Former Pitt basketball players Bub Carrington and Justin Champagnie both started for the Washington Wizards in their game on Saturday.
The Wizards earned their third win of the season over the Denver Nuggets despite Nikola Jokic’s monstrous 56-point, 16-rebound game.
In the win, Carrington and Champagnie both started the game for the Wizards, as the team had several players missing due to injury. Champagnie took advantage of the start, scoring a season-best 23 points on 9-for-13 shooting and grabbing eight rebounds. Carrington went 4 for 13 from the field, scoring ten, grabbing four rebounds, and dishing out six assists.
Carrington started 33 games for Pitt as a rookie, averaging 13.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. The Baltimore, Maryland native shot 41% from the field and 32% from three-point range in his freshman campaign, and alongside Jaland Lowe and Ishmael Leggett, starred for the Panthers in the back court.
Carrington went No. 14 overall in the most recent NBA Draft, making his way from the Portland Trail Blazers to the Washington Wizards via trade. Carrington was the first player drafted in the first round from a Jeff-Capel-led Pitt team.
Champagnie played two seasons at Pitt from 2019-21, earning All-ACC honors in 2020-21. He started 46 games in his Panther career, averaging 14.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in his collegiate career. In his stellar sophomore campaign, Champagnie averaged 18 points and 11.1 rebounds per game in 20 games. He went un-drafted out of Pitt but has now been on several NBA teams and has shined in the NBA G-League as well.
Stay tuned on Pittsburgh Sports Now for more on Carrington, Champagnie, and the current Pitt basketball team.
