When Keanu Pinder leaves his native West Coast of Australia for Tucson next month, that’ll be the easy part.
His journey to Division I basketball, which became official Saturday when the 6-foot-8-inch junior college forward committed to Arizona, included previous commitments to Nebraska and New Mexico during what became an extended detour through the central part of the United States.
Kansas, to be exact.
That’s where a mentor suggested Pinder spend a final year of high school, at Sunrise Christian Academy, in an effort to land on a U.S. college team and perhaps help his pro prospects.
It was a drastically different direction than Pinder had ever imagined before. His father, a former North Carolina State player, had settled in Perth after his playing career ended there, and Pinder thought his pro career might start and end nearby.
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Besides, he really liked playing Aussie rules football, too.
“I wasn’t planning to leave Australia,” Pinder said.
Next thing you know, Pinder was dealing with a freaky cold winter in Kansas, enveloped in recruiting pressure, committing to Nebraska, all while trying to figure out how to get academically eligible despite the differences in the U.S. and Australian school systems. Plus, he said found his Catholic background wasn’t always accepted by some folks.
“It was crazy,” Pinder said. “It was culture shock. I didn’t like it.”
In what became an eventual bonus for Arizona, though, Pinder wound up teaming that year at Sunrise with UA junior Dusan Ristic, and Pinder said Saturday that Ristic played a big role in choosing Arizona over South Carolina, the two schools he considered the most after decommiting from New Mexico in March.
But while Ristic spent the last two seasons with Arizona, Pinder had to stay two more years in Kansas. He said he didn’t qualify academically, so chose nearby Hutchinson Community College, the juco power that UA senior guard Kadeem Allen played for in 2012-13 and 2013-14.
It wasn’t D-I ball, but Pinder said he found people were “really awesome” at Hutch, and he enjoyed being there.
On the court, things improved, too.
An athletic 195-pound forward, Pinder blocked 135 shots over two seasons at Hutchinson, while averaging 10.2 points and 6.9 rebounds as a sophomore to help Hutch reach the NJCAA Division I championship game, which the Blue Dragons lost to Salt Lake.
“He’s really a very athletic guy,” Hutch coach Steve Eck said Saturday night. “He blocked a lot of shots for us and he rebounds the basketball really well, especially on the offensive side. Sometimes, he can be high-energy.”
Eck said Pinder’s offense is still developing, but that he’s good around the basket and has a respectable jumper up to 15 feet.
His bloodlines suggest his offense will improve, too: Pinder’s father is Kendal “Tiny” Pinder, who led leagues in Israel and Finland in scoring during the 1980s while also touring with the Harlem Globetrotters and later playing for a Perth team known as, coincidentally, the Wildcats.
Besides, Pinder’s late development can be explained partially by his background. While he said basketball is popular in Australia, Pinder said he enjoyed the toughness required in Aussie rules football and didn’t start getting serious about basketball until he was 14.
“I played my first games just as a defender,” Pinder said.
Now, Pinder said he aims to play both forward spots for the Wildcats. While the UA has not announced Pinder’s addition, and UA coach Sean Miller is unable to speak about him yet, it’s clear Pinder is another option in what could be a more fluid look to Arizona’s lineup next season.
Having visited both Arizona and South Carolina before flying home to Australia last week, Pinder reflected on his choices for a few days and ultimately found the decision was clear.
“They have a really good coach and I was comfortable there,” Pinder said. “Being comfortable is very important. I really enjoyed my time there.”
Pinder’s commitment is expected to wrap up Arizona’s whirlwind spring recruiting season. Although Finnish forward Lauri Markkanen was the UA’s only fall signee, the Wildcats filled six scholarship spots after the fall signing period, with guards Rawle Alkins, Terrance Ferguson, Kobi Simmons and Dylan Smith, plus forwards Pinder and Talbott Denny.
Arizona now has a full complement of 13 scholarship players lined up for 2016-17 in addition to forward Elliott Pitts, which all but confirms Pitts will not return after leaving the team for an unexplained reason in February.
