Former 5-star shares details behind why he didn’t end up choosing the Indiana basketball program

Tom Crean had a reputation as a tremendous developmental coach and also as a very high-demanding coach in practices. Both helped lift Indiana basketball from the depths of the college basketball national landscape and to the No. 1 team in the nation in just five seasons. He rebuilt the program and brought Indiana back into the national conversation from 2011-17 before the program decided to go in a different direction.

Crean’s ability to sell recruits on a vision was instrumental in the beginning stages of his rebuild. Then, his ability to develop his top players and the players around them lifted Indiana to one of the top teams consistently for a few year stretch.

From Victor Oladipo to OG Anunoby to Juwan Morgan and more. The list goes on and on with his ability to take players with athletic ability and help them become basketball players. That resume almost landed another tremendous athlete — but one who carried a 5-star status; Theo Pinson.

Pinson, who helped North Carolina make it to back-to-back National Championships in 2016 — falling just short — and then winning in 2017, was about as close as one could come to committing to Indiana.

The North Carolina native was part of a three-man class in 2014 for the Tar Heels that was the backbone of their recent success under former Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams. It was Pinson, Joel Berry and Justin Jackson. But, the third member of that class could have been D’Angelo Russell, not Pinson.

Russell played alongside Berry on the AAU circuit and was being recruited by North Carolina as well. When Berry committed, it raised Russell’s interest in UNC even more. But then a conversation with former assistant coach and now head coach Hubert Davis put Russell on the clock.

“I wanted to go to Carolina. Carolina and Kansas really were in the lead (in my recruitment),” Russell said on Pinson’s ‘Run Your Race’ podcast. “I just remember there was one more spot (for UNC). And before I committed (to Ohio State) I talked to Hubert Davis at the time, it wasn’t really Roy, it was Hubert … I was a fan, my dad was a fan. They were like, ‘If you don’t commit, Theo is going to commit and then there’s nothing we can do — can tell you. You are both in that position that we’re looking for’. Then as soon as I hung up, I think I seen it the next day that he committed. I was like, ‘aww man’. But it ended up working out.”

Pinson would go on to commit to North Carolina on May 22 — but not without a very close battle from Indiana, the team he would’ve committed to if Russell took his spot at UNC.

“I heard he (Russell) was going (to UNC). I talked to coach, I went to my parents – I said I’m going to Carolina,” Pinson said. ” … Indiana. I think I would’ve gone to Indiana. Tom Crean did a really good job recruiting me. I knew I was going to get better. He was going to give me the keys, kinda. I don’t know what it would’ve looked like.”

Pinson was ranked as the No. 14 overall player in the class and was a McDonald’s All-American. If he did join the Hoosiers, he would have joined a 2014 class that was headlined by James Blackmon Jr. and Robert Johnson. At the time, Pinson would have been the first of that trio to commit, however.

This isn’t the first time that Pinson has discussed his admiration for the Indiana basketball program. He did so a few months ago when former IU forward Juwan Morgan joined the podcast.

“The atmosphere, it’s nuts in there (in Assembly Hall),” Pinson told Morgan. “My official visit was for the Indiana-Michigan game.

“Carolina, I love you to death — now, there’s nothing like a Carolina-Duke game. But think about this though, Indiana’s like that every game. It’s nuts.”

So, why didn’t he go to Indiana? The pre-game practices that Pinson — and Morgan — still remember to this day.

“I took a visit to Indiana. Oh my God. Those individuals, they work,” Pinson said. ” … the damn pre-game practice. Rough. Battles. Tape up for the pre-game? We got a game at seven (pm), coach what the hell are we taping for?

“Shout out to Coach Crean. He did an unbelievable job recruiting me because I’m telling you, if it wasn’t for the taped pre-game practices, I’m pretty sure I would have been at Indiana. It wasn’t the work part. It was like, I’m cool with working. But this is wild.”

Morgan would add to that, in agreement.

“I’m not going to lie,” Morgan responded. “It (pre-game practices) did get a little wild.”

Indiana basketball went on to go 20-14 during Pinson’s freshman season at UNC. Pinson went to four NCAA Tournament’s during his time at North Carolina but was 1-1 against the Hoosiers in his career.

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