Back in the summer of 2017, a young East Suburban Catholic Conference star at Saint Patrick (Chicago) transferred across the windy city to national powerhouse Simeon.
That player was Xavier Pinson, and he was ready to break out on an even bigger scale after making his name known up north at St. Pats.
Pinson, an explosive 6-foot-2 guard, then starred at Simeon before choosing Missouri as his next destination.
After playing three seasons in the SEC for the Tigers, Pinson had solidified himself as a big-time contributor at the highest level of college basketball. The guard had averaged 6, then 11, then 13 points per game in his respective seasons in Columbia.
He then transferred across the conference to LSU, where he started 27 of 28 games in a Tiger uniform and averaged just about ten points and five assists per game.
After entering the transfer portal once again last year, Pinson ended up at New Mexico State in the WAC. There, under HC Greg Heiar, Pinson has started all 16 games and has lived up to his expectations of being a high-impact guy at the division one level. He is currently averaging career highs in minutes per game (30.6), 3FG/Gm (5.6), FT% (88%), and rebounds per game (3.1). He is scoring at a high rate, averaging 12.9 points per contest.
So far, Pinson has hit 31 of his 89 three-point attempts. With 12 more threes on the year, he will set a career high for deep balls converted.
Although the Aggies are struggling, Pinson has cemented himself as a memorable college player who has produced just about everywhere he has played. Hopefully, Heiar’s team can turn things around and shock the WAC.
