If forward Isaiah Pineiro hadn't caught the eyes of the basketball coaches at Placer High School in Auburn, CA (north of Sacramento) as a sophomore, he might be playing catcher on a baseball team somewhere. Baseball was his first love and it was the sport played by his older brother Nahum. 

Isaiah played a variety of sports from the time he was five (so young that he had a hard time remembering when he actually started). Although his parents Luis and Cyndy Pineiro hadn't played sports, they encouraged their children. Older sister Melissa played high school soccer.      

In grade school, Pineiro played baseball, soccer and basketball. He entered Placer High as a 5'11" freshman and grew four inches that year. So, when there was an opening on the varsity basketball team his sophomore year, the coaches thought he was good enough to move up.      

"I decided to get serious about basketball as a high school sophomore because I thought I had more potential for basketball. Once I got serious, I started loving the game," he said.      

He liked the skill required to succeed and the game's competitiveness. "In basketball, team members have to be on the same page collectively, but all five need different skill sets to succeed as a team," Pineiro said.       

The game is an intellectual challenge, he added. "The higher you go, the more you have to study the game. You can't just go out and shoot. It's not just physical, you have to use your mind."     

As a senior at Placer, Pineiro averaged 20.4 points and 10 rebounds per game. He earned All-League and All-Section honors and was two-time team MVP. He also excelled at football, where he played wide receiver and defensive back, earning All-State and All-League honors and the team's defensive MVP.      

He was a high school senior before thinking about playing basketball in college (which would make him the first family member to go to college). Both his AAU and high school coaches told him he was good enough to play in college, "and I felt I was good enough, too."      

Still, that knowledge and the all-star team honors didn't earn him the attention he wanted. He heard from a few Division 2 and Junior College coaches. "I thought I could go further, so I went to junior college," he said.       

In his one year at Sierra Junior College, 15 minutes from his home, he averaged 15.4 points and 7.4 rebounds.  It was enough to catch the eyes of Portland State, the University of Portland, some Division 2 schools (again) and, briefly, Fresno State.     

He liked Portland State best.

"I liked the players and coaches.  They had a good group of returning core players coming back and the coaches were trying to change the culture of the team," he recalled.       

Another factor was PSU's nationally recognized business school. Pineiro is carrying a strong GPA in Business Marketing. At this time, his goal is to be part of a large business or start-up marketing team.     

Besides Pineiro's skill, PSU Head Basketball Coach Tyler Geving liked that he had three years of eligibility. That meant two years of solid play following the usual year it takes to get comfortable with the style and level of play.     

But, Pineiro has been a surprise.      

"He's one of those kids who started well from the get-go. We thought it would take him a year, but he's exceeded our expectations," said Geving.       

So far, Pineiro has played in 16 games, starting eight. After 16 games, he is the team's second-leading scorer averaging 12.3 per game, while shooting .535 from the field. He also averages over six rebounds per game.       

All this had been accomplished through hard work, said Pineiro. "When I came, I knew I was going to be a young guy on the team. I was going to have to come out every day and outwork the guy across from me," he said.       

Among his strengths, he believes, is "I can do a little bit of everything…shoot, hit the three, post up, defense. I can contribute to the team in every aspect. I'm not one-dimensional." For all that, he feels he needs to improve his outside shooting and Geving agrees.     

"He's working in practice on his three-point shot.  He's got a good shot from 11 to 18 feet right now, but we'd like to see him make more from behind the three-point line," Geving said.             

Pineiro said he wants "to shoot more and make more…maybe 35-40 percent of my three-point shots and to increase the range. You're always looking to increase your range. And, that's just a matter of shooting practice."       

When he's not practicing, Pineiro likes to hang out with his girlfriend (they've been together since they were high school juniors) Olivia, a liberal studies major at PSU, and his dog Harper, a Miniature Australian Shepherd.      

Although it's his first time in Oregon, Portland was a good choice for him, he said.    

"I like Portland's size. It's a big city with a small town feel. It's not crazy hectic like Los Angeles (where he has relatives in Anaheim and where he spent time visiting during summers growing up). Portland is clean and people are very outdoorsy. They don't stay inside because of the rain. It's a very active city.      

In fact, he lists the highlight so far as "the whole experience of coming here from a small town and being able to be in a place that's a tourist destination…to be able to call this my home right now…and that's pretty cool."           

Before he's finished playing basketball as a Viking, Geving thinks there might be another highlight or two.     

"He brings consistency. He works hard in practice every day. With him, you know what you're going to get. He's one of those kids coaches love. He's an A-plus, a heck of a player and a great kid. Over his junior and senior years, he could develop into an all-league player."