Barry Hinson has had many a memorable press conference in his career. It was no surprise to anyone in attendance that the final one of his 2018-19 season coaching Southern Illinois would also go down in that category.
Unlike so many times when Hinson left ‘em all but rolling in the aisles, though, this time the occasion was marked with sadness. It’s not often a coach announces his resignation immediately after a game, yet that was the case after the third-seeded Salukis lost a hard-fought 61-58 decision to No. 6 Northern Iowa in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament quarterfinals Friday night in St. Louis.
A veteran of 16 years coaching in the MVC-nine years at Missouri State and seven at SIU-Hinson became almost as much a part of the fabric of the league as Arch Madness. He was one of the league’s greatest ambassadors, and his press conferences were literally must-see events for his wit, humor and honesty, which he delivered sometimes with the gusto of a Baptist minister. One never knew just what topics or references might be next, but it was genuine and immensely enjoyable, a breath of fresh air in sports where so few are willing to show personality, much less of such a good nature.
Rather than waiting for the school to act, leaking the news or letting the announcement come out in a press release, though, Hinson delivered the news himself to media gathered for SIU’s press conference after the game.
“Hey, guys, I’ve been coaching 38 years, and I’ve been blessed to be a part of this conference for 16 years, and there’s nobody that loves the Valley more than I do,” Hinson opened, after players Armon Fletcher and Kavion Pippen had been dismissed from the press conference after joining Hinson in answering queries after the game. “Each and every venue that I’ve ever coached in has just been outstanding. I got to serve nine years in Springfield, Missouri, started off at Southwest Missouri, and I was the last coach at Southwest Missouri and the first coach at Missouri State. And I got a second chance to come back to the Valley when Mario Moccia hired me to be the coach at Southern Illinois. Just a great program and a tradition-rich program.
“I made-the chancellor and I, we made a pact that, if we didn’t go to the NIT or the NCAA (this year), that it would be time for me to step away. I’ve had the most enjoyable year, believe it or not, being around these young men and being around my current athletic director Jerry Kill. I couldn’t be more excited right now for Saluki athletics than what I am because I know where it’s headed.”
“I’ve made great friends, and these coaches in this league that I’ve met over my 16 years will be lifelong friends,” Hinson continued shortly after. “The players that I’ve coached against and the players that I’ve had the opportunity to coach, and I’ve had the opportunity to work under one of the greatest conference commissioners that a guy could work under. I’ve been so blessed. I’ve been so blessed.
“And I’ve had tragedy in my life, and every time I’ve had somebody, the conference or the coaching community or the fans have rallied behind my family. But I want to thank you for giving me 16 wonderful years in this conference, and I’ll do anything I can do to help it in the future, but it’s time. It’s time for me to step away. Thank you.”
With that, Hinson stepped down from the dais in tears.
It’s impossible not to think about just how close Hinson was to coaching another day. SIU led by a point in the final seconds when UNI freshman guard A.J. Green got into the lane and hit a tough pull-up jumper to give the Panthers the lead. The Salukis missed a chance at the rim five seconds later, UNI’s Spencer Haldeman hit two clutch free throws, and a terrific set play going the full 94 feet got Marcus Bartley a good look from straight on from 25 feet out, but went off the glass and rim.
The Salukis will look back at this one and note they just took too long to get going. Southern Illinois spent almost the entire game in catchup mode, trailed by eight at halftime and eventually went down 11 midway through the second half.
SIU still trailed by that amount with just over eight minutes to play before it began a frantic rally. Flying around on defense and crashing the glass, the Salukis chipped away and finally got within a possession on two free throws by Pippen with 1:24 left. A minute later they took their first lead since the game’s first TV timeout when Aaron Cook rocked back and fired a cold-blooded three-pointer making it 58-57 with 31 seconds left. It only lasted for 19 seconds, until Green put UNI back ahead for good.
There’s no getting around that more was expected of Hinson’s last season with the Salukis, and the loss capped a 17-15 season that was a step down from the previous year.
SIU posted 20 wins a year ago, tying for second in the Valley and reaching the MVC Tournament semifinals before losing in overtime to Illinois State. All five starters returned from that team this year, and like several other experienced teams coming back in the Valley, expectations were high.
