Former Ole Miss basketball player Blake Hinson is glad he no longer represents anything to do with the Confederacy.
Hinson left Ole Miss this offseason and moves to Iowa State. The Florida native told the Daytona Beach News-Journal that it was time to drop out of school.
“To make a general statement, it was time to go and leave Ole Miss,” Hinson said. “I am proud that I no longer represent that flag and that I am not associated with anything that represents the Confederation.”
Mississippi is the only state with the Confederate flag on its state flag. The NCAA has long banned all predetermined championship events in the state due to the flag and moved last week to ban all Mississippi title events. That means that a school in the state cannot host an event like a regional baseball or softball game or first and second round games in the women’s basketball tournament.
Hinson’s departure from Ole Miss is a significant loss for the team. Hinson started 27 of the 28 games he played for the Rebels in 2019-20 and averaged 10 points per game and nearly five rebounds per game. He was third on the team at both points per game and minutes per game.
The flag could be changing soon
As the SEC also spoke out against the flag, members of the Ole Miss and Mississippi State athletic departments lobbied this week at the Mississippi Capitol for a change. Mississippi state broker Kylin Hill said it would no longer represent the state until the flag was changed.
Those efforts seem to be paying off. Lawmakers are arguing about changing the flag and will meet again Sunday on a possible new flag design.
A recent poll showed that most Mississippi residents supported a flag change. According to the Mississippi Economic Council, it is the first time that support to change the flag has crossed the 50 percent threshold.
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Nick Bromberg He is a writer for Yahoo Sports.
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