career shot block record with 254.