Al Pinkins
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Assistant coach |
| Team | Ole Miss |
| Conference | SEC |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | December 8, 1972 |
| Playing career | |
| 1993–1995 | Chipola |
| 1995–1998 | NC State |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 2003–2011 | Middle Tennessee (assistant) |
| 2011–2014 | Ole Miss (assistant) |
| 2014–2015 | Tennessee (assistant) |
| 2015–2016 | LSU (assistant) |
| 2016–2018 | Texas Tech (assistant) |
| 2018–2022 | Florida (associate HC) |
| 2022 | Florida (interim HC) |
| 2022–2023 | Texas Tech (assistant) |
| 2023–present | Ole Miss (assistant) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 1–1 (.500) |
Leroy Al Pinkins (born December 8, 1972) is an American college basketball coach and former player who is currently an assistant coach for the Ole Miss Rebels men's basketball team. Pinkins was previously an assistant coach for the Texas Tech Red Raiders basketball team.
High school and college career
Pinkins attended Mitchell-Baker High School in his hometown of Camilla, Georgia, where he played football, basketball, and baseball.[1] In 1989, Pinkins became the first Georgia high schooler to throw for over 3,000 yards in a season en route to leading Mitchell-Baker to a state championship that season.[2] Pinkins would finish his high school football career as the then-all-time leader in career passing yards and touchdowns in the state of Georgia.[1] In the 1989–90 season for basketball, Pinkins was named the Class AA player of the year and led Mitchell-Baker to a state championship that year.[1] Pinkins averaged 21 points per game the following year and helped Mitchell-Baker repeat as state champions.[1] Additionally, in his senior season on the baseball team, Pinkins registered a .465 batting average with 7 home runs and 43 RBIs, leading to Pinkins being awarded all-state honors.[1]
Pinkins first attended Chipola College, where he played college basketball.[3] He later transferred to NC State, where he would continue playing basketball.[3]
Coaching career
After a professional basketball career that included stints in the USBL and IBA along with playing internationally in Spain, China, and Qatar,[4] Pinkins began his collegiate coaching career in 2003 as an assistant for Middle Tennessee.[5] Pinkins joined Ole Miss as an assistant coach in 2011.[6] Before the 2014–2015 season, Pinkins became an assistant coach for Tennessee.[7] Pinkins joined LSU as an assistant coach the following year.[8][5] Pinkins again left after one year to join Chris Beard's staff at Texas Tech in 2016.[9] In 2018, Pinkins became the associate head coach for Florida.[10][11] After head coach Mike White left Florida to become the head coach for Georgia, Pinkins was named the interim head coach for Florida, leading the team through the 2022 NIT.[3] Following the season, Pinkins rejoined Texas Tech under Mark Adams, with whom he worked when both were assistant coaches during Pinkins' prior stint with Texas Tech.[12] Pinkins left Texas Tech to rejoin Ole Miss as an assistant coach, following Chris Beard when he was hired as head coach.[13][14]
Head coaching record
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida (Southeastern Conference) (2022) | |||||||||
| 2021–22 | Florida | 1–1 | 0–0 | NIT second round | |||||
| Florida: | 1–1 (.500) | 0–0 (–) | |||||||
| Total: | 1–1 (.500) | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
Personal life
Pinkins is married to his wife, Kara, and has three sons: Patton, Pryce, and Penn.[15] Patton was a four-star shooting guard coming out of high school, and currently plays under his father at Ole Miss.[15][16]
References
- ^ a b c d e "TRIPLE THREAT PINKINS ARMED FOR SUCCESS". Orlando Sentinel. June 12, 1991. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
- ^ Holcomb, Todd (August 25, 2017). "Evolution of quarterback has changed football in Georgia". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
- ^ a b c "Former Mitchell-Baker star Al Pinkins named interim head basketball coach at Florida". The Albany Herald. March 14, 2022. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
- ^ Brockway, Kevin (May 11, 2018). "Florida hires Pinkins as associate basketball coach". GatorSports. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
- ^ a b Rosetta, Randy (July 9, 2015). "New LSU assistant coach Al Pinkins has found job he was looking for". NOLA.com. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
- ^ Frederickson, Ben (February 20, 2015). "Tennessee hopes former Ole Miss assistant Al Pinkins offers edge against Rebels". Knoxville News. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
- ^ Kellenburger, Hugh (April 24, 2019). "Ole Miss loses assistant to Donnie Tyndall, Tennessee". Clarion Ledger. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
- ^ "LSU hires Al Pinkins as assistant basketball coach, school says". NOLA.com. May 2, 2015. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
- ^ "LSU hoops assistant coach leaving". Shreveport Times. June 13, 2016. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
- ^ Silva Jr., Carlos (May 11, 2018). "Pinkins accepts coaching job with Florida". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
- ^ Brockway, Kevin (May 11, 2018). "Florida hires Pinkins as associate basketball coach". The Gainesville Sun. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
- ^ Silva Jr., Carlos (April 15, 2022). "Mark Adams agrees to new contract, adds Al Pinkins to Texas Tech basketball coaching staff". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
- ^ Redding, Jared (March 18, 2023). "Chris Beard to lure Al Pinkins back to Ole Miss as an assistant coach". 247 Sports. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
- ^ "Texas Tech assistant Al Pinkins joining Chris Beard's staff at Ole Miss, report says". The Dallas Morning News. March 18, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
- ^ a b Garcia, Stephen (November 18, 2024). "'Great experience for both': Patton Pinkins set to team with dad at Ole Miss basketball". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
- ^ McCready, Neal (August 1, 2025). "Finally on the same squad, Al and Patton Pinkins are enjoying their time together at Ole Miss". 247 Sports. Retrieved February 18, 2026.