Inside The Panthers

Zoo Crew Adds Two Pitt Veterans to TBT Roster

Former Pitt Panthers Talib Zanna and Josh Newkirk are joining the Zoo Crew.

Stephen Thompson

Zoo Crew Adds Two Pitt Veterans to TBT Roster
Zoo Crew Adds Two Pitt Veterans to TBT Roster /
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PITTSBURGH -- A group of former Pitt Panthers calling themselves the Zoo Crew are less than a month away from the beginning of their run in The Basketball Tournament and they've continued to beef up their roster ahead of the competition. 

The team announced that they have added a pair of former Panthers teammates, center Talib Zanna and guard Josh Newkirk, to a roster already stacked with former Pitt stars who will pursue the $1 million prize that awaits the winner of the 64-team single-elimination tournament. 

Zanna appeared in 135 games and made 94 starts - including 68 in a row from 2012 to 2104 - averaging 8.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game while making 55% of his shots over five years as a Panther. His final season was his best - 13 points and 8.6 rebounds on 59% shooting over 30.3 minutes per game, all of which were career-highs. He also earned 2014 All-ACC Tournament honors during his final season. 

Newkirk played just two seasons in Pittsburgh before transferring to Indiana for his final two years of eligibility following a redshirt season. He averaged 5.2 points and 2.2 assists over 70 games, primarily as a reserve, and knocked down 35.7% of his 3-pointers as a Panther. 

The Zoo Crew, formerly known as the Untouchables, have played three times in TBT since its inception in 2013, most recently in 2018. The team will feature nine former Panthers on the roster, led by general manager Gilbert Brown, a former Pitt center who currently serves as the men's basketball program's Director of Player and Alumni Development.

Zanna and Newkirk will play alongside Levance Fields, Gilbert Brown, Gary McGhee, Jamel Artis, Mouhamadou Gueye, Ryan Luther, Nelly Cummings, Nike Sibande, Greg Elliot and Mike Young. Cummings, Sibande and Elliot, three key cogs in the program's return to the NCAA Tournament in 2023, and Gueye will get their first taste of TBT this year.

The Zoo Crew will compete in the West Virginia regional in Wheeling, West Virginia. They will participate in a five-day training camp at the Petersen Events Center from July 17-22 before beginning their tournament run on July 25. 

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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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