Boston College Athletics
Dwayne Pina Worked His Way To The Top
February 22, 2000 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 22, 2000
He scored a career-high 17 points against Miami. He handed out a career-high nine assists at Seton Hall, and he hauled down a single-game best eight rebounds against Providence.
He, Dwayne Pina, also started all 27 games and played a team-high 30.0 minutes per game for the Eagles last winter.
Impressive, for sure. How did Boston College lure such a player to the Heights?
The truth be told, the Eagles did nothing to attract Pina to Chestnut Hill. Instead, the New Bedford, Mass. product made his own decision. He chose a path that many discouraged him from taking, but one he was confident he could navigate.
After a distinguished career at New Bedford High School, Pina was determined to continue his playing career - at the Division I level.
With the Whalers, Pina worked hard to earn increased playing time in each of his four seasons. As a freshman, he sat on the sidelines - as a fan - and watched his team capture the Division I state championship. The following year, he toiled as a member of the junior varsity team, before being elevated to the big club before season's end. He watched intently as New Bedford repeated as state champs.
As a junior, Pina gradually began to make his mark. As a backup point guard, he saw little action early in the year, but concluded the season playing almost 28 of the game's 32 minutes. Unfortunately, the Whalers' quest for a third consecutive Division I crown fell short. New Bedford lost to rival Brockton in the South Sectional's quarterfinal round.
As a senior, he took the storied New Bedford program into his hands. The Standard Times of New Bedford labeled him the team's "floor general" and said he was "arguably the most underpublicized high school basketball player in the area, but, without question, he's also the most improved." A fine season was temporarily suspended when he broke his right wrist, but Pina returned to play in three post-season games before the Whalers' season ended with a semifinal loss to Brookline.
Then what? Surprisingly, Pina's schoolboy success hadn't caught the recruiting eye of many college coaches. Only Merrimack and Stonehill - Division II schools - and UMass-Dartmouth - a Division III institution - had expressed any interest. And, none of them had offered him an athletic scholarship.
Pina, though, refused to allow his dreams and goals to be dashed. While conceding that his absence from the AAU scene may have hurt him, he also knew who else was being sought after by Division I schools. And, he knew his abilities were the equal of those players.
"I knew I was just as good as the players I'd seen who were being recruited by Division I schools," Pina said. "I didn't see any reason why I couldn't do it, too. I thought, 'If he can play there, I know I can play there'."
So, feeling a bit slighted, Pina thought back to a visit he'd made in November of his senior year - a trip to Boston College. He made the trip as a guest of family friend and BC Varsity Club Hall of Famer Keith Francis. Francis, a middle-distance runner at the Heights, annually led a youth group from the nation's capitol to his alma mater.
"During my visit, I stopped by to see the BC coaches," Pina remembered. "They told me they didn't have any spots available for the next year, but they told me if I really wanted to be a member of the team I could be a manager."
Committed to continuing his playing career, Pina rejected the coaches' offer. Nevertheless, when it came time to make his college choice, he still selected Boston College.
"I'd always wanted to play Division I basketball," Pina said. "I knew it couldn't happen my freshman year, but I wasn't going to give up.
"I also chose BC based on the academics. BC had a better academic reputation than the other schools I was looking at - and it also offered the opportunity to play at a good school."
So, determined to get a valuable degree and equally intent on earning a spot on the varsity team, Pina selected Boston College.
As a freshman, he starred at the school's Flynn Recreation Complex, leading the Revolution to the intramural title. In fact, he and his team won the championship on the Conte Forum hardwood, the home of the varsity Eagles.
He was also a regular - a fan -- at the varsity team's games.
"I'd think 'Damn, I should be on that team', but at the same time think 'Maybe next year'. I was thinking like that for a while, and I was definitely feeling bad for myself."
At year's end, though, when the coaching staff changed and the team was left a few players short, Pina saw an opening. He knew that he'd "definitely have an opportunity" the following year.
When Al Skinner and his staff arrived in April (1997), Pina had a glimmer of hope. He'd known Ed Cooley, one of Skinner's assistant coaches, from Cooley's days as a Stonehill assistant. And, when he heard the staff was going to host a midnight tryout on October 15, he felt even better.
"I knew they'd have to pick me," Pina said. "I knew I was better than a lot of the other people in there (the tryout)."
Sure enough, the BC coaches recognized what many staffs before them had not - that Pina had the potential to contribute at the Division I level.
"He was head and shoulders above the others at the tryout," Cooley said. "He gambled and it paid. He was persistent with his vision."
From there, things have only gotten better for the New Bedford product. During the 1997-98 season, he did much the same thing that he'd done during his junior year in high school. He saw limited time early in the season, before seeing his playing time increase in the second half of the year. In fact, Pina started each of the team's final eight contests, seeing at least 30 minutes of action in four of them.
He spent the summer of 1998 honing his skills in the Beantown Summer Basketball League, earning all-star honors in the league that featured college and professional players.
As a junior, he really made his mark. He was the only Eagle to start all 27 games. He played a team-high 811 minutes, and finished the season ranked among BIG EAST leaders with 4.5 assists per game.
Finally, his determination and hard work had been rewarded. Pina was indeed playing the game he loves at the highest (collegiate) level.
"I think back, and it was definitely a shock to be in Maui in a beautiful hotel, traveling to Milwaukee to face Marquette in the Bradley Center. It was almost unreal. I'd really made it," Pina said.
Cooley and the coaching staff couldn't agree more.
"Dwayne has a great knack for understanding basketball," Cooley said. "He sees the play before it happens, and as he's gotten older and older, he's gotten even smarter and smarter. He's a natural leader.
"Dwayne knows how to run a team, and he's got a lot of hustle. He probably has the highest basketball IQ on our team right now, and that's saying a lot. He really is a coach on the floor."
Now, Pina's in senior season with the Eagles. Still enjoying the "ride", he's nevertheless had to adjust to his new role. After seeing so much action last winter, Pina's role has diminished with the arrival of heralded freshman guard Troy Bell. His minutes on the court have been cut dramatically.
"I have to deal with it," Pina said. "There's nothing else I can do, and I've accepted that. Troy's a great scorer."
While his minutes have decreased, his contributions to the team have not. He now serves as something of a mentor to his freshman teammate.
"I definitely know more of the mental side of the game," Pina said. "He's one of the top scorers in the BIG EAST and probably in the country, so I feel obligated to help him and tell him what he can do not only to improve himself, but to help us win."
Pina knows now is not the time to reflect back on how far he's come and how much he's accomplished, yet he nevertheless gains some satisfaction in his progress.
"I have no regrets at all," he said. "Look at what I get to do. I get to travel to Miami, travel to Puerto Rico, travel to Maui, play in the Bradley Center, the MCI Center and the new Heat arena (American Airlines Arena). How could I have any regrets? Things just happened to go my way. I do feel lucky, I must say.
"It just so happened that BC had an opening for me, and I just happened to be there, and I just happened to take advantage of the opportunity that was there. In a way, I have to say that I'm somewhat blessed."
