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"FORMER PITT BASKETBALL STARS FORM TEAM FOR 3RD ANNUAL TBT
Fan Voting for The Untouchables Now Live
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April 27, 2016
PITTSBURGH-- After spending years winning Big East titles and playing in the NCAA Tournament, six former Panthers have decided to get together to play once again.
In an event called “The Basketball Tournament” former Pitt basketball stars Gilbert Brown, Gary McGhee, Jermaine Dixon, Brad Wanamaker, Antonio Graves and Talib Zanna will band together to help form- The Untouchables, currently a nine-player team coached by former University of San Diego football player Brandon Driver.
Pitt's six players in action for The Untouchables combined to for 5,146 points, 2,759 rebounds and 1,347 assists during their collegiate careers.
In addition to the six Panthers listed above, the roster includes Richard Howell (NC State), Cameron Clark (Oklahoma), Rickey Harris (Massachusetts) and Raphiael Putney (Massachusetts). The roster also includes current New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz in the celebrity booster role.
When asked what it would mean to play together once again, the entire sqaud saw the Tournament as an opportunity to rekindle some old experiences.
“It would be great!” former Panther Bradley Wanamaker proclaimed. “Over the years we stayed in contact with each other and seen the development in each of our games. We always wished we could have a chance to play together again, and TBT gives us that chance.”
“We all know how the other plays so it will be easy for us to get a rhythm early. Knowing the other players strengths will work to our advantage as we will be able to keep everyone happy in the role they'll play for the team.” Wanamaker added
When asked the same question, former Pitt guard Jermaine Dixon had a similar answer.
“I am looking forward to playing with my Pitt guys. Brad, Gil and Gary took me around on my visit, and ever since then I built a strong brotherhood with those guys! If we had our way we would all be playing together overseas, so this will be fun” Dixon said.
In the first year of The Basketball Tournament, the Notre Dame Fighting Alumni took home the title, and the half a million-dollar prize. The 11-man roster consisted of ten former Notre Dame Players, with Paul Gause (Seton Hall) being the lone exception. In year two, Overseas Elite took home the crown and the $1 Million prize, led by Pittsburgh native DJ Kennedy (St. Johns).
Voting for “The Tournament” is already underway, with all entering teams being split up into the West Region (Los Angeles), the South Region (Charlotte), the Midwest Region (Chicago) or the East Region (Philadelphia).
Four teams from each region will advance to the Super 16 games, which will be played July 21-23 in Philadelphia. The semifinals and the finals will be played in New York on July 30, and August 2nd. The East Regional will be played from July 16-July 17.
In order to earn a spot in the 64-team tournament, teams must place in the top 12 of their region in the fan-voting component. If a team fails to place in the top 12 of their specific region, and they have at least seven players and 200 fan votes, they will then be eligible to earn an at-large bid.
The Untouchables are currently in seventh in the East region with 465 votes. Fans can vote for The Untouchables at https://www.thetournament.com/teams/untouchables with voting for The Basketball Tournament ending June 1.
The East Region features a Syracuse Alumni team, as well as a team comprised mostly of former Villanova Basketball players.
The tournament is single-elimination and will feature a grand prize of $2 Million. Of the $2 Million, $1.8 Million of the prize money gets divided among the players, the coach and the general manager. The other $200,000 is awarded to the top 100 fans that draw the most team votes.
“It will be a great experience to go out there and play with Gary, Brad, Jermaine and the rest of the Pitt guys” former Panther guard Gilbert Brown said.
“We always talk about how we wish we could play professionally on the same team. This event gives will give us an opportunity to go out there and relive some of our great college memories," Brown added. "It's real special, because those Pitt guys are like my brothers. We created a bond and brotherhood that will last us a lifetime and it’s great that we’ve brought this many guys along with us in this tournament.”
#H2P"
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"PITT TO PLAY PENN STATE IN INAUGURAL NEVER FORGET TRIBUTE CLASSIC
Panthers versus Nittany Lions set for Saturday, Dec. 10 at Prudential Center
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May 4, 2016
NEWARK, N.J. – The University of Pittsburgh men’s basketball team will renew its rivalry with in-state foe Penn State December 10 at the 2016 Never Forget Tribute Classic.
“We are excited to be a part of this event and to renew our rivalry with Penn State,” head coach Kevin Stallings said. “December 10th will be a great day of basketball and having the ability to help provide opportunities for families impacted by the tragedy of 9/11 will make it even more special. We could not be more honored to be a part of the Never Forget Tribute Classic.”
The inaugural event, hosted by the Prudential Center, will be a doubleheader featuring the 2016 NCAA Champion Villanova versus Notre Dame, followed by the Panthers and Nittany Lions. The event will partner with the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund, which helps support the education of children of the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Intrastate rivals Pitt and Penn State will meet for the 147th time in December, but just the second time since 2005. The two teams last met December 3, 2013, a 78-69 home win for the Panthers. The Nittany Lions lead the series 75-71 with the first meeting coming in 1906.
Pitt has compiled a 114-81 record when playing in-season tournaments and is 5-2 when playing at the Prudential Center.
The Panthers finished the 2015-16 season 21-12 overall and earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Stallings, in his first season at Pitt, takes control of a program that returns six of its top seven scorers from a year ago.
Penn State closed the 2015-16 season with a first round loss in the Big Ten tournament after a regular season highlighted by February upsets over No. 22 Indiana and No. 4 Iowa.
Tickets, which start at $30, can be purchased through ticketmaster.com, by phone at 800-745-3000, at all Ticketmaster outlets, and at Prudential Center’s box office starting Thursday, May 5 at 10 a.m. For more information, visit PruCenter.com/neverforget and follow @PruCenter using #NFTC2016.
CBS Sports will serve as the television home of the doubleheader, with Game 1 on CBS at noon, prior to the annual Army-Navy football game, and Game 2 on CBS Sports Network at approximately 2:30 p.m. Both games will be available on CBS Sports Radio.
Established within one week of September 11, 2001, the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund provides education assistance for postsecondary study to financially needy dependents of the people killed or permanently disabled in the terrorist attacks. The Fund has already delivered millions of dollars in scholarship support, and will continue to offer education assistance through the year 2030, ultimately delivering more than $100 million to affected family members.
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