Meet the Newbies: Kruize Pinkins

USF Dons Kruize Pinkins (left) and Tim Derksen (right) of “East Bay” play at Kezar Pavilion during a San Francisco Pro Am basketball game on June 24th, 2013. Photo by James Stapleton.

The University of San Francisco’s men’s basketball team does not have one freshman on its roster, giving USF one of the more seasoned rosters in the WCC. However, the Dons will still have to rely on some newcomers to contribute this season. One of those players is Kruize Pinkins, a 6’7”, 240-pound forward out of Chipola College in Marianna, Florida. This juco transfer provides the athleticism and skill set to contribute immediately at the Division I level. Here is a closer look at USF forward Kruize Pinkins.

At Marianna High School

Pinkins was a great scorer and rebounder during his time at Marianna High School. He averaged 16.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game during his senior year of high school. Pinkins decided to go the junior college route after high school, likely in hopes of generating better offers from D-I schools than the ones he had as a high school senior.

Freshman Year at Chipola College

Pinkins posted some solid numbers as a freshman: 7.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. In a game against Northwest Florida, Pinkins dropped 31 points, which was his season high. Although Pinkins doesn’t put up a ton of points night in and night out, he has shown that he can light up the stat sheet once in a while.

Sophomore Year at Chipola College

In an increased role at Chipola, Pinkins’ statistics improved. In his second season of juco basketball, the current Don averaged 11.4 points and 6.9 rebounds, with a shooting percentage of 57.8%. Against BrunswickCommunity College, Pinkins recorded a double-double with 26 points and 13 rebounds. In his sophomore season, Pinkins showed that he could score and rebound at a high level.

Impact at USF

Pinkins should end up being an integral part of the Dons’ forward rotation. Mark Tollefsen and Cole Dickerson certainly will be the starters at the 3 and 4, and Matt Christiansen will come off the bench. After that, there isn’t much depth, which should leave Pinkins a ton of opportunities to make a name for himself.