Pinson does it all for River Lions
Dorian Pinson is the Niagara River Lions’ Swiss Army Knife.
“In baseball, they have five-tool players and Dorian is the equivalent of that in basketball,” Niagara head coach/GM Victor Raso said. “He can guard the best player on the other team, he’s a phenomenal shooter and passer and he’s a good on-ball and off-ball defender.”
“Wherever you are leaking water, just grab Dorian.”
Pinson came to the attention of Raso through the player’s agent.
“I looked at him and I was surprised this guy was available,” he said. “Yes, he played (NCAA) Division 2 and second division in Germany, but he’s a national champion and he’s just as good as the D1 players out there.”
The soon-to-be 23-year-old from Greenville, S.C., came into Wednesday’s game averaging 12.7 points and 8.0 rebounds and 28 minutes of playing time. In a 108-96 victory over the visiting Hamilton Honey Badgers, the 6-foot-5, 230-pounder contributed 14 points and seven rebounds.
The former NCAA Division 2 basketball player at Lincoln Memorial is enjoying his time in the Canadian Elite Basketball League.
“It’s only six teams, but I think they are going to expand it next year. It’s a lot of fun, it’s good basketball and the crowds are great,” he said. “I love it.”
The small size of the league means there are few secrets between squads.
“You have to come it, gut it out and get wins,” Pinson said.
The former South Atlantic Conference All-Tournament Team and Tournament MVP and First Team All-Star had about three weeks off before joining the River Lions. He started his first pro season with the Hebeisen White Wings Hanau in Germany and averaged 12.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.
“I went home, spent some time with my family and went back to my old college and got some workouts in,” he said. “Then they called me and I was on the next plane.”
It was an easy decision to join Niagara’s roster.
“I just love the game of basketball and I will take any opportunity to play.”
He is loving his first exposure to Canada.
“The people are more friendly, the environment is cleaner, I like the air, the weather is good and it’s better than the U.S.A,” Pinson said. “I have to say that.”
He feels his game has developed a lot in his first year out of college.
“I am becoming smarter and I take a lot of time figuring out what I can get better at,” he said. “Right now, it’s just a mental process and I am training my body physically.”
One area Pinson knows he needs work on is making proper food choices.
“I am trying to tighten up my eating and general health,” he said. “I eat a lot of fast foods like chicken tenders and burgers and stuff.
“The fun fact about me is that I really haven’t eaten any vegetables by whole life so I am trying to incorporate them.”
His teammates are helping him make better nutrition choices in much the same way the River Lions help each other on the court.
“We just love having fun,” Pinson said. “You get around teams that don’t like to play for or mess around with each other.”
That is not the case in Niagara.
“Around here, it is like a family and a brotherhood and we don’t mind doing the dirty work to help someone else on the team,” Pinson said.
Wednesdays game was battle for first place as Niagara came in at 8-2 and Hamilton was 7-3. Raso knew exactly what the game meant to his squad.
“I was pretty upright the last couple of days about this game,” he said. “It was our second opportunity to separate us from second place. If we lose it, we’re tied, if we win it, we give ourselves some breathing room.”
And with Kassius Robertson gone for three games to go play in the NBA summer league, the matchup took on even more importance.
“It’s a tough stretch, we play Edmonton on Friday and we have already lost to them there,” Raso said.
He made sure his players felt the same sense of urgency.
“At shoot around today, I was serious and they were joking with me and trying to give me a hug but I was ‘No. We need this.’ And they responded.”
They surely did, building quarter leads of 31-21, 57-44 and 85-65 before Hamilton made a late run in garbage time.
STATS PACK
River Lions 108 Honey Badgers 96
BPSN Player of the Game: Niagara’s Ryan Anderson with 25 points and 7-for-11 shooting from beyond the arc.
For the Niagara River Lions: Anderson 25; Sam Muldrow 17; Guillaume Payen-Boucard 15; Dorian Pinson and Nem Mitrovic 14.
For the Hamilton Honey Badgers: Demetrius Denzel-Dyson 20; Caleb Agada 19; Sampson Carter 18.
Game stats: Shooting percentage: Niagara 49.4, Hamilton 44.6. Rebounds: Niagara 46, Hamilton 50. Free throws: Niagara 15-20, Hamilton 14-24. Turnovers: Niagara 17, Hamilton 17.
Up next: Niagara is at the Edmonton Stingers Friday.
