Leaving his Mark: The Ivy League’s Newest Hinton is Taking the Conference by Storm

When freshman basketball phenom Robert Hinton wants to unwind and reminisce about home, he pulls out an Al Green record from his dad’s collection. The vinyl scratches and the soulful rasp of Al Green fills the air, singing, “Just being around you is all I see. Here’s what I want us to do. Let’s, we oughta stay together.”

And the Hinton family members do stay together — especially in leaving their mark on Ivy League athletics. Robert Hinton’s father, Robert “Bob” Hinton, attended Princeton — where he played quarterback for the Tigers — and later went to Harvard Law School. Cornell’s basketball roster also features a familiar face, Hinton’s older brother, Adam Hinton.

Following in the footsteps of his father and brother, the California native had his sights set on playing in the Ivy League. As a child, Hinton looked to imitate his father’s path of success by playing football.

“My favorite sport was football. My dad, he played football. He went to Princeton for football,” Hinton said. “I love playing football, but my parents did not let me play tackle football. So my football dreams actually got shut down very quickly.”

Deterred by his parents disapproval, the young Hinton emulated his older brother, shifting to basketball by the age of four.

“Everytime I opened my eyes, I would see my brother playing basketball, and of course, as a little brother, I needed to join him,” Hinton said.

The young Hinton fell in love with the game of basketball in middle school — spending hours on the court honing his skills and developing a love of competition that would make others take note.

At Harvard-Westlake, Hinton led the Wolverines to win two state championships, once as varsity captain.

Hinton spoke about his time at the prestigious preparatory school as a great opportunity to prepare himself both academically and athletically to compete in the Ivy League.

“We played the best competition in the whole country every single year,” Hinton said. “There’s no better way to get ready for college than playing the best competition you possibly can.”

The four-star recruit was not only garnering attention in California but across the country. Hinton was the first athlete of Taiwanese descent nominated for the All-American Game, received BALLISLIFE All-American Accolades, and was selected to play for the Chinese Taipei men’s basketball national team, which represents Taiwan at international competition, by 17.

For Hinton, playing for the national team was an opportunity to honor his heritage alongside his older brother.

“I’m biracial. I am half Black, half Chinese,” he said. “It’s such a blessing to represent my mother’s country with my brother, and it was just a deal we couldn’t pass up”

Robert Hinton was now playing with a lot of older and experienced players — challenging him to improve quickly. This Ivy League brotherhood plans to head back to Taiwan this summer to represent their country and compete on the national team once again.

“We’re going back every summer to represent our country,” Hinton said. “Definitely a great choice”

Hinton boxes out a Cornell opponent. By Mae T. Weir

Hinton committed to Harvard as a sophomore, a surprisingly early decision for such a promising shooting guard.

“I went on the visits, and right when I stepped on campus at Harvard, I was like, this is the place I need to be,” Hinton said of his choice to commit. “I fell in love with the campus, the coaching staff and just the people here in general. It made it an easy choice.”

Hinton’s presence is now a boon to a Harvard team hurting after Malik Mack, a record-breaking freshman for the Crimson last year, transferred to Georgetown and then-sophomore Chisom Okpara left for Stanford after last season. The losses raised questions about Harvard’s ability to attract and retain its best talent without competitive name, image, and likeness offerings.

This season, the Crimson — led in scoring by Hinton — has struggled to stay in contention for the Ivy Madness tournament, but Hinton’s performance has proven crucial in keeping them in the running.

Hinton's success is largely due to his ability to see the floor and create scoring opportunities. The freshman playmaker has captured the Ivy League’s Rookie of the Week an impressive seven times this season — a record that puts him behind only Mack in program history.

For Hinton the weekly accolades are a perk, but he has another award in mind.

“As long as we get the Rookie of the Year Award,” he said.

With sights set high, the freshman combo guard said he’s learned to bounce back after losses.

“There is no time to become isolated or to be hard on yourself,” he said. “We have to get back to work and get ready for our next game, cause now we have to win the next one.”

Robert Hinton dribbles a basketball against Princeton. By Courtesy of Harvard Athletics

Despite a season of highs and lows, Hinton is confident in the Crimson’s ability to rule the Ivy in the future.

“If you look into the past years, a lot of the top teams, it’s the teams that have a lot of the older guys, and to see that our team has been doing so well with so many young guys,” Hinton said. “I think that really speaks to how great we’re going to be in the near future.”

A Harvard victory over Cornell on Valentine’s Day not only showed the Crimson’s potential, but also evened the playing field to 1-1, between the Ivy brothers.

“It’s definitely unique, but it is something we’ve always dreamt about when we were younger, like playing against each another in college basketball,” Robert Hinton said.

The game on February 14th was packed with big plays and clutch moments. Harvard held the lead over Cornell throughout the first half. It was in the remaining minutes of the second half that the Big Red mounted a comeback attempt against the Crimson. The elder Hinton knocked down a three-pointer over his younger brother, Harvard’s top player.

“I was like, oh no, this is definitely going to go in because knowing my brother best, the only time he’s definitely going to make a shot is when it’s over the little brother,” Hinton said.

When discussing the season, Robert Hinton reiterated his parents’ dedication to supporting both of their sons. The Hintons continue to juggle two Ivy League stars with the same commitment to sportsmanship, competition, and excellence that their sons exemplify.

“My parents are the best supporters in the world, and they’re always there for us trying to make sure they can get out to as many games as possible,” Hinton said. “And it means so much for me and my brother to look into the stands at the game and see that they’re there.”

– Staff Writer Ava K. McCoy can be reached at ava.mccoy@thecrimson.com.