Ole Miss basketball player who transferred to Iowa State 'proud not to represent' Confederate flag

Former Ole Miss basketball player Blake Hinson is glad that he no longer represents anything to do with the Confederacy.

Hinson left Ole Miss this offseason and is transferring to Iowa State. The Florida native told the Daytona Beach News-Journal that it was time to leave the school.

“To make a general statement, it was time to go and leave Ole Miss,” Hinson said. “I’m proud not to represent that flag anymore and to not be associated with anything representing the Confederacy.”

Mississippi is the only state with the Confederate flag on its state flag. The NCAA has long barred all predetermined championship events in the state because of the flag and moved last week to prohibit all title events from Mississippi. That means that a school in the state can’t host an event like a baseball or softball regional or first- and second-round games in the women’s basketball tournament.

Hinson’s departure from Ole Miss is a significant loss for the team. Hinson started 27 of the 28 games he played for the Rebels in 2019-20 and averaged 10 points per game and nearly five rebounds per game. He was third on the team in both points per game and minutes per game.

Flag could be changing soon

As the SEC has also spoken out against the flag, members of both the Ole Miss and Mississippi State athletic departments lobbied at the Mississippi Capitol this week in favor of a change. Mississippi State running back Kylin Hill has said he would no longer represent the state until the flag was changed.

Those efforts seem to be bearing fruit. Lawmakers are in discussions about changing the flag and are set to meet again on Sunday about a potential new flag design.

A recent poll showed a majority of Mississippi residents supported a changed flag. According to the Mississippi Economic Council, it’s the first time support for changing the flag has crossed the 50 percent threshold.

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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.

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