He doesn't have the long-range shooting ability of Tyler Harris. He lacks the highlight-reel leaping skills of Keyshawn Bryant. And he doesn't have the inside presence of a 7-foot, 280-pound body like Russel Tchewa.
But when it comes to the fortunes of USF's men's basketball team — and how to judge the value of junior forward Sam Hines Jr. — Coach Brian Gregory has the perfect description.
"We can't win without him,'' Gregory said.
Whether it's rebounding, defense, passing, scoring, leadership or example-setting, Hines always provides the right ingredients for the No. 8-seeded Bulls (14-17), who meet the No. 9 East Carolina Pirates (15-16) on Thursday afternoon in the American Athletic Conference Tournament at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
Hines, a 6-foot-6, 215-pounder who played his first college season at the University of Denver, quickly became the king of little things with the Bulls. He's averaging 6.8 points and 5.5 rebounds, while ranking second on the team in blocked shots (16) and steals (27). He also sets impenetrable screens for his teammates — and opponents have the bruises to prove it.
"The biggest thing is I want to be held accountable for my actions on and off the court … and I take pride in that,'' said Hines, who's majoring in communication and would like to become a sports commentator.
Hines, a straight-A student, has earned the confidence of USF's coaching staff.
"I actually love the kid,'' USF assistant coach Larry Dixon said. "I don't want my daughter to get married any time soon, but I told Sam's mom that if she's going to marry somebody, I want it to be a guy like Sam.''
"He's a Swiss Army Knife-kind of player, a team guy, an every-day guy,'' USF assistant coach Jason Slay said. "If I'm drawing up the perfect guy to recruit or have on my team, it's Sam. Off the court, he's gentle and humble. On the court, he's as tough as they come. He handles his business and being great really matters to him. He's a coach's dream.''
When examining players in the 2021 transfer portal, Hines immediately caught Gregory's eye. He led Marietta (Ga.) Wheeler High School to a Class 7A state championship, while also playing quarterback on the football team. Before that, he was a take-no-prisoners linebacker/safety — and that's easy to visualize after watching him play a rugged brand of basketball.
"Back in the day, I liked to hit people and chase them down,'' said Hines with a smile. "I felt like I had some skills (at quarterback) and I think I could've played some college football. But I started liking basketball more. You can see the faces. There's great energy in the crowd. There's nothing like being out there when your team is on a roll.''
Hines said he hopes the Bulls can get on a roll at the AAC Tournament. USF had won four of its last five games before Sunday's clunker, a 69-49 defeat at Wichita State for the team's lowest offensive output of the season. Hines said he has seen enough late-year maturation to give him optimism.
Gregory said he's confident that Hines will be in the middle of any positive performances by the Bulls.
"He's continuing to grow and the next phase is for him to be consistently knocking down perimeter 3-point shots and continuing to make plays off the bounce for other people,'' Gregory said. "He's not a power forward or a two-guard. He's that versatile wing that is prevalent not only in college basketball, but at the next level, too.
"He can play different positions in different scenarios. When you live the way he lives, when you have those great habits and put in the time, eventually you're going to break through. That's what you're seeing.''
Gregory said a quick glance at the stat sheet could never do justice to Hines.
"He's one of those guys you just don't see much anymore — like when we're playing SMU, he's calling out their plays,'' Gregory said. "The great teams have guys like that. They know what they're supposed to do. They know what everybody else is supposed to do. And they know what they opponent is doing. He just has these qualities that are hard to describe.''
We can't win without him.
That about covers it.
