Prospect Profile: Darington Hobson

We continue our series with a profile of New Mexico forward Darington Hobson.

Although he is officially listed as a shooting guard, Darington Hobson is too talented and athletic to be pigeon-holed into one specific position. Over the course of his lone season at New Mexico after transferring from Eastern Utah, Hobson proved to be equally effective playing the two as he was up front as the three or four. During this evaluation process, when every prospect is looking for any kind of edge possible, that kind of versatility will go a long way towards improving his draft stock.

Hobson sure made a name for himself over the course of the 2009-10 season. The 6-foot-7, 210-pound lefty knows how to fill up the stat sheet, averaging 15.9 points, 9.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.3 steals. He is the first player in school history to lead the team in points, rebounds and assists all in the same season, and along with Ohio State’s Evan Turner, was one of only two players to average more than 15 points, nine boards and four dimes a game. Hobson was named to the Third Team All-America by the Associated Press and was both the Mountain West Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year.

Many NBA scouts credit Hobson’s intelligence on the court as a main reason for his incredible versatility. The wing player has fantastic court vision and a knack for being at the right place at the right time. He is equally adept at crashing the boards as he is handling the ball. While he isn’t the most athletic player, Hobson is very quick, using his long arms to his advantage.

While he needs to add some muscle to his frame, Hobson is expected to make an impact right away during his rookie season. Some argue that based on pure talent, he deserves to be a lottery pick. But according to major scouting services, Hobson figures to be drafted a bit later due to the fact he is a 22-year old junior who played only one year of major college basketball.

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