Penn State Basketball: Josh Reaves and Amir Hinton Meet Again Vying For a Spot in the NBA

Josh Reaves and Amir Hinton played against each other in a Penn State-Lock Haven exhibition game in 2016. On Thursday, they will match up again at the Pacers’ draft workout.

Just under three years ago, Penn State Basketball began a new era with four top-100 recruits on the roster as sophomore guard Josh Reaves was joined by freshmen Tony Carr, Lamar Stevens, and Mike Watkins.

They tipped off the 2016-17 season in an exhibition game against Division III Lock Haven University. For those who don’t know, Lock Haven University is a small school just under 40 miles down the road from Penn State.

Most college basketball teams play an exhibition game or two against a Division II or Division III school right before the regular season starts in order to prepare. For Penn State, that school was Lock Haven University.

Admission was free for Penn State students, some of whom came to get a look at the new players on the roster, expecting the Nittany Lions to win by 40 points.

However, many were taken aback by what went on in the first half. Penn State only led Lock Haven by nine points at halftime, 37-28.

A 6’5″ redshirt freshman guard on Lock Haven, Amir Hinton, had scored 22 of the team’s 28 first-half points. Students were looking at each other with the, “Who is this guy?” expression on their face.

By the game’s end, Penn State had pulled away and beat Lock Haven by 26 points, 91-65. Amir Hinton finished with 32 points on 10/20 from the field and 3/7 from three-point range in 37 minutes played.

“He’s got the ability to be very special at our level and to be honest with you I think he can play at almost any level. He’s got a lot of ability and skill. He’s still working on a lot of things and mentally keeping him prepared. Just the full season grind of college basketball. He got a chance to be special if he keeps continuing to do the right things.” – Mike Nestor, Lock Haven Head Coach on Amir Hinton following the exhibition game

Josh Reaves, a sophomore at the time, scored 15 points in the game on 7-for-9 from the field to go along with three steals and two blocks. For anyone who has seen Josh Reaves play, the three steals and two blocks were right on-brand.

Amir Hinton would go on to average just over 23 points-per-contest for Lock Haven that season and the next. He then transferred to Division II Shaw University where he averaged 29.4 points per game this past season, leading all of Division II basketball and winning DII Bulletin Player of the Year. Hinton then declared for the draft in early March.

Fast forward 945 days later, where Josh Reaves and Amir Hinton will meet once again. However, it’ll be in a very different setting from the last time: the Indiana Pacers practice facility.

The Pacers are holding an NBA Draft workout on Thursday that features both Josh Reaves and Amir Hinton.

If Josh Reaves is drafted, then it’ll mark the first time since 1983-1984 that Penn State has had players drafted to the NBA in consecutive years. Penn State point guard Tony Carr was selected by the New Orleans Pelicans with the 51st pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.

If Amir Hinton is drafted, then he’ll be the first Division II player selected since Robert Whaley of Walsh University was taken 51st overall by the Utah Jazz in 2005 (via SI).

Both players are projected to go late second round or undrafted, but will likely be on NBA Summer League rosters come July, where a possible third matchup between Reaves and Hinton could be on the horizon.