Throughout the summer, GoRhody.com will run a weekly feature series introducing the members of the 2025-26 Men's Basketball team. The series will focus on their respective basketball journeys.

KINGSTON, R.I. - As a youngster, Jonah Hinton picked up the game of chess, learning the intricacies of the game by watching the game with his brother Noah and their Uncle Lester during family reunions.

"My older brother was playing chess a lot when I was about 11 or 12 years old, and I started to pick the game up," Hinton said. "It's a calming, soothing game, but at the same time you have to be thinking and playing a few steps ahead of other people. How you play chess relates to all aspects of life. I liken chess to preparing for war in times of peace."

There are similarities between Hinton's approach to basketball and chess. From the time he picked up a basketball, he worked on the aspects of the game that would make him a viable piece on the court. Always a strong perimeter shooter, Hinton has made 148 3-pointers over the last two seasons, going 63-for-191 (.330) from the arc with the Bonnies last season, and 85-for-214 (.406) at Panola College the year before.

"Growing up, I was always smaller than the kids I was playing with. I didn't hit real growth spurts until recent years, and you can't always just drive for a layup when you are smaller," said Hinton, who now measures at 6-3 and 185 pounds. "I had to develop that outside game and was constantly working on that from an early age. Shooting is probably the most vital piece of basketball right now. You see it in the NBA right now. Teams are aiming for a certain number of 3-point baskets every game. Shooting is an aspect of the game I have always worked on, and it's something I'll continue to work on."

As he has gotten stronger, Hinton has developed other aspects of his game. This summer his primary goal is increasing his weight and strength to help improve his ability to play through contact.

"I want to improve my ability to play through contact and finish at the rim a lot more this year," Hinton said. "Getting better in the two-point area, finishing layups and floaters, improving my decision making in the paint. At URI, there will be a lot more opportunities to do all of that, and I want to be efficient in those areas."

Success has followed Hinton at every step of his career, as each of the programs he has been a part of experienced national postseason play. He began at Division II power Northwest Missouri State, where he redshirted as a true freshman in 2022-23. That squad went 31-3 and reached the second round of the DII NCAA Championship. In 2023-24, Hinton played at Panola College in Texas, leading the team to a 27-7 record while advancing to the second round of the NJCAA Championship. He started all 34 games and averaged 14.2 points and 3.2 assists per game while shooting 40.6 percent from the arc and 79.8 percent at the line.

Last year he made the jump to the Atlantic 10, playing in all 34 games for a St. Bonaventure team that went 22-12 and earned a bid to the NIT. He took over a starting role midway through the season and started 25 games, averaging 8.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.

"Last season, I learned the ability to be more diverse within the game," Hinton said. "I was playing a game that was going to help the team win, as opposed to strictly focusing on shooting. Being able to do different things for your team is important. Not everyone is going to score 20 a night. Being able to switch off that role and help the team in other ways helped me see the light in terms of what leaders are and how they can impact others. We had a lot of good leaders in the group I was with last year, and I learned a lot from them."

At the junior college level with Panola, Hinton found himself in such a leadership role.

"At Panola, I learned how to handle big moments in big games," Hinton said. "I learned how to stay poised, how to talk with my team in a demeanor so that everyone will receive a message and not take things a different way.

"JuCo is a lot different from college because you have a lot of different types of personalities. A lot of people at the JuCo level are more expressive, so you learn the importance of delivery. You understand to think about how you say certain things. Being in that environment helped me grow as a player and as a person. I learned how to talk with people when there is conflict. I learned how to work things out effectively. Ultimately everybody is working toward the same goal."

As he gets to know his new teammates at Rhode Island, Hinton sees a solid blend of mature veteran presence and young talent.

"The early impression is that everybody comes from a good background," Hinton said. "There are no knuckleheads or people who are going to continuously mess up what we are trying to get accomplished this year. It is a good mix of older guys and younger guys. The older guys, we've been through college, and we know what it takes to experience success. We also know how hard it can get. That experience is going to help us teach the younger players on the team and help bring them along with us."

Hinton's ability on the court and demeanor off the court are not new to the Rhode Island staff. In fact, the Rams recruited the Chicago native coming off his strong season at Panola, though he ultimately wound up in Olean. That previous connection with head coach Archie Miller and assistant coach Austin Carroll were primary factors in the decision to join URI this year.

"Coach Carroll wants you to be comfortable in terms of where you are, but at the same time, he is going to push you," Hinton said. "He wants you to be in a spot where you are able to express what is going on in your life. Whatever it is - on the court or off the court - he knows we all have things going on in both worlds, and he's okay talking about it. He is strong in that regard. He comes to you as a friend, and as we get more into the season, I know he'll be coming from that coaching aspect a lot more. But he has already worked to build that foundation and that relationship, so we are able to speak about anything."

Much like he does with chess, Hinton was able to plan ahead with his basketball career. The earlier moves helped pave the way for where he is today. His next move? Building up the relationships with his new teammates.

"Right now, it's about being around each other and getting to know everyone," Hinton said. "We'll be working out together and building that camaraderie. It's a new group of guys, but I think we all know how important it is to build connections as quickly as possible."

Next week's feature will be on guard RJ Johnson. To order tickets for the 2025-26 Men's Basketball Season, click here.