Chicago’s Xavier Pinson ending college career at New Mexico State
CHICAGO (BVM) — Since playing high school basketball in Chicago, Xavier Pinson has endured a long, yet successful college basketball journey that is beginning another chapter. This season, Pinson is suiting up for the New Mexico State Aggies and new head coach Greg Heiar, choosing to transfer to Las Cruces over Georgia Tech and Mississippi State.
New Mexico State has been one of the more successful mid-major programs in college basketball as of late, making eight NCAA Tournament appearances since the 2011-12 season. Last March, the Aggies pulled off a first-round tournament upset over UConn.
Pinson also saw action in last season’s NCAA Tournament while playing with the LSU Tigers, who went 22-12 on the year. The 6-foot-2 point guard started 27 games for LSU in a tough SEC conference, averaging 9.8 points, 4.8 assists and 1.9 steals per game.
Prior to his lone season in Baton Rouge, Pinson was a fixture a bit closer to home with the Missouri Tigers. As just a freshman during the 2018-19 season, Pinson made an immediate impact, starting a dozen games and averaging over six points per contest. He would increase his point-per-game average to 11.1 and 13.6 in his sophomore and junior seasons, finishing his time at Mizzou with 10.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists per contest across three years. In 2021, Pinson helped lead the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament.
As good as Pinson’s college career has been, many in the Chicago area still remember him for the impact he made on the hardwood while in high school. Hailing from the Galewood neighborhood on Chicago’s west side, Pinson began his high school career at Saint Patrick. However, he had to earn his way onto the court at the varsity level.
Standing at just 5-foot-1 as a freshman, the guard didn’t see action on Saint Patrick’s varsity squad until early in his sophomore season. However, from there his career took off, as he would earn fourth-team All-City honors from the Chicago Sun-Times as a junior.
For his senior season, Pinson transferred to play for one of Chicago’s powerhouse high school basketball programs in Simeon Career Academy. Playing alongside former Laker and current Utah Jazz guard Talen Horton-Tucker, Pinson averaged 11.9 points and 3.8 assists to help lead Simeon to a 29-4 record and a Public League championship.
Proving his talent throughout high school, the three-star recruit held offers from the likes of Wisconsin, Georgetown and DePaul, but ultimately chose to play at Mizzou. It became the start of a college career where Pinson has repeatedly showcased his skill and high basketball IQ.
He will aim to continue doing so throughout his senior season at New Mexico State, and no matter where his basketball journey takes him after that, Pinson has shown to be another example of the high-level talent Chicago produces on the hardwood.
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