Staying optimistic is the goal
Nate Hinton on COVID-19 and the short ending season
Apr 7, 2020, 7:14 am
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Having a discussion with Nate Hinton, a potential upcoming draftee in the 2020 NBA Draft, on his short ending season because of COVID-19, was very resourceful. He was still able to stay very optimistic and promising towards the future. Hinton looks forward to seeing his teammates, coaches, and the NCAA come back stronger than ever from this.
As the discussion ran, Hinton expressed his shock for the NBA shutting down, although he knew the league would make the right decision so the virus would not spread.
"I was kind of in shock but when of the members caught it, I knew we were next. I also knew the knew the NCAA was going to take the same precaution."
Hinton has declared for the NBA Draft, but will keep his eligibility at UH just in case it does not work out.
Hinton also expressed his feelings towards his potential last season being cancelled. The team was on the way to the conference tournament when the news hit the surface. Hinton was able to keep a calm demeanor and not act bizarre.
"Just one of those numb feelings knowing we couldn't play no more. It was basically out of are hands. We were on the way to the conference tourney when we found out."
Hinton did mention that he was not too worried at first because of the unknowing of the virus. His main concern was being well educated on the situation before decisions were made. Hinton wanted to know the correct actions to take when told how to move through this pandemic.
"I wasn't too worried because I didn't know how serious it was. I didn't want to panic because things were shutting down. I just wanted to take it day to day and wait for the right outcome."
Hinton liked the idea of the NCAA shutting down because of COVID-19. He felt like it was the right action to take towards this virus. Hinton's concerns was for his family, friends, and fans to say safe through this epidemic.
"Since the NBA shutdown, it was cool that that the NCAA took precautionary measures. Because there a lot of fans that come to the event; including family that plan all year to come."
Hinton did make a great compliment on Coach Sampson's composure through the unsure times of the pandemic. He loved the fact that Sampson was able to stay calm when waiting on the information. Sampson did make sure that every kid made it home safely.
"He was like everybody else because he didn't know how serious it was. He needed more information on it. He was calm about the situation and was able to get us home safely. He was great throughout the process"
Hinton was very sympathetic towards the senior on his team. He really expressed his heart to Chris Harris, a friend on the team. Hinton wanted to see his friend finish strong because it was his last season.
"Chris Harris is a senior for our team, and he had realized that he played his last game. I assumed he was sad because he put a lot into the university and culture."
Hinton felt very confident that this Cougar basketball team was going to have a good run at March Madness this year. The Cougars were 23-8 on the season and 13-5 in conference. The Cougars lost last year in March Madness to the Kentucky Wildcats. People were concerned when the Cougars lost Corey Davis because he was the leading scorer last year. The team was still able to dominate conference with a young team and great coaching staff. They were able to become back to back American conference champs.
"We were very confident, and we were going to create buzz. We were going to be that team we expected no matter how young we were."
While playing with this university, he has played with two great teams, but which team was better? Hinton was very humble when he answered that question.
"Last year was much more senior lead and this year was young a team so we had to grow up together."
Hinton's game has improved a lot from last season. He was shooting the three ball at 38.7% this season and shot for 33.7% last year. Hinton also grabbed more boards this season than last season by averaging 8.7 rebounds a game. He was even the third leading scorer on his team this season. Hinton's biggest successes this season was making first team all-district for the NABC and second team all-conference in the American conference.
Nate Hinton Highlights vs UCF 20 points 1 3 2020youtu.be
"I just worked and wanted to be dependable for my teammates and coaches. I learned from the seniors last year and teammates as well."
Hinton even expressed his gratitude on playing for Coach Sampson. He talked about how mentally tough players had to be to play with Coach Sampson.
"He wants us to play hard and compete second we're on the court. He demands perfection in imperfect game. He pushes you to be great at all cost. You got to be built different to play for him."
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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.