Kyle Terrel Hines (born September 2, 1986) is an American professional basketball player for Olimpia Milano of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. He plays at the power forward and center positions.
Hines played college basketball with the UNC Greensboro Spartans of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. With Olympiacos Piraeus, he won two EuroLeague championships (2012 and 2013), before winning another two with CSKA Moscow (2016 and 2019). Hines also won the EuroLeague Best Defender award twice, in 2016 and 2018. In addition, he was named to the EuroLeague 2010–20 All-Decade Team.
High school career
Hines attended ninth grade at Camden Catholic High School, where he scraped his way onto the freshman team and transferred to Timber Creek Regional High School to play for the Chargers as a sophomore, playing on its basketball team from 2001 to 2004. Timber Creek first opened its doors after Hines' freshman year ended, but after his relocation to the new school, he became a three-year varsity starter under head coach Gary Saunders. After averaging 15.3 points per game his sophomore season, Kyle burst onto the scene during his junior campaign. He was voted a First Team All-South Jersey player, after averaging 20.6 points, named MVP of the Philly USA All-Star Classic, and received a Top-20 All-Star status at Five Star Camp.
Hines repeated as a First Team All-South Jersey selection in his senior year of high school, and additionally garnered a Second Team All-State. He averaged 23.5 points per game, and eventually became his high school's all-time leading scorer, finishing his career with 1,562 total points scored (his brother Tyler, coincidentally, is also a 1,000-point career scorer at Timber Creek). Other accolades received during his senior season include: NJ Hoops First-Team All-Camden County, NJ Hoops Awards Rebounder Team, Best Post Player Team, Second-Team Top Dunkers, Best Rebounder and Top 20 All-Star at the summer Five Star Camp, and also rated one of the Top 15 seniors in the Delaware Valley.
College career
Despite a highly successful high school basketball career, Hines did not get many college scholarship offers, however the University of North Carolina Greensboro's Spartans head coach Fran McCaffery, recruited the undersized Hines.
Freshman season (2004–2005) Hines started all 30 games and posted 13.6 points per game, a team-leading 8.6 rebounds per game, and shot a Southern Conference-leading 62.1 shooting from percentage the field (which also ranked seventh nationally). The first two games of Hines' collegiate career were double-doubles, a precedent never done before at UNCG. Blocking shots became his specialty, as evidenced by the school record 106 blocks that he amassed. This was also good for a 3.5 blocks per game average (ranking fourth nationally). In a game against Georgia Southern on February 8, 2005, he set a Fleming Gymnasium record when he grabbed 18 rebounds. Hines was selected the Southern Conference's Player of the Month for January, as well as the SoCon Freshman of the Year. At the season's conclusion, he was selected to the All-Conference Team (a remarkable feat for a freshman).
By the end of his first season, Hines had established several school records. His 259 rebounds and 175 field goals set new UNCG freshman records. The rebound total shattered the previous high of 152 and just 25 shy of the all-time record, and his field goal total was good for third all-time. He scored 408 points, which fell five short of the freshman record set by Jay Joseph.
Sophomore season (2005–2006) The 2005–06 season began with a "new" head coach at the helm, Mike Dement (it was his second tenure with UNCG after having previously coached the Spartans from 1991 to 1995). Former head coach McCaffery left to run the Siena men's basketball program. Despite the coaching change, Hines continued to excel.
Starting 30 of UNCG's 31 games (did not play the season-opener against UW-Green Bay), Hines led the team in scoring (19.3 points per game / 578 total), rebounding (8.2 rebounds per game – also led conference / 247 total) and blocks (2.8 blocks per game / 84 total). His scoring average and point total were the most in the Spartans' Division I-era history, and most ever by a sophomore. Hines dropped in 239 field goals, also a school DI record. Showing his versatility, he ranked in the SoCon's Top 10 in steals (51; seventh) and minutes per game (34.0; fifth).