University of North Carolina Athletics
Q&A With Theo Pinson
October 9, 2014 | Men's Basketball
CHAPEL HILL—Per longstanding UNC tradition, freshmen basketball players don't speak with the media until after playing their first regular season game. Theo Pinson sat down with GoHeels.com for an exclusive Q&A earlier this week, however.
Why did you pick your jersey number?
I wore it in AAU
At what age did you start to play basketball and in what league or at what level?
At age 5 in a YMCA league
What part of your game do you want to improve the most this year?
Shooting
What other sports or sport skills are you good at?
Football
What other sport or sport skills would you like to try and master?
Football, baseball, ping pong
What's something about yourself that most people don't know but you want people to know?
I'm really good at FIFA soccer
What part of Carolina convinced you to choose UNC for college?
I really like Coach Williams as a person
Which former Tar Heel (or other college basketball player) did you like to watch play the most when you were younger?
Ty Lawson
Who is your closest friend who plays for another college basketball team?
L.J. Peak (Georgetown)
What's the best piece of advice you have received about playing basketball?
Let the game come to you.
If you could go back in time and be a witness to one event in history, what would that be?
Last year's national championship game in football.
What was your favorite high school athletic accomplishment (game, award, championship) and why?
Winning back-to-back state championships
If you could have a particular skill or ability of any current or former NBA player, what would that be and whose skill is it?
Kobe Bryant's complete skill set
If you had to pick one teammate to beat Duke in a dance contest, whom would you select?
If you had to prepare the best meal ever to impress a date, what would you make?
Bacon burger with fries
Who is your pre-game "must listen to" musical artist?
Migos
Have you ever made a buzzer-beating, game-winning or game-tying shot and what were the circumstances?
Yes, state championship tournament—we were down by three points
What former Tar Heel that you played against the summer impressed/awed you the most?
Jawad Williams
The most fun thing that happened in the Bahamas was...
The waterslides
What teammate and/or coach has given you the best advice about being a Carolina basketball player and what was it?
Marcus Paige—"It's a grind."
What is an essential part of your pregame routine?
Getting mentally ready
Who do you call/talk to/text after every game?
My mom
What did playing the two games in the Bahamas teach you about playing basketball at the UNC level that you wouldn't have known without playing in a "real" game?
How you can't take a single possession off and need full effort every time.
