Tarpons’ basketball standout signs letter of Intent with OLLU

Recent Port Isabel High School graduate Cole Pinkerton signs a letter of intent to play basketball at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas, alongside his parents, Bryan and Jennifer. Photo by Constancio Martinez Jr.

By Constancio Martinez Jr
Special to the PRESS

This past Thursday, June 3, Port Isabel High School (PIHS) held a signing day event for basketball player Cole Pinkerton. His hard work and determination were awarded with a scholarship to Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) in San Antonio, Texas. The OLLU Saints is a Division 1 university and plays in the Red River Athletic Conference. 

Port Isabel head basketball coach Mike Hazleton liked the skill and maturity in Pinkerton as a freshman, moving him up to play with the varsity squad. That year the team went 20-13, including three rounds in the playoffs. In the next year, as he matured physically, he was moved down to the post and helped the team set the, at the time, school win-record of 26 wins. In his junior season, Pinkerton was more of a perimeter player and helped the team set a new win-record of 28 games. In Pinkerton’s senior season, the team only played 17 games but finished 14-3 including a 3-1 record in the playoffs. Port Isabel lost to Boerne 68-55 in the 4th round of the playoffs. That year he played more as a point guard/wing hybrid.

“These are hard adjustments to make for a kid and for four consecutive years he adjusted and adapted and helped control the games,”  Hazelton said. “As he improved as a player, the team improved and he was a huge part of (the team’s success)”. 

Hazelton continued, “probably the greatest thing about him is how he represents himself, his family, the team, and Port Isabel High School.”

Assistant basketball coach Gilbert Rodriguez, who coached Pinkerton as a freshman watched him grow. said the “Special thing about him,” besides grabbing rebounds were “things that nobody saw: battling/blocking out, diving for loose balls. Doing things that don’t show up on the stat sheet a lot of time, but contribute to the success of the team.”

As a senior, Pinkerton was awarded the 2020-2021 UIL Boys All-Region Team in Class 4A as well as 2020-2021 Boys Academic All-State in the 4A class by Texas Association of Basketball Coaches. 

Besides a great athlete, Pinkerton is also an academic standout, finishing 3rd in his class. Leaning towards the field of dentistry, he plans on majoring in Biology then attending dental school. 

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2021/06/11/tarpons-basketball-standout-signs-letter-of-intent-with-ollu/

1 comment

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  1. A very good news. Glad to know. I wish their success in Basketball.

  1. […] Tarpons’ basketball standout signs letter of Intent with OLLU […]

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