Vanderdoes makes NFL return, Pineiro performing well in G-League

It had been exactly 700 days since Eddie Vanderdoes last played in an NFL game. After tearing his ACL in the final regular season game of his rookie season with the Oakland Raiders in 2017, the Placer High alum made his return to the NFL Sunday as a member of the Houston Texans. Vanderdoes, a Placer grad from 2013, missed the entire 2018 season with the Raiders on the Physically Unable to Perform list and was eventually cut by Oakland back on Oct. 2. Houston signed the 25-year-old nose tackle to its practice squad Oct. 29 and officially added him to the 53-man roster Saturday, just ahead of the Texans' Sunday night showdown with the New England Patriots. Against New England, Vanderdoes contributed a pair of solo tackles to the Texans' 28-22 victory, which lifted Houston to 8-4 while remaining at the top of the AFC South. Vanderdoes played in all 16 games during his rookie season with the Raiders after being chosen by Oakland in the third round (88th overall) of the 2017 draft. He played in 38 games over parts of four seasons at UCLA and entered the NFL Draft after his junior season. Vanderdoes' ACL tear from the Dec. 31 season finale against the Los Angeles Chargers in 2017 was in the same left knee that he had a similar tear during the first game of his junior season at UCLA. That injury caused him to miss the rest of the 2015 season. Pineiro playing well for Kings' G-League affiliate Another Placer High grad from 2013 – and Vanderdoes' former Hillmen teammate – Isaiah Pineiro has shown what he's capable of playing for the Stockton Kings, the NBA's developmental G-League affiliate for the Sacramento Kings. In 10 games with Stockton, Pineiro is averaging 12.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.8 steals in about 25 minutes per game. His 56.8% from the field leads the team. The Kings are currently 7-3 and in third place in the G-League's Western Conference. During Stockton's current five-game win streak, Pineiro has put up 14.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and two steals a night while shooting 58.8% from the floor. His best game so far came Nov. 22 against Rio Grande Valley when he scored a career-high 21 points on 10-of-16 shots with 13 rebounds and three steals. Pineiro has had a whirlwind of a year in 2019. After setting scoring records for the University of San Diego men's basketball team, Pineiro competed on the Kings' Summer League team in July and later earned a one-year contract with the team. He then represented Puerto Rico in the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China before beginning his tenure with the Stockton team. Stockton next plays Saturday at the Oklahoma City Blue. The next home game for Pineiro and company is Dec. 17 against the South Bay Lakers at Stockton Arena.