Inside The Panthers

Two Pitt Alumni to play for Zoo Crew

Two Pitt Panthers who starred for the program in the 2000s/2010s are set to pla for the Zoo Crew in the TBT this summer.

Dominic Campbell

Oct 22, 2014; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Amar'e Stoudemire (1) defends Washington Wizards center DeJuan Blair (45) during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 22, 2014; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Amar'e Stoudemire (1) defends Washington Wizards center DeJuan Blair (45) during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports / Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- Two former Pitt Panthers with local ties will join the Zoo Crew ahead of The Basketball Tournament (TBT) in DeJuan Blair and Ryan Luther.

Blair starred for the now defunct Schenley High School in North Oakland, where he would score 1,563 career points and accrue a record of 103 wins to 16 losses, including 57-0 in the Pittsburgh City League.

He would earn City League Player of the Year honors three times, and both AP Player of the Year and All-State honors in Pennsylvania his junior and senior seasons. He also led Schenley to the PIAA Class 4A title over Chester, as he scored 18 points, made 23 rebounds and blocked six shots in the victory.

Despite undergoing two ACL surgerys in high school, Blair would ultimately choose to play for Pitt as a member of the Class of 2007.

He had a stellar freshman season for the Panthers, making the Big East All-Rookie Team and earning Big East Co-Rookie of the Year, Freshman All-American and three-time National Player of the Week honors.

He started 36 of 37 games in the 2007-08 season, averaging 26.0 minutes, 11.6 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks per game, while shooting 53.7% from the floor.

His efforts also led Pitt to their final Big East Tournament Title as the No. 7 seed and to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament.

Blair had one of the best campaigns in Pitt history as a sophomore in the 2008-09 season. He started all 35 games, averaged 27.2 minutes, scored 15.7 points, grabbed 12.3 rebounds, made 1.5 steals, blocked 1.0 shots and dished out 1.2 assists per game, respectively.

His efforts earned him numerous accolades, including First Team All-Big East, Big East Player of the Year and Consensus First Team All-American honors.

Along with other Pitt greats like guard Levance Fields and forward Sam Young, he helped the program to earn their first ever No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and made it to the Elite Eight for the first time in 35 years.

Blair entered the NBA Draft after his sophomore season and the San Antonio Spurs selected him with the No. 37 pick in the Second Round.

He spent his first four seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, and played in all 82 games as a rookie, while starting 23 of them. He averaged 18.2 minutes, 7.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, respectively, while shooting 55.6% from the field en route to NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors.

Blair spent the 2013-14 season with the Dallas Mavericks and then his final two NBA seasons with the Washington Wizards.

He played for the Jiangsu Tongxi Monkey Kings in China in 2016 and for San Lorenzo de Almagro in Brazil in the 2017-18 season, while also playing for G-League teams in the Texas Legends, Los Angeles D-Fenders and the Austin Spurs.

Luther played for Hampton High School in Allison Park, Pa., about 15 miles north of Pitt's campus, joining the Panthers in the Class of 2014.

He played a decent amount in his first three seasons, making 76 apperances, but only starting two games from 2014-17.

His best season came in 2017-18, the last year of Kevin Stallings as head coach. He started all 10 games, while averaging 32.5 minutes, 12.7 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game, respectively. He would suffer a season-ending foot injury after those 10 games and transferred to Arizona for his final collegiate season.

He has played international basketball for teams in Turkey, Spain and Latvia.

Luther and Blair were on the roster for last season's team, but Luther missed the opening game and Blair didn't play.

They will join the likes of guard Nelly Cummings (2022-23), guard/forward Lamar Patterson (2009-14) and forwards Nike Sibande (2020-23) and Jamel Artis (2013-17) on the Zoo Crew roster. Jamarius Burton was supposed to play, but is questionable after suffering a recent injury.

The Zoo Crew will play in the Pittsburgh Regional at the Petersen Events Center from July 20-24. Stars of Storrs (UConn), Happy Valley Hoopers (Penn State) and Best Virginia (West Virginia) will join the Zoo Crew, along with four other teams, to fight for the Championship and the $1 million cash prize.

The first game for the Zoo Crew is July 20 at 6 p.m., with tickets already on sale. 

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Dominic Campbell
DOMINIC CAMPBELL

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