Pineiro powering Toreros

Redshirt senior forward Isaiah Pineiro is a leader both on and off the court for USD men’s basketball

Anderson Haigler / Sports Editor / The USD Vista

Standing at 6-foot-7 and 215 pounds, Isaiah Pineiro is an imposing presence on the court for USD basketball. But the redshirt senior forward has impressed with more than just his stature this season. Pineiro is averaging nearly 20 points and 10 rebounds per game, notching 13 double-doubles along the way. A pattern of consistent success that has not gone unnoticed by his coaches and teammates.

“It’s a great, great luxury for any team and any coach to have a player who’s capable of getting 20 points and 10 rebounds,” USD men’s basketball head coach Sam Scholl said. “He works extremely hard to prepare himself to be able to have those types of performances each game.”

Like his coach, Pineiro attributes his success this season to hard work and confidence.

“Just being confident,” Pineiro said. “You have to trust your reps. I’ve taken thousands upon thousands of shots in the summer, the spring, and the fall.” 

Pineiro’s big season has not been without its big moments. Time and time again, he has risen to the occasion when the pressure is highest and the lights are brightest, posting team-high totals in points in both meetings against top-five-ranked Gonzaga University, with a number of clutch late-game shots to his credit in other games as well. As a fifth-year player, though, he is unfazed by the pressure.

“At the end of the day it’s just another shot,” Pineiro said.

Scholl weighed in on the perhaps “clutch” nature of his star forward’s skills.

“I just think he’s prepared himself to be ready for those moments,” Scholl said. “He’s put in a lot of reps, and he trusts those reps so when a moment comes, he’s ready to perform and to make plays. I think that those type of performances go along with the tremendous work ethic that he has.” 

But it’s not just the scoring that has been dynamic for Pineiro this season. It’s his rebounding, defense, and performance at the free-throw line paired with his dominant scoring — being a well-rounded player — that has elevated his game to be amongst the best in the West Coast Conference. Pineiro prides himself on this diverse set of skills.

“I try to be a hard guard on defense, and just help my team any way I can,” Pineiro said.

Though he quickly found success at the University of San Diego, Pineiro’s college basketball journey did not begin as a Torero. The native of Auburn, Calif. attended Sierra Junior College and Portland State before San Diego, where he averaged 15.4 and 12.0 points per game at each school, respectively. After transferring to USD, he sat out the 2016-2017 season as a redshirt. It’s an aspect of his career that Pineiro says has made him a better player in the long run.

“It’s just helped with a lot,” Pineiro said. “I’m an older player, so I’ve seen a lot of basketball, just being around different coaches and different players has really just helped with my overall experience, and my basketball IQ.”

Since he began his collegiate career in 2014, he has seen steady improvement in all facets of his game.

“My skill levels have definitely increased,” Pineiro said. “And then my basketball IQ. I think those, hand-in-hand make you a better player overall.”

Scholl described Pineiro’s development as a player in the three seasons that he has coached him.

“I think the biggest thing from last year to this year is that he’s improved his rebounding,” Scholl said. “Last year he had six rebounds a game and this year it’s close to 10, which is a dramatic improvement. It’s going to provide him with great opportunities for beyond USD. And he’s improved as a 3-point shooter. He’s made more, he shoots more, he has a better percentage.”

There’s more to Pineiro’s game beyond the tangible, quantifiable contributions he makes on the court, however. A leader by example, he has drawn high praise for the impact he has on his teammates, particularly the younger players.

“IP very much leads by example,” Scholl said. “He’s our hardest worker in the weight room, he’s our hardest worker on the floor. He puts in the most shots, he stretches the most, he takes care of his body the best. So he’s a great, great leader by example for others to see what it really takes to be successful.”

In a season in which three of the Toreros’ usual starting five have missed time at some point due to injuries, Pineiro’s high level of play has been a constant, something that first-year guard Finn Sullivan says has been a stabilizing presence both for himself and the team as a whole.

“Being a freshman, it’s a big learning curve,” Sullivan said. “He’s been playing for so long, and he knows so much about the game. Just getting his perspective on ways to score, where to be on defense is really helpful. Especially when the coaches are saying stuff that I don’t really understand.”

Fellow senior Olin Carter III shared Sullivan’s sentiment.

“He’s been a good role model for our team,” Carter III said. “Him and Isaiah Wright have really done a good job in helping us turn this program around. Before they came here, we weren’t that good, with the addition of them two it really helped turn this program into having the standard of where we’re trying to be in the top of the league every year.”

As Pineiro’s final season as a Torero winds to a close, he says that it will be the friendships with his teammates that he will miss the most.

“Just the team,” Pineiro said after the team’s final regular season home game last week. “Playing with this group of guys and coaches. Just the love that we have for each other and all the hard work that we’ve put in in this gym. I’ll never forget it.”

Pineiro and his teammates will continue their season with a road game versus the University of San Francisco on Thursday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. 

The game will be streamed online on theW.tv and broadcast on the 1090 AM app.