Al Pinkins - Men's Basketball Coach - Texas Tech Red Raiders

Al Pinkins

Title:
Assistant Coach

Al Pinkins moves into his second season as an assistant coach at Texas Tech after he spent the previous five years working at Ole Miss, Tennessee and LSU in the SEC.

The Red Raiders collected a pair of victories over Associated Press Top 10 opponents during the 2016-17 season in No. 4 Baylor and No. 7 West Virginia for the first time since the 2007-08 season when Texas Tech knocked off No. 5 Texas and No. 10 Texas A&M.

Keenan Evans and Zach Smith garnered All-Big 12 Preseason honors in 2017-18, the first pair of Texas Tech teammates to accomplish the feat dating back to 2010-11. The duo is on the verge of becoming the 39th and 40th players in program history to notch 1,000 career points.

Overall, Pinkins possesses 14 years of collegiate coaching experience and is known for the development of front court personnel. He will be involved in all aspects of the Tech program which includes opponent scouting and on-court coaching.

During his time at Ole Miss, Pinkins coached the program’s all-time leading rebounder in Murphy Holloway and the program’s all-time leading shot blocker in Reginald Buckner. Holloway came away with an All-SEC First-Team selection, while Bucker tucked away SEC All-Defensive Team honors in 2013. The Rebels secured the 2013 SEC Tournament title, a NCAA Tournament berth and matched a program single-season record with 27 victories.

Ole Miss totaled 20 wins and an NIT bid during Pinkins’ first season with the Rebels in 2011-12. He worked with Terrence Henry who garnered All-SEC status for the first time in his career.

Pinkins worked with a young and undersized Tennessee front line in 2014-15. The Vols posted a positive rebounding margin fueled by a second place finish in defensive rebounds and fourth place finish in offensive rebounds.

Pinkins had the chance in his only season at LSU to work with Ben Simmons, the NBA’s No. 1 overall draft pick of the Philadelphia 76ers. Simmons was the consensus 2016 National Freshman of the Year. He rated among the SEC’s Top 5 in points (19.2), rebounds (11.8), assists (4.8) and steals (2.0) per game.

Pinkins’ first collegiate coaching opportunity came at Middle Tennessee State from 2003-11. He was intimately involved in all aspects of the Blue Raiders program highlighted by recruiting throughout the South and the development of MTSU’s post players. The 2010 MTSU team advanced to postseason play in the CollegeInsider.com event.

Pinkins began his playing as a standout prep performer at Mitchell-Baker High School in Camilla, Georgia. He helped lead his team to consecutive state championships during the 1989-90 and 1990-91 seasons. Pinkins also quarterbacked the MBHS football team to the 1990 Georgia state championship.

Pinkins started his collegiate playing career at Chipola Junior College in Florida from 1993-95 where he averaged 17.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game over his two seasons. He transferred to North Carolina State after his sophomore season. Pinkins secured 9.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. The 1997 NC State squad advanced to the NIT Second Round.

Pinkins played professionally with Team Baleno in Zaragoza, Spain. He posted 22 points and nine rebounds per game in 1998. He also played for the Raleigh (N.C.) Cougars in the United States Basketball League (USBL) in 1998 and for Minot (N.D.) in the International Basketball Association (IBL) where he captured Most Valuable Player honors.

Following his IBA stint, Pinkins played overseas and picked up 29 points and 11 rebounds per game in the Qatar Basketball Association along with an 11-point, 8-rebound averages in the Chinese Basketball Association.

Pinkins earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology from NC State in 1998. He and his wife, Kara, have three sons: Patton, Pryce and Penn.

Pinkins’ Coaching Experience
Seasons, School, Position
2003-11, Middle Tennessee State, Assistant Coach
2011-14, Ole Miss, Assistant Coach – Recruiting Coordinator
2014-15, Tennessee, Assistant Coach – Recruiting Coordinator
2015-16, LSU, Assistant Coach
2016-Present, Texas Tech, Assistant Coach