Greg Elliott, Nelly Cummings Reflect on Legacies at Pitt

Greg Elliott were Pitt Panthers for a good time, not a long time.

PITTSBURGH -- Greg Elliott and Nelly Cummings weren't Pitt Panthers for a long time, but it was a good time. Their one year with the program was one of the most successful in recent history - 24 wins, a program-record 14 ACC wins and the first NCAA Tournament appearance in seven years for the Panthers. 

Elliott and Cummings were both major parts of that success but they didn't have an appreciation for their place in Pitt history until they spent some time away from campus, pursuing professional opportunities, before returning this summer to workout with their Zoo Crew teammates in anticipation of the TBT. 

Elliott said he hadn't taken the time to watch their old games or truly reflect on the season that was, but he did take pride in seeing the brand new "2023" stitched onto a banner at the Petersen Events Center that marks Pitt's men's NCAA Tournament appearances. 

"That was the first thing I noticed and that put a big smile on my face," Elliott said. "At the end of the day, I can say that I’m a part of that 2023. That’s a big-time feeling. That’s something that my family can come back and see."

For Cummings, cementing his place in that program tradition carries more weight. He grew up in Pittsburgh and revered his now teammates on the Zoo Crew as basketball inspiration. He's come a long way from his time as a middle schooler stepping into drills with what was then one of the best college basketball programs in America. 

"It really hasn’t sunk in yet that I’m a part of that group," Cummings said. "It’s still kind of surreal being around these guys that I used to idolize and being one of them, not just a little kid looking up to them anymore."

He spent most of his college career at Colgate, where he made multiple NCAA Tournaments and built the bulk of his basketball resume, but Cummings feels a special affinity for his hometown team, a program he helped raise from a low place, and he's confident the upward trajectory will continue. 

"I remember having this question a lot whenever I was still playing about the things we were doing at the time," Cummings said. "And now that I’m an alumnus and I can sit back and watch these guys practice, I can finally say I think we left the program in good hands."

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