John Pinone
Encyclopedia
John Gabriel Pinone Jr. (born February 19, 1961, in Hartford, Connecticut
) is a retired American professional basketball
player. Pinone played competitively at South Catholic High School in Hartford, leading the team to the Class L state championship in 1977 and 1979. Early in the 1978-79 season, Pinone and South Catholic defeated Middletown, ending their 80-game winning streak, longest in state history.
Pinone played collegiately for the Villanova
Wildcats from 1979 to 1983. He was named a third-team All-America
n as a senior. Pinone earned first-team All-Big East
honors three times, and was a first-team All-Philadelphia Big 5
selection four times. Pinone was the only freshman in Villanova history to lead the team in scoring, and Villanova retired his number 45 in 1995.
He played for the US national team in the 1982 FIBA World Championship
, winning the silver medal.
A third-round draftee in 1983
, Pinone played seven games in the NBA
for the Atlanta Hawks
in 1983-84
. After spending the rest of the season with the CBA
, he joined CB Estudiantes
in the Spanish Liga ACB in 1984-85, playing there until 1992-93. He won the Spanish Cup in 1991-92, and contributed to Estudiantes reaching the Final Four of Euroleague
in 1992. Pinone played more than 12,000 minutes and scored more than 6,000 points in Liga ACB, averaging 18.6 points per game in his tenure with Estudiantes. The eight seasons played with Estudiantes left a durable mark in the history of the club because of his solid team basketball and his competitive character.
Pinone later became the Cromwell High School boys' basketball team coach, and coached them to a class S state championship in the 2009 season.
Pinone pleaded guilty in October 2010 to a misdemeanor of filing a false tax return and in December 2010 was sentenced to six months of home confinement, six months probation and a $10,000 fine.
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
) is a retired American professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player. Pinone played competitively at South Catholic High School in Hartford, leading the team to the Class L state championship in 1977 and 1979. Early in the 1978-79 season, Pinone and South Catholic defeated Middletown, ending their 80-game winning streak, longest in state history.
Pinone played collegiately for the Villanova
Villanova University
Villanova University is a private university located in Radnor Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
Wildcats from 1979 to 1983. He was named a third-team All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n as a senior. Pinone earned first-team All-Big East
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
honors three times, and was a first-team All-Philadelphia Big 5
Philadelphia Big 5
The Philadelphia Big 5 is an informal association of college athletic programs in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It is not a conference; indeed the five schools that are members of the Big 5 are members of three separate conferences: the Atlantic 10, the Big East, and the Ivy League.The five...
selection four times. Pinone was the only freshman in Villanova history to lead the team in scoring, and Villanova retired his number 45 in 1995.
He played for the US national team in the 1982 FIBA World Championship
1982 FIBA World Championship
The 1982 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Colombia from August 15 to 28 , 1982.-Venues:- Competing nations :- Preliminary round :-Group A:-Group B:-Group C:-Classification round:-Final round:...
, winning the silver medal.
A third-round draftee in 1983
1983 NBA Draft
The 1983 NBA Draft took place on June 28, 1983 in New York City. A total of 226 players were selected over 10 rounds by the league's 23 teams. At least three players from the 1983 draft now serve as coaches...
, Pinone played seven games in the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
for the Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
in 1983-84
1983-84 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-Yearly awards:*Most Valuable Player: Larry Bird, Boston Celtics*Rookie of the Year: Ralph Sampson, Houston Rockets*Defensive Player of the Year: Sidney Moncrief, Milwaukee Bucks...
. After spending the rest of the season with the CBA
Continental Basketball Association
The Continental Basketball Association was a professional men's basketball league in the United States, which has been on hiatus since the 2009 season.- History :...
, he joined CB Estudiantes
CB Estudiantes
Club Baloncesto Estudiantes, S.A.D., known as Asefa Estudiantes for sponsorship reasons, is a basketball team based in the city of Madrid, Community of Madrid. It is member of the Asociación de Clubes de Baloncesto . Founded in 1948, it is one of the most recognized basketball teams in Spain...
in the Spanish Liga ACB in 1984-85, playing there until 1992-93. He won the Spanish Cup in 1991-92, and contributed to Estudiantes reaching the Final Four of Euroleague
Euroleague
Euroleague Basketball, commonly known as the Euroleague, is the highest level tier and most important professional club basketball competition in Europe, with teams from up to 18 different countries, members of FIBA Europe. For sponsorship reasons, for five seasons starting with 2010–2011, it is...
in 1992. Pinone played more than 12,000 minutes and scored more than 6,000 points in Liga ACB, averaging 18.6 points per game in his tenure with Estudiantes. The eight seasons played with Estudiantes left a durable mark in the history of the club because of his solid team basketball and his competitive character.
Pinone later became the Cromwell High School boys' basketball team coach, and coached them to a class S state championship in the 2009 season.
Pinone pleaded guilty in October 2010 to a misdemeanor of filing a false tax return and in December 2010 was sentenced to six months of home confinement, six months probation and a $10,000 fine.