CHARLOTTE – Roy Williams started his post-game press conference showing interest in how Tiger Woods – his favorite golfer – was doing in his latest tournament. But he had his own tiger sitting to his left, one that has changed his stripes considerably.
Theo Pinson, who for his first three years elicited catcalls of “don’t shoot” when he cocked and fired, is now getting pleads of “Don’t go!” as his senior season and college basketball career draws to a close.
Pinson, the Greensboro native who earned at least one North Carolina Mr. Basketball award, has morphed before our eyes into a national celebrity and potential NBA draft choice. And he has his coach to thank for a lot of that.
Sixteen games into the season, after a 61-49 butt-slapping at Virginia, the Tar Heels changed for the better. Williams started his “small” lineup that had been getting plenty of minutes already, but now gave even more time to his five best basketball players.
Pinson, who has since worked at all five positions on the court, emerged from a stereotyped good passer-bad shooter into one of the most versatile and exciting players in the country. The basketball world now sees a 6 foot 6 inch lock-down defender, great-not-good passer, relentless rebounder and a dependable scorer who follows shots, drives the lane and hits the three ball better than he ever has.
And, oh yes, goes coast-to-coast for layups, as he did to help Carolina wake up and put away Lipscomb, 84-66, in the first round of the NCAA tournament. It was Roy Williams’ 28th tourney opener and his 28th victory.
Pinson first became a national personality two years ago when, as the sixth man, he crashed a post-season presser with the five starters and head coach on the dais. Williams felt something behind him and turned his head to see Pinson’s mug right next to his, and broke out in laughter.
Since then, Theo has been the personality of the program and his brand of unselfish play – call it Theocracy – has helped redefine the 2018 Tar Heels, who now look very settled and dangerous as they go after a third straight Final Four trip (and, dare say, consecutive national championships).
Pinson’s explosiveness is a by-product of Williams’ lineup change, in which all five players motion around the court fluidly and, ideally, wind up with the best shot. Sometimes it is Pinson getting the rebound and busting down court to either find an open man or take it all the way to the rack, as he did against Duke to put an exclamation point on the 82-78 win in Chapel Hill.
“I’ve been going coast-coast since I was five [years old]; it didn’t start now,” Pinson said with that mischievous smile. “I remember when I was five, they got mad at me because I was doing jump balls, and I would just take the ball and try to go coast-to-coast and lay it in.”
Against the rules as that was, it certainly attracted attention. And Theo is doing it again now in a more legal manner as the “4 man” or strong forward for the Heels, which often puts him under the basket guarding one the opponent’s bigger players who can’t keep up with him.
“It’s something that’s been happening since Theo started playing,” Williams added. “But this year it stands out more because he is the 4 man. Every year, even Theo’s freshman year, for Justin Jackson, for Harrison Barnes, every perimeter player I’ve ever coached, I said if you get the ball off the board, I want you to bust out on the break because I’m an old school guy.
“The best fast break basketball I ever saw in my life was Magic Johnson getting the ball off the backboard. He busted out on the break and already left two defensive players behind. He made good decisions on the other end and could take it to the basket himself and lay it up.
“I’m not trying to say that Theo it is Magic Johnson, but that’s been in my brain for a long time. The perimeter player gets the ball, busts it out on the break. I think it’s the best fast break there is.”
With this new Carolina style, which may represent the best coaching job of Williams’ Hall-of-Fame career, Pinson is like the not-so-secret weapon that can start the fast break, perpetuate it with a pass and assist to a teammate or finish it with a basket at the end. It depends where Theo is when the break starts.
“If he doesn’t get the rebound, I want him to run to the low post on the other end,” Williams said. “Because again, the guy that’s going to have to guard him is a 4 man, and that gets Theo out on court against their 4 man. It’s been more evident because he’s attempting it more and the 4 guys are trying to pick him up.”
Since the lineup changed, Carolina is a better team with different looks on offense and defense. And Pinson’s numbers – 15 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists and a block and a steal against Lipscomb – reflect that: better shooting percentage (including three-pointers), more rebounds, going to the free-throw line more (where he shoots 82 percent) and making twice as many assists as turnovers this season.
“Theo’s freshman year he had a bad assist-to-error ratio,” Williams said. “His assist-to-error ratio has been really good since then. He’s a play maker.”
And perhaps his coach’s new favorite tiger.
Photo via Todd Melet
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