Archbishop Wood's Seth Pinkney keeps his hoops option open

As Seth Pinkney has watched his Archbishop Wood classmates make their college decisions, he's tried not to get anxious about his own.

The Vikings' senior center is one of four seniors on Wood's roster who will play Division I basketball. He just doesn't know where yet.

"It's definitely been on my mind," Pinkney said. "I have been thinking about a couple schools … I haven't really been looking towards committing anytime soon, I've been keeping my list open."

Andrew Funk (Bucknell), Tyree Pickron (Quinnipiac), and Karrington Wallace (Central Connecticut), Wood's three other senior hoops standouts, all made their commitments in the fall, signing their binding National Letters of Intent during last month's signing period.

At times in his junior season, Pinkney had held offers from the likes of St. Joseph's and La Salle, but the Germantown native isn't that interested in going to school locally, so those schools dropped off.

So despite being 6-foot-11 and one of the area's best rim protectors, there was a time this fall where Pinkney's collegiate options were slim and none, and getting slimmer.

"It was a worrisome time, but I kind of looked past it," he said. "I knew I was going to get a couple more looks during the season that's coming up now; I knew since we have a national schedule, I'd get at least a couple looks."

Pinkney had recent experience to turn to. Last year, he watched Wood senior Collin Gillespie cash in by waiting on his college decision, going from Division II options in the summer to a Villanova commitment by January.

He's not expecting that sort of leap, but Pinkney knows the longer he plays, the more schools he'll be able to attract with his athleticism and shot-blocking ability, as well as the way he runs the floor and finishes at the rim.

"He's very comfortable, he feels there are schools after him but he's not in love with anything and he just wants to wait for springtime to choose the right school," Wood coach John Mosco said. "And he saw Collin last year and it paid off. So he's content with waiting. He's not jealous or anything."

Wood's first two games this season came against high-level opponents in South Shore (N.Y.) and then powerhouse DeMatha Catholic (Md.), playing in showcases that tend to attract the Division I types.

Still early in the season, Pinkney is determined to contribute to the scoring column, alongside guards like Funk and Pickron, who have shown the ability to get 20-plus points easily on any given night. Over the summer and in fall scrimmages, he did knock down the occasional three-point shot when open, and was more aggressive in post-up situations despite a rail-thin frame.

"During the years at Wood, I didn't show I had a post play or perimeter play, I was just more of a defensive player," he said. "But I want to show that I'm an offensive threat as well as a defensive threat."

Since the season began, Mosco said he's heard from the coaching staffs at UNC-Greensboro, UMass, Radford, Portland and Santa Clara in regards to his available big man.

The last of those four schools is especially intriguing to Pinkney.

"I just like warm weather and I always wanted to live in California for a little bit," Pinkney said. "I want to travel, and being on the West Coast gives me an opportunity to do that."