Expectations set high for seven-footer Seth Pinkney

Chris Dacey
October 31, 2019

The Quinnipiac men’s basketball team has had success with recruiting out of Philadelphia.

That might be the connections that coach Baker Dunleavy brought with him here to Connecticut, but the Bobcats’ head man went back to the place he knows best and brought some more players to Hamden for the 2019-2020 season.

None more recognizable than Seth Pinkney, who stands at seven-foot-one.

“I have gotten to know Seth a lot over the years,” Dunleavy said. “He played high school basketball in Philadelphia when I was an assistant at Villanova, so I have known him a long time, but I obviously never coached him until now.”

It wasn’t just the height that caught Dunleavy’s eye. Even though the coach admits he remembers how tall Pinkney was when he first saw him play, he knew Pinkney had the ability to play above the rim and block shots. Like there is with every player Dunleavy brings in, there is an uncertainty factor that he has because he has never coached Pinkney before.

 

“You don’t know until you coach somebody what their attitude is like,” Dunleavy said. “That’s the thing our whole roster has been amazed by with Seth. He’s got a great attitude, incredible coachablity, great demeanor and just a guy you like being around every day.”

If you even ask Pinkney, he is the first one to admit that he is a friendly guy. He even told reporters that making new friends was one thing he looked forward to the most as he continues his career at Quinnipiac.

 

The freshman big man might not have any issues with making new friends, but he said he needs to continue to work on his game on the court. Pinkney, like all the other freshman, are learning how to make that difficult transition from high school basketball to division one college basketball.

“It’s really different. Playing against tougher people, playing against a big crowd and a new coaching staff, that’s really getting on me,” Pinkney said. “It’s really different, my high school coaches weren’t really on me like that so it’s a big impact.”

When asked what the coaching staff is working on with him, he said what Dunleavy said: playing above the rim, grabbing rebounds and protecting the rim on the defensive side of the ball. Pinkney also said that his coaches are trying to get him involved more offensively to take advantage of his height especially in a conference like the MAAC where seven-footers aren’t too common.

Even though Pinkney is still somewhat new to the Quinnipiac men’s basketball program, he is already starting to get praise from some of his teammates. One of his teammates and fellow big man, Kevin Marfo, spoke highly of the freshman he battles alongside in practice every day.

“Seth is super talented,” Marfo said. “I tell him that every day when I see him. Want more from yourself.”

Marfo, who transferred from George Washington, sees great promise in Pinkney just from the team’s time in Canada and during practice this preseason. But just as Pinkney said, the seven-footer still has some learning to do.

“He’s seven feet but he doesn’t know that he is seven feet yet. There are a lot of bigs like that and they really don’t know how big they are,” Marfo said. “Once Seth embraces that he is seven feet tall and know that he can dominate and have that confidence it’s gonna be a scary sight.”

As to whether the two bigs will get minutes on the floor together, Marfo was quick to point out that wasn’t up to him, it’s up to the coach.

Marfo went on to say that not many players, if any, at the DI level of college basketball have the length and ability that Pinkney possesses. Marfo says to build up his fellow center’s confidence he is going to keep pushing them and make him feel uncomfortable to get him as prepared as possible for game situations. There is no doubt in Marfo’s mind that Pinkney’s confidence will grow.

Pinckney and the rest of the Bobcats on their summer trip to Canada
Photo Courtesy: Quinnipiac Athletics

And for the Philly area native, this is good because Dunleavy also said that Pinkney will be getting minutes right away off the bench.

“We are going to throw him to the fire and he’s going to play minutes right away. He’s got the confidence and support of his teammates,” Dunleavy said.

Pinkney knows this and has already said he isn’t trying to do too much. He pointed out that point guard Rich Kelly has been a great leader on the team so far and forward Jacob Rigoni has helped him out too. Pinkney explained how he was just trying to “follow in their footsteps.”

Pinkney does have other players to turn to as well to help him out. Not just on the court but off it too as the big man has a former high school teammate on the roster. Tyree Pickron played with Pinkney back at Archbishop Wood in the Philadelphia area. Pinkney said Pickron has something to do with why he chose to come up to New England and play for Dunleavy.

“He was actually one of the reasons I came here,” Pinkney said. “Coming from Philly and coming all the way out here to Connecticut was a big adjustment. He really did make it more comfortable coming out here.”

 

Pickron talked about how Pinkney decided to come to Quinnipiac and how he thought it was the right move for the seven-footer because of the culture Dunleavy has built in Hamden during his three years at the helm of the program.

“Before he went to prep school, he was big on going high major,” Pickron said. “I think him going to prep school made him realize that going to a school like this with a culture is only going to help him become better at his height.”

Pickron was asked about what he thought was different with Pinkney since that last time the two played together back in Pennsylvania. Pickron said that Pinkney didn’t get any taller, but the center played the game differently.

“The thing that stands out to me the most is that he wants to be here and play basketball,” Pickron said. “I think in high school, for the most part, he just did it because he was tall, and he was naturally skilled, and I think now he is playing like he wants to play.”

Just like Dunleavy, Pickron couldn’t agree more about the impact Pinkney has on the court and around people. Pickron knows this first-hand from back in Philly but now it’s on display for everyone in the Quinnipiac community to see.

“Seth is like a happy person,” Pickron said. “He just adjusts to anywhere he is. He has just been having a ball. Me, him and [Jamil Riggins] being here together is like we never left home, so we been having ball, we haven’t missed anything.”