Inside The Panthers

Pau Gasol Congratulates Pitt's Diaz Graham Twins on Strong Freshman Season

The Diaz Graham twins got a shoutout from an NBA great after their first season as Pitt Panthers.

Stephen Thompson

Pau Gasol Congratulates Pitt's Diaz Graham Twins on Strong Freshman Season
Pau Gasol Congratulates Pitt's Diaz Graham Twins on Strong Freshman Season /
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PITTSBURGH -- The Diaz Graham twins, Jorge and Guillermo, just wrapped up their first season of college basketball with the Pitt Panthers, a reality that was made possible in part by their work at the Pau Gasol Basketball Academy in their home country of Spain. The Canary Island natives worked with former NBA All-Star, All-Pro selection and World Champion Pau Gasol before attending IMG Academy in Florida. 

"How nice to see players who have passed through the academy go so far," Gasol wrote about the two Pitt freshmen. "Congratulations on the season and keep it up."

The Diaz Graham twins were valuable contributors during the Panthers' postseason run, during which starting center Federiko Federiko was hamstrung by a knee injury. Guillermo, who was tasked taking the bulk of Federiko's minutes, averaged 8.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game while shooting 52.4% from 2-point range over the five ACC and NCAA Tournametn games he played. Jorge played fewer minutes but was a valuable piece defensively while averaging 2.8 points and 2.0 rebounds over just nine minutes per contest. 

Pitt head coach Jeff Capel has been very complementary of the twins and their work ethic as they competed for playing time this season. 

"They love basketball," Capel said. "They love to compete. They love the work. They're not afraid of it. They're incredible teammates, and their spirit, their energy, since I've known them, they've always been in a good mood and it's infectious. It's really infected our team."

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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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