Mild-mannered freshman from Chugiak stepping up big for UAA women

Despite her small stature and quiet personality, 5-foot-5 freshman guard Nicole Pinckney has stepped up in a big way for the UAA women's basketball team this season.

The Chugiak High grad was recruited as a point guard for the second-ranked Seawolves, but early this season she's been forced to play three different positions.

Junior Tara Thompson, who starts in the No. 3 wing spot, missed two games last week with an ankle injury, so Pinckney had to learn the No. 3 position on the fly for games against Holy Names and Western State.

Then, she had to learn the No. 2 guard position for this week's GCI Great Alaska Shootout because the Seawolves suspended starter Rodericka Ware for the tournament for a violation of team rules.

"It puts Nicole in a whirlwind because we've played her at the point guard, the 2 and the 3, and the 2 and the 3 in our defense are completely different positions," UAA coach Ryan McCarthy said after Tuesday's UAA win over the Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawks.

McCarthy said Pinckney didn't hear she'd be playing the No. 2 position until the shootaround before UAA's game against the Hawks.

"I had been practicing in the 3 spot the whole week," Pinckney said. "I played the 2 a little bit so I kinda knew what was going, but I'm learning a whole new different position spot to play. It was a little hard, but I got the hang of it, I guess."

She went on to hit a key 3-pointer in the second half that cut the Hawks' lead to one point, 37-36, and sent UAA on a 15-2 run that put the Seawolves in the lead for good. The 69-59 win puts UAA in Thursday's championship game against Tulsa.

Pinckney's 3-pointer caught the eye of Maryland-Eastern Shore coach Fred Batchelor.

"I thought them playing without their second-leading scorer (Ware), they really made some other kids step up off the bench and played pretty well," Batchelor said. "A kid off the bench, Pinckney, she came off the bench and hit a big 3 that kind of changed the game a little bit."

Pinckney is averaging 3.6 points in 14.4 minutes per game. In six games she has  nabbed six steals and is shooting 40 percent from beyond the arc.

In four years at Chugiak, Pinckney accumulated more than 1,000 points and was an McDonald's All-American nominee last season as a senior.

"Just a typical Alaskan kid, works super hard, super respectful, all of her teammates love her," McCarthy said. "She really has stepped up the last couple games."