In an era of tall and mobile big men, Villanova's John Pinone was neither. At 6-8 and a stocky 230 pounds, former Marquette coach Al McGuire once joked that Pinone "couldn't jump over the Sunday paper". But what Pinone lacked in height and speed he made up for in relentless play on both sides of the court in the early years of Villanova's entry into the Big East, and is considered among the great big men in that school's basketball history.

Like many of Rollie Massimino's building blocks for the Villanova program of the 1980's, Pinone came from Connecticut, where he starred at the former South Catholic HS in Hartford, which won two Class L state championships in his three seasons and ended the 80 game win streak of Middletown HS in 1978. While Middletown's star center Corny Thompson opted for UConn, Pinone signed with Villanova, joining a team with three future NBA players in senior Rory Sparrow, junior Alex Bradley, and fellow freshman Stuart Granger.

While Villanova had committed to the Big East in 1979, they had to complete their commitments in the Eastern 8 (now Atlantic 10) Conference for the 1979-80 season, Pinone led the team in scoring as a freshman with a 14.2 average as the Wildcats swept the regular season and tournament championships, eventually losing to Syracuse in the second round of the 1980 NCAA basketball tournament. His season high was a 29 point effort against Temple.

The Wildcats arrived in the Big East in 1980-81. Pinone led the team in scoring and rebounding en route to a 20-11 mark and a run to the Big East tournament finals, falling to Syracuse in an 83-80 triple overtime finish. Pinone played for 53 minutes in that game and finished with 19 points. Villanova returned to the NCAA's in back to back seasons for the first time in nine years, falling to #1 seed Virginia in the second round, 54-50.

As a junior, Pinone led his team in scoring for a third consecutive year, trading game high scores with freshman Ed Pinckney. A 34 point, 11 rebound game by Pinone against St. John's led the Wildcats to the 1982 Big East regular season championship en route to a return run to the Big East finals, where despite holding Georgetown freshman Patrick Ewing to just four rebounds, the Wildcats stalled in the second half and fell to the Hoyas 72-54. A third seed in the NCAA's, Villanova advanced to the regional finals against North Carolina in nearby Raleigh, NC, a considerable advantage for the top seed. Pinone and Pinckney combined for 32 points and 16 rebounds, but freshman Michael Jordan scored a game high 15 and led the Tar Heels back to the Final Four, 70-60. Had the Wildcats prevailed, they would have likely met the Hoyas for a fourth time that season in the 1982 NCAA final.

Pinone's senior season was no less impactful. Ranked as high as #4 during the season, Pinone was atop the scoring column yet again, averaging just under 17 points per game, becoming the only player (then or now) to lead the Wildcats in scoring for four consecutive years. Villanova peaked at 21-4 entering the final week of the season following a momentous win over St. John's where Pinone sank a 25 footer for the win. Wrote the New York Times:

Chris Mullin, St. John's leading scorer who had 24 points in the game, had just broken a 69-69 tie by sinking the first of two free throws with seven seconds left. When Mullin missed the second free throw, the 6-foot-8-inch Pinone rebounded, then threw up court to Stewart Granger, another senior. Granger passed back to Pinone just behind the top of the key. There was not enough time left to do anything but shoot, and Pinone did. The ball dropped cleanly through and set off several minutes of screaming and cheering by the crowd of 17,583 in the Spectrum."

Villanova finished in a three way tie for the conference crown and lost in the tournament semis to St. John's. It was Villanova's last regular season title in the Big East for the next 14 years.

Villanova returned to the NCAA's in 1983 as a three seed and counted upon Pinone in a run which took them to the regional finals for a second consecutive year. He scored 15 points but no rebounds in a narrow win over Lamar in the opening round, then returned to form with 18 points and nine rebounds in a win over Iowa. In the final, Pinone held his own against Houston's Akeem Olajuwon with 18 points, but the Cats were no match for Larry Michaeux's 30 point burst which sent "Phi Slama Jama" back to the Final Four for a second consecutive season, 89-71.

For all his scoring in college, Pinone's skills were not a good fit for the NBA. He was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in the third round but played in only 65 minutes and seven games that season. Pinone moved on to two years in the CBA and nine seasons in a pro league in Spain.

John Pinone ended his Villanova career as the school's third all time leading scorer with 2,024 points and fifth all-time in rebounding. He was the first player in Big East history named a three time first team selection, and is one of just ten in conference history with that distinction today.