Arkansas signee Pinion flourishing in new role

Morrilton's Joseph Pinion lays in a shot over Mills' Jakari Livingston during the fourth quarter of Mills' 49-46 win in the Class 4A boys state championship game on Saturday, March 10, 2021, at Bank OZK Arena in Hot Springs.

One year after leading his team to the Class 4A state title game, Arkansas 4-star signee and Morrilton standout Joseph Pinion has a new role, but the same goal.

Pinion (6-6, 180), ESPN’s 89th-best player nationally and averaging 22.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists this season, and the Devil Dogs (15-6, 8-0) will host Pottsville (8-11) on Friday.

Morrilton lost center Henry Cowles (6-11, 228), who transferred to Scotland (Pa.) Prep and is getting interest from Arkansas, and several seniors off a team that lost to Little Rock Mills 49-45 in last season’s championship game.

“This team is completely different than last year’s,” Morrilton coach Keith Zachery said. “I love them. We have been playing with the numbers and we are right where we need to be numbers-wise. We have got some young guys in some key spots and they have some dull moments here and there, but in the next two or three weeks, those moments will become less and less, and we have Joe Pinion on our team, so that gives us a shot.

“If we can get there, I think we will be a team to reckon with.”

Pinion had 22 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks on Tuesday in a 47-41 win at Ozark. He scored all of the points in a 10-0 run in the third quarter that rallied his team from a 28-21 deficit.

JaCorey Mosley added 16 points for Morrilton, which went on a 14-1 run to start the fourth quarter. The spurt included Pinion’s behind-the-back pass to Mosley for a fastbreak score.

“I have to get more shots up, play more defense and just do a lot more on the court,” Pinion said. “We just have to make up for the huge loss we had – Henry and all of our seniors. We had to make up for that and JaCorey Mosley has done a really good job with everything that he has been doing. He is doing really well.”

It was Morrilton’s second win this season over Ozark, which went on a 20-6 run before Pinion took over.

“Basketball is a game of runs and we know that anywhere we go we are going to get everybody’s best shot, because everybody wants to beat us, Zachery said. “We responded well tonight.

“We preach team, team, team, and I want the guys around him to be confident in who they are as basketball players and shoot their shots, but when you have a guy of that caliber on your basketball team and it’s money time, they know we need the ball in his hands. The ball always finds him when it needs to find him.”

Pinion was 8 of 15 for the field and 6 of 7 from the free throw line against Ozark.

“Kudos to him, because he easily could be getting 35 points per game, but I want him to have an all-around game, because when he goes to the next level, he is probably not going to be getting all those shots,” Zachery said. “He needs to be efficient with the shots he does get and trust the guys around him.”

Pinion is apart of a five-man Arkansas recruiting class that includes two McDonald’s All-Americans in North Little Rock’s Nick Smith and Branson (Mo.) Link Academy's Jordan Walsh, as well as Magnolia guard Derrian Ford and Mobile (Ala.) McGill-Toolen’s Barry Dunning.

All are in ESPN’s top 100 players nationally and the class is consensus top three in the country along with Kentucky and Duke.

“I just feel like we can all do so many things and we should just really gel well together,” Pinion said. “I think at one point you could see us all on the floor at the same time and play 1 through 5.”

Pinion is impressed with the turnaround from Arkansas (17-5, 6-3), which bounced back from five losses in six games and is now on a seven-game winning streak.

“They are doing really well and have really flipped the script,” Pinion said.

Arkansas is one of the schools that has shown interest in Cowles lately. He has offers from Loyola-Chicago and New Mexico State, and interest from Purdue, Princeton, Iona, South Carolina and Davidson.

“That is my guy,” Pinion said. “Even if he left, he did what was best for him and I really respect that.”

Pinion, who moved from Atkins to Morrilton in the seventh grade, is trying to lead the Devil Dogs to their first state title since 1991.

He averaged 17.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block per game as a junior while hitting 58% from two-point range, 40% from three and 74% at the free throw line. Pinion has seen more defensive attention this season, but is still getting free for big shots.

“I honestly feel like it is a compliment,” Pinion said. “They wouldn’t do that for just any old team, but for the best teams. I have always been that type of player.

"I want to take the last shot, the important shots.”