UNCG to retire Hines' No. 42 on Thursday

GREENSBORO, NC – UNC Greensboro will retire the men’s basketball jersey number 42, worn by All-America candidate Kyle Hines, in pre-game ceremonies Thursday night.

Hines’ jersey will be hung in the gymnasium in the rafters at Fleming Gym on Thursday, February 28 prior to the Spartans’ game against Chattanooga. He will be the fifth player in UNCG basketball history – men’s or women’s – to have his number retired and will be the first player to have it done while still active. Scott Hartzell and Courtney Eldridge are the other men’s players and Melinda Goodson and Angie Polk are the women’s players who have previously had their numbers retired.

“We felt it was an appropriate honor for one of the greatest student-athletes to not only play at UNCG, but in the Southern Conference,” said Bobb. “Kyle has represented this university in a tremendous way as a student-athlete and ambassador, not just as a basketball player. We felt we had to do whatever we could to show our gratitude to this young man. Along with that, he has made basketball history, not just in the history of this University but on a national level, as well. Less than 100 players have had 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in the history of college basketball. Any individual with that kind of accomplishment deserves special recognition.”

Following this season, the No. 42 will be retired on both sides at UNCG as Goodson was bestowed the honor on her No. 42 during last season.

Hines, a 6-6 forward from Sicklerville, NJ, is the school’s all-time leading scorer, rebounder and shot blocker. The holder of several other career and many single-season school marks, Hines was the first player in school history to record three consecutive seasons of 400 points and back-to-back seasons of 500 points. This year, he has recorded his fourth straight season of 400 points and third straight over 500. He is also the only player in school history to have 200 rebounds in four consecutive campaigns.

The 2005 Southern Conference Rookie of the Year and 2007 Southern Conference Player of the Year (UNCG’s first-ever Player of the Year), Hines enters Thursday’s game with 2,114 points, 1,019 rebounds and 333 blocked shots in his career. An AP All-America Honorable Mention selection last season, Hines joined a select list – Pervis Ellison, David Robinson, Alonzo Morning, Tim Duncan and Derrick Coleman – of players with 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 300 blocks. He also broke the Southern Conference’s career record for blocked shots and is just the sixth in the conference’s storied career to achieve 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. He was the 96th in Division I history to do so.

He is the only active player in Division I with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 200 blocks and 100 steals – a distinction that he has now amazingly held since December of 2006. His former AAU teammate Rider’s Jason Thompson is just one steal shy of joining him on that list. Only 19 players have had that combination of career stats since 1996-97 and Hines was the fastest to do it, achieving the quartet in just 67 games.

Currently, Hines has a streak of 77 straight games scoring in double-figures, the longest in the nation. He is fifth among active players in career points, fourth in rebounds and third in blocked shots. His 44 career double-doubles are second most among active players, as well. This season, he is averaging 19.4 points and 9.4 rebounds per contest, while shooting 56.4 percent from the floor. Hines has 11 games of 20 or more points this season, including a season-high 32 points in a win at College of Charleston. He broke his own school-record already this season with 13 double-doubles.

The first step in playing on the next level has already begun for Hines. Last week, he accepted an invitation to the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament – a showcase of the Top 64 players in the senior class each year for NBA and international league scouts.

Thursday’s ceremonies will begin following the UNCG-Wofford women’s game, getting underway at about 7 pm.

- UNCG -