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Charles Hinkle, who walked on to the Vanderbilt basketball team for two years before blowing up at American University as an upperclassman, has a tryout waiting for him in the NBA's minor league. The one-time Commodore was selected in the fourth round (71st overall) of the NBA D-League's Draft by the Los Angeles D-Fenders. As a former Vandy student, his first duty with the team will be to point out the glaring typo in his new team's name.
Hinkle, a 6'5" shooting guard, was the lowest-rated recruit in Kevin Stallings's class of 2007. He came to the team alongside players like Festus Ezeli, Andre Walker, and A.J. Ogilvy and struggled to crack the team's rotation after redshirting his freshman year. He left the team midway through the 2009-10 season to attend low-major Division I school American University in Washington, D.C.. After a lackluster junior season, he became one of the nation's most prolific scorers in 2011-12. He scored 18.4 points per contest and recorded 15 games in which he scored 20 or more points.
Brief stays in Turkey, Hungary, and Israel preceded his return to the United States. He is the first player with Vandy ties to be selected by the league since Shan Foster was a first round pick (11th overall) back in 2012. Other Commodore notables to be selected in the D-League draft include Steve Tchiengang (5th round, 2012) and Derrick Byars (1st round, 2008). With Lance Goulbourne now playing in Turkey and Kyle Fuller undecided on where he'll play next season, Hinkle appears primed to be the only player with Vandy ties to participate in the league this winter.