Former West Virginia guard Jabarie Hinds announced Thursday he will relocate to UMass, choosing the Minutemen over St. Joe’s.
After sitting out next season under NCAA transfer rules, Hinds will have two years of eligibility remaining.
“I liked their style of play,” Hinds told the Daily Hampshire Gazette. “Over the past month I’ve developed a good relationship with Coach (Derek) Kellogg. I like how they run and press and make the game faster. I like how on offense, coach lets his players play.”
The 5-foot-11 Hinds started 59 of 65 games during two seasons at West Virginia. A Rivals three-star recruit out of Mount Vernon, N.Y., he averaged 7.2 points this past season, struggling with his 3-point shooting (27 percent) and committing 56 turnovers against 52 assists.
Hinds was the most surprising of three departures on April 1 when guard Aaron Brown and power forward Volodymyr Gerun also announced plans to transfer.
“I’m going to work hard during the year off so when I’m eligible, I can step right in,” Hinds said. “I’m going to stay in the gym and work on my jump shot, watch a lot of film.”