On Monday, the ACC announced that Pitt forward Justin Champagnie had earned ACC Player of the Week honors, days after he delivered two of the most memorable performances in Pitt history.
The 6-foot-6 forward averaged 22 points, 20.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game as the Panthers went 2-0 with victories over Northwestern and Gardner Webb.
Against Northwestern, Champagnie sealed a huge comeback for the Panthers with a loud two-handed slam with less than ten seconds to play. He finished that game with 20 points and 20 rebounds, which at the time was a career high in boards for the Brooklyn native.
A few days later, Champagnie delivered an even better performance against Gardner Webb, scoring 24 points and grabbing 21 rebounds.
Champagnie became one of three players to deliver back-to-back 20-20 games in the last 25 years, alongside former Purdue star Caleb Swanigan and former Oklahoma standout Blake Griffin.
With Pitt starting ACC play this week at Miami, Champagnie looks to continue his hot start to the season. In last season’s matchup against the Hurricanes, he played 37 minutes and finished with nine points and nine rebounds on 3-for-9 shooting.
Champagnie is the first Pitt player to win the award since Mike Young in 2016.
