Theo Pinson at Holiday Invitational Tournament

Leading up to the 2011 Holiday Invitational, I looked through the rosters of the teams for Duke Basketball targets that would be playing in Raleigh. Rasheed Sulaimon and Theo Pinson were the first two names to jump off the page at me. These are the only two players in the field currently holding a Duke scholarship offer, with Theo the youngest as a high school sophomore.

Catching his first game, it was immediately clear why Pinson garnered the offer at such a young age. Tenacious on defense and showcasing a wide range of offensive skills, the 6’6″ wing looked as comfortable on the blocks guarding bigger players as he did on the perimeter rising up for jumpers over smaller ones.

Theo finished the game with 15 points on 33% shooting from the field, connecting on two of four 3-point shots. His biggest impact however came on the defensive end, where I tallied 8 steals but he disrupted many more plays than that.

After the game, Theo spoke to the media and talked about the schools recruiting him, his upcoming visit to Georgetown, and the fact that he wants to play the 2 in college. At 6’6″ with his shooting ability and touch from nearly anywhere on the court, he would be a matchup nightmare as a shooting guard in the NCAA. Not unlike his favorite player to watch growing up, Kobe Bryant.

“When I grew up I was a Duke fan.”

Theo plays at the tournament again tonight at 9 PM, leading his Wesleyan Christian Academy team against NCSU commit Rodney Purvis’ Upper Room School. For more information, visit the Holiday Invitational Tournament website here or the HighSchoolOt.com site here.