WONDER BOYS BASKETBALL ANNOUNCE THE ADDITION OF MARCUS PILLOW AND KENDALL PINCKNEY TO ITS ROSTER FOR 2009-10

        RUSSELLVILLE, Arkansas – Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys Head Basketball Coach Mark Downey has announced the addition of former Russellville Cyclone guard Marcus Pillow and Dardanelle Sand Lizard guard Kendall Pinckney to this coming season’s team.

Pillow, who will be a senior in 2009-10, returns to Russellville after playing the past three seasons for Coach Rand Chappell at the University of Central Arkansas, while Pinckney, who will be a freshman this fall, joins the Wonder Boys after being named the Tri-County High School Player of the Year last season at Dardanelle.

“It is great to sign two local talents at the most important position on the floor,” Downey said. “Marcus (Pillow) will be an immediate impact and will help Kendall (Pinckney) mature into his transition to college basketball. Both of these young men have great character, do very well in the classroom and will represent Arkansas Tech University very well both on and off the court.

“I look forward to seeing great enthusiasm in Tucker Coliseum for years to come with the addition of these two great players coupled with our recent success.”

Both Pillow and Pinckney will be joining a Tech team that reach unprecedented levels at the NCAA Division II level last season as the Wonder Boys captured its first-ever Gulf South Conference Men’s Basketball title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. Tech finished the season with a 23-9 overall record and advanced to the South Regional semifinals in Lakeland, Fla., where they fell 95-92 in overtime to 11th-ranked and region host Florida Southern.

Pillow, a 6-foot, 190-pound guard, comes to Tech after three standout seasons at UCA. While with the Bears, Pillow averaged 11.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game and hit 206 career three-pointers, which established a new career school mark. As a junior in 2008-09, Pillow averaged 11.8 points, 2.6 assists per game and shot 34 percent (69-of-203) from the 3-point line enroute to earning Honorable Mention All-Southland Conference honors. In his three-year career at UCA, Pillow scored 1,050 points and shot 81.5 percent (172-of-211) from the free throw line, which is the sixth-best mark in the school’s history. Along with holding the school’s career three-pointers made record, he also holds UCA’s career three-pointers attempted mark with 618 and last season set a new single-game UCA record when he hit nine three-pointers against Texas-Arlington. In that same game against UTA, Pillow also scored a career-high 30 points. As a high school player at Russellville, Pillow finished as the school’s third all-time leading scorer, was a three-time 5A-West All-Conference selection and led the 5A-West in scoring in both 2005 and 2006. Along with that, Pillow was a McDonald’s High School All-American nominee as a senior in 2006 and has also been inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame.

“We are very excited to have Marcus join our program, even if it for only one season,” Downey said. “Marcus can not only really shoot the ball, he knows how to score and run the show at the point guard spot. When he gets going, he can really change the face of a game.

“Marcus has played for some great coaches and will flourish in our up-tempo system.”

Pinckney, a 6-foot guard, comes to Tech after a standout high school career at Dardanelle High School playing for Shane Thurman. In his high school career, Pinckney was a two-time Class 4A All-State selection, was a 2009 Arkansas High School Coaches Association All-Star Basketball game participant and was a First-Team Arkansas Sports360.com All-Arkansas Small School Team honoree. In this past year’s AHSCA All-Star game, Pinckney played for the West squad and scored six points and had five assists. As a senior with the Sand Lizards in 2008-09, Pinckney averaged 19.5 points, 7.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game and led DHS to a 30-1 record. In his three years as a starter, Pinckney averaged 15.5 points and 7.7 assists per game and led the Sand Lizards to three straight 30-win seasons. In his high school career, Dardanelle lost a total of eight games. Along with playing basketball at DHS, Pinckney was also a standout athlete in football, baseball and track and also played AAU Basketball for the prestigious Arkansas Wings program.

“Kendall Pinckney is a great get for our program at Arkansas Tech for many different reasons. He is a wonderful athlete that has not even scratched the surface of his potential,” Downey said. “Kendall comes from a winning program (Dardanelle H.S.) with a running and pressing system very similar to ours here at Tech.

“Now that Kendall will focus completely on basketball, the sky’s the limit for this young, hard-working talent.”

 -- Tech Athletics --