From the first tipoff of the season against Maine East, Naperville Central point guard Jonah Hinton showed exactly how he wanted his senior year to play out.
In the opener, Hinton matched a personal best by scoring 33 points.
It was the basketball equivalent of a great opening act. Timing is everything, the pieces coalesced gradually, and suddenly, that game foreshadowed what was to come.
“It was very exciting,” he said. “I always dreamed of a moment when I would command a team. My junior year, I wasn’t quite there yet. I was questioning myself if I could do that.
“Now, my teammates started to encourage me and my confidence took off.”
That confidence started to percolate in the offseason.
Hinton, the 2021-22 Naperville Sun Boys Basketball Player of the Year, had a revealing stint for the Redhawks in their summer league and playing with the M14 Hoops travel program.
At 6-foot-2, Hinton combines a lanky frame with deceptive speed. He was an accurate outside shooter, feeling no fear about pulling up on the fast break and letting it fly.
That threat optimized every other aspect of his game.
Most impressively, he learned how to strike the ideal balance as the point guard who creates for his teammates while also being called upon to be the leading scorer.
With an intuitive skill, grace under pressure and flair for the dramatic, he averaged 21.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists. He was named the DuPage Valley Conference’s MVP.
“Hinton’s a great player,” Naperville North coach Gene Nolan said. “He can score at all three levels, has range on his jump shot, can get to the rim and has such great vision as a passer.
“He is incredibly difficult to defend.”
Hinton, a Northwest Missouri State recruit, also earned third team all-state honors from the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association.
Reflecting on his career, Hinton said to the key to his development was growing at his own pace.
Two years ago, a stacked Redhawks team qualified for the sectional final until the postseason was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Naperville Central coach Pete Kramer elected to keep Hinton at the sophomore level. It was a humbling experience, although necessary.
“Not being moved up my sophomore year is the key to where I am today,” Hinton said. “Had I played varsity that year, I’d have come off the bench and waited in the corner to shoot a three.
“I didn’t realize it at the time, but that was a big help to the way I played. I realized I wanted to be the person who has the ball in their hands.”
As a junior, Hinton played more off the ball. Kramer gave Hinton the green light to run the show this season and he flourished.
“Jonah developed his game where he could score in so many different ways,” Kramer said. “He became a solid defender. He showed the most important talent in the ability to make his teammates better.”
Personal growth and greater opportunity came together, with the result thrilling to behold.
“I am not very vocal, more of a lead-by-example player,” Hinton said. “When you read the court, you need time to see what’s going on and how to react.”
Hinton watched closely and studied NBA players Chris Paul and Kyrie Irving, appending their manner to his game.
In the process, Hinton became the player he always aspired to be.
“It’s about knowing the difference between being patient or being aggressive and putting your foot down,” he said. “My biggest takeaway from playing at Naperville Central was just putting my head down and persevering through things.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.