A senior-laden team, Southern Illinois actually got off to a promising start in its season opener, too, leading Kentucky well into the second half before eventually losing in Lexington. From there, though, the Salukis continued to come up short in too many chances to make an impression, sometimes in ugly fashion. SIU lost twice to top-25 Buffalo, was blown out by 22 by Atlantic 10 also ran Massachusetts, was hammered by 28 points by Murray State at home, and even lost at home to Winthrop.
In the Valley, Southern lost four in a row in January, and though an 8-4 finish brought the Salukis back up to a tie for third in the final standings and the No. 3 seed at Arch Madness, it still felt like SIU left more on the table with five conference losses by four points or less.
It was little secret that there was pressure on Hinson this year. There were even a few fanatics yelling from the stands at Hinson after he completed his postgame radio interview Friday night, a shameful, classless act one can hope is only explained by people over-imbibing on malted beverages in the Enterprise Center.
There’s no doubt major college sports is a bottom line business. If one just looks at his record, they might wonder what the big deal is about him. If one evaluates his entire impact, then Hinson’s net as a coach is still an emphatic gain.
His 116-111 career record at SIU only tells half of the story. Hinson took over a program that was near significant Academic Progress Rate (APR) sanctions from the NCAA, but got it straightened out academically even while posting losing records his first three years. His teams posted winning records each of the last four years, including a pair of 20-win seasons.
Hinson also represented his school with class, was a leader among league coaches who was unafraid to take on thorny topics, and became the MVC’s biggest cheerleader. By all accounts, he cared greatly for his players and set a great example.
“I tell these parents, when I go into their home,” said Hinson, “I could care less whether they could make a jump shot from 15 feet, 15 years from now, but when they have a degree, it will last them the rest of their lives. It will show you the impact that not only they have made on my life but hopefully we made on their lives as well.”
College sports has an ever-increasing number of critics (opportunists?) who claim to be concerned about student-athlete well-being, using it as their front to push for paying athletes. If it’s really about the players, then where are these voices when coaches like Hinson who genuinely care about their players leave a job due to the pressures to win?
Southern Illinois never played in the postseason in his time, but it could have. Hinson notably said his 22-win 2016 team would not play in a tourney that cost the school money at a time when the school was getting ready to make serious budget cuts. Last year’s team certainly could’ve bought into a tourney as well.
It’s a true shame that Hinson never got to coach a team in the NCAA Tournament, if for no other reason than once he was on that stage, he would’ve absolutely owned it. The entire country would’ve found out what those in the Valley already knew: Hinson is one of the best quotes in all of sports.
The real crime, though, is that perhaps no coach has ever been snakebitten, fleeced, flat-out wronged by the NCAA selection committee more than Hinson. It’s been well documented that his 2005-06 Missouri State team had the distinction of being the highest RPI team ever left out of the field (21). That was a year when the MVC got a record four teams in the NCAAs, and yet still was shortchanged-the committee that for years rewarded top 50 wins suddenly decided they didn’t count as much when Valley teams racked them up and barely gave the league four bids. (It would go on to send two to the Sweet 16)
Not mentioned as much is that his Bears also were a snub in 2006-07 despite a 22-10 record, a win over a Wisconsin team that went on to win 30 games, and a third-place finish in the MVC when it was the sixth-ranked conference in the country. And that’s not it. In 1999-2000, his first year at what was then SW Missouri State, his Bears also went 22-10 in the regular season, won 10 straight games down the stretch before losing in the MVC tourney final, had a 33 RPI with a 9-7 mark against the RPI top 100, and yet were left out.
Hinson kept a wonderful sense of humor about this throughout his career. That doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt.
“If you quote me on one thing, I’d like for you to quote me on this,” said Hinson of his time at Southern Illinois. “I am so sorry. I am so sorry that we couldn’t get back to a tournament. It’s haunted me. It’s haunted me my entire life. But I’m man of faith, and my dad taught me a long time ago, I know not what my future holds, but I know who holds my future.”
Hinson may have never reached the NCAA Tournament, but he won’t soon be forgotten in the MVC. A one-of-a-kind treasure, he will be missed.
Twitter: @HoopvilleAdam
