Tuesday, May 13, 2025
It may be that Providence College men’s basketball has returned to the Baltic.
A few weeks ago, we reported on Providence’s successful recruitment of a promising young basketball player from Estonia, Stephon Vaaks, a 6”6, 190lb. Wing.
Well, it seems that PC has once again returned to the Baltic, this time just to the south of Estonia, in Latvia, according to multiple sources.
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This signing will help to secure some much-needed depth to its frontcourt. The player is Peteris Pinnis, a 7’0, 235lb. Center. DOB – August 17, 2004
Pinnis’ statistics this past year for his team VEF-Riga:
23 games; 17.2 minutes/ game:
54% FG’s; 7.9 pts; 6.1 rebounds
From the little film I was able to locate on him, his footwork looked solid, and his post-up game looked like a positive work in progress with a decent touch on his jump hooks with either hand.
Although he did not appear to be overly athletic, his mobility looked good. He does not appear to be much of a shot blocker, but he looked to be well trained in standing erect, not breaking the plane, and effectively using his size to be a factor in defense and clogging up the lane.
It looked like he was well trained to set a solid pick and time his roll to present well around the hoop. The mechanics of his free throw looked solid, and the few elbow jumpers I saw him take, he looked comfortable with good form.
Maturity
He’ll turn 21 this August, so he’ll bring a bit of maturity, size, and depth to a PC frontcourt that appears to be fleshing out nicely with his addition.
And, he joins 6’10” Oswin Erhunmwunse, 6’8” Cole Hargrove, and 6’8” Duncan Powell to anchor the frontcourt, if all goes well in the final stages of his signing.
Kevin Stacom is one of the most accomplished Providence College basketball players in history. An All-American at Providence, Stacom was a second-round NBA draft pick, played six years in the NBA, and won an NBA championship as a member of the Boston Celtics.
After his playing career, Stacom coached at the college level and served as an NBA scout for nearly 30 years for the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks.
