Blake Hinson, A Starter For Ole Miss Hoops, Said He Transferred To Iowa State Because Of The Confederate Symbol On The Mississippi State Flag

[Source] - Former Ole Miss guard Blake Hinson said the Confederate symbol on the state flag of Mississippi played a role in his decision to transfer to Iowa State.

"It was time to go and leave Ole Miss," Hinson told the Daytona Beach (Florida) News-Journal on Wednesday. "I'm proud not to represent that flag anymore and to not be associated with anything representing the Confederacy."

I don't like talking about politics, it's not what we do, especially here. However when it starts to blend into college hoops to the point where a starting guard transferred from a power conference program, we have to talk about it. All I have to say from that is good for Blake Hinson. He wasn't comfortable and wanted to move on from playing for a state school that had a Confederate symbol on the flag. That's his decision and something none of us can really connect with. He decided to take a stand for what he was sick of transfer. 

For those who want to play devils advocate, he wasn't squeezed out. Hinson started 27 of 28 games for Ole Miss last year. He scored over 10 points per game. He was a former top-150 recruit that fits into what Kermit Davis wants to play at Ole Miss. This isn't a nothing loss.

This also isn't the first Mississippi college athlete to speak up about it. Remember Kylin Hill - Mississippi State's running back was the one who really got everything moving on the removal of the Confederate logo on the flag: 

So call me woke or call him soft or whatever, but the fact is so many people say 'if you're going to speak up about something have actions to back it up.' Hinson did just that and transferred to Iowa State. From a basketball standpoint, Iowa State - if Hinson gets the waiver to be eligible right away - all of a sudden has him and Jalen Coleman-Lands to help make up for the loss of Tyrese Haliburton.