University of North Carolina Athletics
One on One with Theo Pinson
January 14, 2015 | Men's Basketball
By Turner Walston
Freshman wing Theo Pinson had his best game as a Tar Heel in last week's loss to Notre Dame, scoring seven points and hauling in eight rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench. CAROLINA's Turner Walston caught up with Pinson this weekend.
Turner Walston: I know you were disappointed in the result against Notre Dame, but how did you feel about your individual performance?
Theo Pinson: I felt good. I thought I came in and gave our team the spark that we needed. Throughout the game, I was like, 'Theo, try to do everything you can to get this 'W.' You want to have good games and win. That's what I was focused on. I didn't want to have a really good game and come out with a loss, but you just learn from it.
TW: You were just trying to do what you could to help the team win, and on that day, it was score and rebound.
TP: Yeah. Coach knew I could do stuff like that, it was just a matter of time until I got adjusted to things and could do it. I don't know what it was. I just let the game come to me and I just ended up playing well. Hopefully it keeps going. I'm just doing what I have to do.
TW: Did it take a few games before you got accustomed to the pace of the college game, and figured out where exactly you could fit in?
TP: Oh, yeah. Honestly, that game at Clemson helped out a lot. I was in there for a stretch of three minutes, and then I would come out, but I realized you've got to play so hard because these guys are good. Everybody's good and it means so much. You've got invest so much. I just understood how seriously everybody was taking it, and I wanted to be a part of it.
I told Joel (Berry) before the start of the second half (against Notre Dame) that we didn't play that much in the first half, but we've got to be ready, because our numbers are going to get called and we've got to go in there and produce and do something, and it happened. God gave us the opportunity to play in the second half in a crucial stretch of the game, and unfortunately we came out with a loss, but we learned a lot from it.
TW: How have your teammates helped you make that adjustment?
TP: They're always encouraging us freshmen to just stay focused and the importance of being ready at all times. You've got to stay alert at any moment on the offensive and defensive end, mostly on the defensive end. Coach Rob is always helping me on the defensive end about being alert and ready at all times, giving me little tips on defense to have an edge on the offensive player so it's really helping us a lot.
TW: I would imagine after you've played well, you want to get on the court and build on it. Have you been able to do that?
TP: That's what I'm really focused on, building from there and not taking a step back. I'm not going to go out there and try to force anything to show that that wasn't a fluke. I'm just going to let the game come to me and try not to force anything.
TW: Everybody wants numbers, but it seems like you're focusing on impacting the game wherever you can. Is that how you're approaching it?
TP: Yeah, that's how I've approached it since high school. I've never had a 40-point game. I'd rather have a triple-double or a double-double, with 10 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists. I'd rather have that; I feel like that's more contributing to a win. I understand points, that's what you need, but I get more satisfaction from my teammates scoring.
TW: You had a follow dunk against Notre Dame (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7N_kZGgoos). I know that you're operating on instinct, but did you realize right after that it was pretty cool?
TP: Oh, yeah. Somebody tweeted the video to me, and I was like, 'That's crazy.' I caught it and then I dunked it with my left hand. I don't even know how I did that. In the flow of the game, you're just trying to make a play. That got the team going, go the energy level in the crowd going, so it was pretty exciting.
TW: You grew up in North Carolina, played for Keith Gatlin, who played at Maryland, and you know what ACC basketball is like. Now, you're a freshman, on the team and wearing that jersey on the road and in the Smith Center. What's that like?
TP: First, I thank God before every game, every practice, all the time, because I dreamed about playing in games like that and being in this environment my whole life, since I've been playing basketball. It's a blessing. You've got to save all those moments. I keep every game that we play, so that after basketball, you can say I played in this game, played in that game, made plays. It's a blessing.
