Florida Gators

Al Pinkins joined the Florida coaching staff as associate head coach on May 11, 2018, helping the Gators to NCAA Tournament bids in 2019 and 2021, along with what would’ve been another before the 2019-20 season ended abruptly. The Gators have posted a 54-38 mark during Pinkins’ tenure, including eight wins vs. top-25 opponents.
 
Pinkins focuses on Florida’s frontcourt and has helped the Gators’ starting center to All-SEC accolades each of the past two seasons, as Kerry Blackshear Jr. garnered the honor in 2019-20 and Colin Castleton in 2020-21.
 
During the 2020-21 campaign, the Gators earned a pair of top-25 regular season wins before notching a third with an overtime win vs. Virginia Tech in the NCAA Tournament. The Gators’ 75-49 thrashing of sixth-ranked Tennessee was all the more impressive as UF played the game shorthanded, and the 26-point margin of victory matched Florida’s largest vs. an AP top-10 team in the history of the poll. Florida added another impressive performance in an 85-80 road victory at 11th-ranked West Virginia, helping clinch the SEC/Big 12 Challenge for the SEC.

As a team, the Gators led the SEC in field goal percentage (.471), 3-point field goal percentage (.356) and free throw percentage (.753), becoming the first SEC team to lead the league in all three categories since Florida did so in the 2005-06 campaign.

On an individual level, Tre Mann and Castleton both earned All-SEC honors. Castleton also set an O’Connell Center record with eight blocks vs. Ole Miss while also scoring 21 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, becoming the first SEC player with a 20/10/8 stat line in league play since 1997. Castleton then added his name to an impressive list late in the season, becoming the sixth player over the past 25 years to have an NCAA Tournament game with at least 19 points, 14 rebounds, three blocked shots and two assists, joining Zion Williamson, JaJuan Johnson, Kevin Love, Nick Collison (three times) and Tim Duncan.
 
Florida posted a 19-12 mark in the 2019-20 season, in line for another NCAA Tournament bid before its season, along with the rest of the sports world, came to a standstill on March 12, 2020. The Gators earned the Charleston Classic championship, led by MVP Keyontae Johnson, defeating 18th-ranked Xavier in the championship. It marked UF’s first holiday tournament championship since 2009. The Gators also posted a 69-47 rout of #4 Auburn in Gainesville. Pinkins had scout coach duties for both the Xavier and Auburn victories.
 
The 2019-20 season also saw two of the largest rallies in Florida history, as the Gators came back from 22 points down vs. Georgia, matching UF’s largest ever, and 21 down against Alabama.
 
Johnson and Kerry Blackshear Jr. earned All-SEC honors, and Scottie Lewis locked up a spot on the SEC All-Freshman team. In SEC play, the Gators led the league in field goal percentage (.470) and 3-point percentage (.376), while Noah Locke led the conference in 3-point percentage (.481).

The Gators accomplished all that while fielding one of the youngest teams in the nation and what would’ve been the youngest team in the entire NCAA Tournament field.
 
Florida’s 2018-19 season featured the team bouncing back from a 12-11 start to earn not only an NCAA Tournament bid, but a first-round victory against 20th-ranked and seventh-seeded Nevada. Specializing in developing post players, Pinkins helped Kevarrius Hayes have the most productive season of his career, averaging 8.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Hayes’ season numbers don’t tell the whole story, however, as Hayes continued to improve throughout the season, averaging 11.2 points per game over the final 12 games and becoming a key component in Florida’s NCAA Tournament push.
 
The Gators started three freshmen for the first time in 20 years in 2018-19. Each of them turned in high-level seasons, as Noah Locke set UF’s freshman record for 3-pointers (81), SEC All-Freshman honoree Andrew Nembhard racked up 196 assists, the fourth-highest single-season total in Florida history, and Keyontae Johnson turned in four double-doubles, including three in the postseason.
 
UF led the SEC in scoring defense, allowing 63.6 points per game, and 3-point field goal defense, permitting opponents a .316 clip from long range.
 
Prior to Florida, Pinkins built 15 years of collegiate coaching experience, including five in the Southeastern Conference, and a history of developing frontcourt players.
 
Pinkins spent 2016-18 at Texas Tech where he helped the Red Raiders reach the Elite Eight in the 2018 NCAA Tournament, including a second-round win vs. Florida. Over the course of those two seasons, Texas Tech picked up 11 wins vs. ranked opponents. The Red Raiders collected a pair of victories over Associated Press Top 10 opponents during the 2016-17 season in No. 4 Baylor and No. 7 West Virginia for the first time since 2007-08.

Keenan Evans and Zach Smith garnered All-Big 12 Preseason honors in 2017-18, the first pair of Texas Tech teammates to accomplish the feat dating back to 2010-11.
 
In his only season at LSU, Pinkins worked with Ben Simmons, the NBA’s top overall draft pick in 2016. Simmons was the consensus 2016 National Freshman of the Year and rated among the SEC’s top five in points (19.2), rebounds (11.8), assists (4.8) and steals (2.0) per game.
 
Pinkins worked with a young and undersized Tennessee front line in 2014-15 as the Vols posted a positive rebounding margin fueled by a second place finish in defensive rebounds and fourth place finish in offensive rebounds.
 
During his time at Ole Miss, which came just after White’s departure from Oxford to lead the Louisiana Tech program, Pinkins coached the program’s all-time leading rebounder in Murphy Holloway and the program’s all-time leading shot blocker in Reginald Buckner. Holloway came away with an All-SEC First-Team selection, while Bucker tucked away SEC All-Defensive Team honors in 2013. The Rebels secured the 2013 SEC Tournament title, a NCAA Tournament berth and matched a program single-season record with 27 victories.
 
Pinkins’ first collegiate coaching opportunity came at Middle Tennessee State from 2003-11. He was involved in all aspects of the Blue Raiders program, highlighted by recruiting throughout the South and the development of MTSU’s post players. The 2010 MTSU team advanced to postseason play in the CollegeInsider.com event.
 
Pinkins began his playing career as a standout prep performer at Mitchell-Baker High School in Camilla, Georgia. He helped lead his team to consecutive state championships during the 1989-90 and 1990-91 seasons. Pinkins also quarterbacked the MBHS football team to the 1990 Georgia state championship.
 
Pinkins started his collegiate playing career at Chipola Junior College in Florida from 1993-95 where he averaged 17.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game over his two seasons. He transferred to North Carolina State after his sophomore season. Pinkins secured 9.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. The 1997 NC State squad advanced to the NIT Second Round.
 
Pinkins played professionally with Team Baleno in Zaragoza, Spain. He posted 22 points and nine rebounds per game in 1998. He also played for the Raleigh (N.C.) Cougars in the United States Basketball League (USBL) in 1998 and for Minot (N.D.) in the International Basketball Association (IBL) where he captured Most Valuable Player honors.
 
Following his IBA stint, Pinkins played overseas and picked up 29 points and 11 rebounds per game in the Qatar Basketball Association along with an 11-point, 8-rebound averages in the Chinese Basketball Association.
 
Pinkins earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology from NC State in 1998. He and his wife, Kara, have three sons: Patton, Pryce and Penn.
 
Al Pinkins Coaching Timeline

2018-present	Florida	Associate Head Coach
2016-18	Texas Tech	Assistant Coach
2015-16	LSU	Assistant Coach
2014-15	Tennessee	Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
2011-14	Ole Miss	Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
2003-11	Middle Tennessee State	Assistant Coach