Inside The Panthers

Pitt F Played Through Illness During Brooklyn Trip

Pitt Panthers forward Guillermo Diaz-Graham played through a serious illness last week.

Stephen Thompson

Pitt F Played Through Illness During Brooklyn Trip
Pitt F Played Through Illness During Brooklyn Trip /
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PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers' frontcourt was not at full strength as they traveled to Brooklyn for the NIT Season Tip-Off at the Barclays Center last week, head coach Jeff Capel revealed when they returned home having split their two games at the event. 

Back-up center Guillermo Diaz Graham, an important piece of the rotation, was battling a serious illness to begin the week and it stuck with him all the way through the trip, Capel said, resulting in some understandably subpar results. 

“Guillermo was really, really sick up in New York so I don’t think he played his best," Capel said. "After the game against Jacksonville in which he had his career-high, we were off Saturday, he got sick Saturday evening, didn’t practice Sunday, didn’t practice Monday and didn’t really do much on Tuesday because we traveled and practiced up there."

Diaz Graham was fresh off the first double-double of his career, during which he scored a career-high 23 points as well, when he fell ill. He was so sick that he couldn't eat much and had lost some weight as a result. 

Diaz Graham, who entered the week averaging 10.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and one block per game while shooting 62.5% from the field in 18 minutes per night over four games to open the year, played just 31 total minutes and averaged 2.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 1-9 from the field over two games against Florida and Oregon State in Brooklyn. 

The Panthers will hope he's rested enough since returning home over the weekend to be good to go for another big game in the ACC-SEC Challenge against Missouri at the Petersen Events Center on Tuesday night. 

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Stephen Thompson
STEPHEN THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper.  He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press.  During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general.  You can reach Stephen by email at stephenethompson00@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter. Read his latest work:

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