Arizona Basketball: Keanu Pinder’s Energy is Contagious and is much needed
By Nick Matt
This resilient Arizona Basketball team has been through some rough stretches this season, and you can thank Keanu Pinder for doing his part.
Not having Trier for the first 19 games or getting dominated on the boards by UCLA in McKale or Parker Jackson-Cartwright being out for a month plus. Somehow, Miller always got his group to respond. A player that saw his minutes diminish was Keanu Pinder.
Keanu played at the same Junior College that Kadeem Allen played. Miller has a knack for finding talent, whether that be Junior College, overseas, or high school basketball from coast to coast. Pinder didn’t do anything to lose his minutes he was just the ‘odd man out.’ His energy is infectious when he is out there. He plays every possession to the whistle and is relentless on defense and rebounding that players around him join in.
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Early on, Pinder was getting consistent minutes and played a pretty meaningful role in the Wildcats going 17-2 without Allonzo Trier. Soon after Trier’s return there just wasn’t enough minutes for Pinder. In that span, the Wildcats were sometimes lazy on defense and had no defensive identity. Pinder brings much more to this team than stats can show. His energy is contagious, everyone around him has a little more bounce in their step.
When the UCLA Bruins came to Tucson for College GameDay, nobody expected them to have more rebounds and control the offensive boards like they did. The real difference in the game was inserting Pinder into the lineup before halftime.
He injected Arizona with a shot of life on the defensive end. Miller was asked right before halftime what the difference was and his answer was, “Keanu Pinder.” Meaning his energy changed the game as the Wildcats took a halftime lead in the last minutes of the half. Unfortunately, the outcome wasn’t what we would have liked. “He has an explosion — a quickness to the ball — and a hunger to go get it. He doesn’t do it because he’s 6-foot-9, he does it because he’s tough-minded and very, very physical.” – Sean Miller per Ryan Kelapire.
Nonetheless, Pinder was a bright spot that night.
“He has an explosion — a quickness to the ball — and a hunger to go get it. He doesn’t do it because he’s 6-foot-9, he does it because he’s tough-minded and very, very physical.” – Sean Miller
Since the UCLA game, Sean Miller has given Pinder more consistent minutes because of his value on the defensive end. Every team needs a player like Pinder in the tournament. A defensive stopper, a relentless rebounder, and has a mean streak in him. Those are great skills to bring onto a basketball court during March Madness.
Pinder had more minutes against rival ASU than he has had in weeks and look at the player’s actions around him.
Clearly, Pinder’s energy rubbed off on freshman Rawle Alkins, posting a career-high 15 rebounds. Allonzo Trier was active, Lauri Markkanen was incredibly responsive to Pinder’s energy having some of the most violent blocks we’ve seen all year.
https://twitter.com/KeanuPinder28/status/827707086469337089
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It’s not just Pinder’s numbers it’s about the rest of the team when he’s out there. Keanu Pinder has a very contagious motor on the floor, young players respond to a player like Pinder and Wildcat fans are lucky to have him.